Search for missing pet brings people together on social media

A golden retriever named Morgan brought the city together when she became lost.
Residents of Morgan City joined efforts with neighboring areas to perform a dog hunt when she bolted out of fear July 20. Social media turned out to be invaluable in the search and Morgan’s return.
Morgan belongs to the local family of Andrew and Christina Mancuso. Andrew and Christina went with their children to Ruston to watch their son’s baseball tournament. He was participating in the 12-year-old Dixie Regional.
Christina Mancuso’s sister, Katie Case, and her husband, Zachary Case, were dog-sitting for them at a Stephensville camp.
Around 8:45 p.m. Saturday, July 20, Case took Morgan outside a residence on La. 70 with his own two dogs, which was a normal routine. Unfortunately, a neighbor started popping fireworks, and Morgan ran.
Case chased her but had to return to put his own two dogs back into the residence and lost sight of her.
And so the search began.
The Cases began searching the area. They were able to flag down a St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy, who began helping them search the levees with his spotlight. They searched all night, with no sign of Morgan.
Katie Case began to reach out for others to search using the Facebook social media site.
At 4:38 a.m. July 21, Katie posted a description of Morgan and offered a cash reward. The post’s shares began to grow as residents of Morgan City and surrounding areas began to attempt to help get the information out. Facebook users were tagging people they thought might have a chance to find her so they could keep a look out as well.
Katie was posting to all local sites as well as animal advocates as far as New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Morgan has a microchip, so if she was picked up and turned into facilities with the appropriate equipment, she could be identified.
The concern for Morgan was growing and residents were coming together to see if anyone could locate this dog. Christina Mancuso said friends and family members were riding through the Stephensville area two to three times a day and they even had someone looking by boat.
Christina said her family felt lost without their family dog and her children kept saying, “I just hope she’s OK, wherever she is.”
On Wednesday, July 24, they finally got a glimmer of hope.
A resident in Stephensville had a doorbell camera that captured her image at 4 a.m. The resident recognized Morgan and got in touch with the Mancusos. Those that were participating in the daily rides and searches began taking turns sitting in a parking lot around 4 a.m. in the area she had been spotted in case she would return, but to no avail.
By Sunday, July 28, Morgan had been missing for over a week and hope began to dwindle in the Mancuso home.
“I told Andrew Sunday morning, the last bit of water in her bowl had evaporated,” Christina Mancuso said. “Are we at a point she might not make it home?”
But that was the day Morgan’s escapade would come to an end. Andrew Mancuso was returning from another drive looking for Morgan when he got a phone call from Doiron’s Landing Convenience Store on La. 70. Resident Dean Grizzaffi had found Morgan, and he asked Mancuso to meet him at the store to come verify it was her.
Mancuso began to head in that direction and Grizzaffi called to warn him that Morgan looked weak, but OK.
Grizzaffi had been out with his son, Peyton Grizzaffi, testing out Peyton’s boat. Peyton is a junior at Morgan City High School and fishes on their bass fishing team. They had come into Doiron’s landing and picked up the boat for the day when they crossed over to the convenience store and Peyton saw a dog coming through the opening of the levee across the street.
They had seen the information about Morgan being missing and had also seen the Mancuso children hollering the dog’s name out of car windows as they rode along on searches. Grizzaffi said his son said, “Dad, I think that’s their dog” and went directly and grabbed her.
Grizzaffi said Morgan was so weak she could barely stand. Peyton brought Morgan across to the convenience store and Dean went inside to inform them, as well as get Morgan some food and water.
Mancuso arrived at the convenience store where even the St. Martin Sheriff’s office had deputies who had come to see Morgan reunited with her owner. In a moment of relief for Mancuso, he was able to see and pet his dog again.
Grizzaffi said his family members are all dog lovers and just recently went through the pain of losing a pet, as their own beloved dog of 10 years passed away.
He said he was grateful to have been able to help in any way finding Morgan, “it drew tears to my eyes when I told my wife we found her.”
Mancuso presented Grizzaffi with the cash reward promised in the Facebook post, and a picture of Mancuso and Morgan was posted to show her return. Residents began to celebrate in this happy ending, offering their comments of joy on the social media site.
Mancuso placed a weak Morgan in his car, where she happily rested while they made their way home. Christina Mancuso said that when her husband pulled into their driveway, their children were screaming with excitement and Morgan’s head “popped up from the back seat.”
People came over to visit “like we had a new baby in the home,” Christina Mancuso said. “The house had a revolving door of everyone excited to come see her.”
Morgan was taken to the vet the day after being found.
Morgan lost 10 pounds in the eight days she was missing, and had to have her fur shaved off around some hot spot areas she received to her skin, but overall she is doing fine and will recover quickly.