Molly, the lost dog that celebrities including Kevin Bacon helped try to find after she went missing on the Upper West Side, has died, her owner said.
The small, shy, mixed-breed rescue dog disappeared on June 17 after running away from her owner in Riverside Park, he posted on Facebook.
Actors including Will Arnett and Kevin Bacon, who lives on the Upper West Side, tweeted appeals to help find Molly to their hundreds of thousands of followers.
But the campaign came to a tragic end Tuesday, when the dog was found on the West Side Highway at West 112th Street, according to a friend of the owner who participated in the search.
"We are heartbroken," owner Marco Schnabl posted on his Facebook page. "We lost our best friend and the best dog in the world."
He also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support he got in trying to find her, including hundreds of Facebook shares and even a YouTube video.
"Most of you we never met - but your hearts were open to help us - not expecting anything. You did not know us, but all of you offered so much love," Schnabl wrote.
Molly was scared away by fireworks that Schnabl wasn't expecting, according to his friend, actor Will Arnett.
My friend's sweet rescue was spooked and ran away during fireworks last Wed @ 83rd/Riverside. https://t.co/QJ2tkwjiJL pic.twitter.com/BmDbhKkcwz
— Will Arnett™ (@arnettwill) June 22, 2015
Late Tuesday night, Schnabl posted a montage of photos of Molly on his Facebook page that received an outpouring of love for the dog.
"She was an amazing snuggle bug," posted Alexandra Janelli. "She will be forever loved and missed. I know our doggy family here on the upper west side sends u love and she will meet us all at heavens gate when we arrive. Xoxo."
Fellow dog owners were frustrated about often not knowing about fireworks in advance, said resident Jacqui Bolier, who helped look for Molly.
The city puts out alerts about events like fireworks via its Notify NYC app, so dog owners can find out about them ahead of time if they sign up, she said.
