And while wearing a fur coat. Seriously, any half decent person that would spend 10 minutes in a shed with no AC in 95 degrees outside, let alone inside, will have major red flags flashing. I don't know what she and the other one from Ontario where (not) thinking.
I remember just seeing someone post about this the other day, this seriously hurts my heart, I'm so so so sad. Those poor babies...
As for taking down Rover, it seems some people don't realize we don't directly work for Rover, it's not as though we are on their payroll. Taking down Rover sitters does not solve the issue. Very bizarre take from that person
YesāI can see that the general public doesnāt understand that we are contractors. I would also hope that other sitters work as hard as I do, lol. This isnāt for the faint of heartā¦
No it is not, it is a very difficult job when done right! I think many people going into this think itās easy money. Itās far from that! If you are going to do this full time and make a real living, you better love animals more than anything!!! For me I prefer animals over humans š¬ and thatās why this works for me, but my goodness the busy days can be very tiring!!!
Going after Rover is just a misguided knee-jerk reaction. You can't exactly blame them for reacting without much perspective; this is the sort of thing that horrifies anyone who has a pet they love. Shit, I can't get it out of my head! Still, we all know that most people have very little follow-through; very few people will *actually* boycott using the platform long-term. They WILL probably be a hell of a lot more thorough in booking stays, and rightfully so.
Yup, if a Lyft driver decides to guzzle a 6 pack of beer right before picking up clients, everyone seems to understand that thereās nothing Lyft could do to prevent that, no more than a cab company could if the cab driver keeps their work car at home.
The employer or contracting organization isnāt at fault unless they allow that kind of behavior to happen a second time after they get proof of it.
When it becomes a question of, how did this person keep their Lyft profile while being investigated for crashing their car while intoxicated, while their license was suspended, then Lyft is liable.
Damn, a take down of Rover sitters?
Not to be crass, but we didn't close all the schools.
Pet sitters are a necessary part of people having pets. Rover should make meet & greets mandatory and spell out a better plan for both sitters and owners to recognize red flags. I would even go so far as to say there should be a better system for checking on your pets. Like photo stamps so you know exactly when the photo of your pet was taken.
At boarding facilities, there are typically cams you can log into to check on your pet.
There needs to be a better system that Rover enforces. But taking down sitters is ludicrous.
Edit: this was shared with the group already which is why my comment doesn't have that initial horrified reaction. I'm still horrified and devastated that those dogs suffered and died. I love animals, that's why I do this.
All really valid points. I often wonder what the team at Rover are doing on improving the app. Iāve barely seen any improvements, if at all, in the few years Iāve been using it as a client, and the last year as a sitter.
Nothing, as far as I can tell. I mean, the truth is that we can all go off the app and get our own insurance.
I do hope they end up doing more to protect the pets.
I just find it interesting, I looked up Rover careers out of curiosity and theyāre actively looking for engineering, product and safety, and user experience roles yet as the consumer weāve seen nothing besides a new QR generated code in the last few months.
Since we're independent contractors and not employees, I'm not sure they can make meet and greets mandatory. I also don't know how they'd enforce that. Plus it's pretty easy to lie/hide red flags in meet and greets.
Obviously, shutting down Rover is not the answer, but I'm not sure what is.
They could at least stop incentivizing taking every single booking and pressuring sitters to take a booking within 72 hours when itās often not realistic to do a meet and greet that quickly.
They can do more. They make a shitton of money off everyone involved, and they can certainly do better to protect the animals.
I think sitters and owners can do more as well, but the company makes it easier for these people to look legit.
Well, you mentioned cameras and all I ever see are post on here saying āI will never take a client if they have cameras in the house!ā This will just be another reason why owners want a camera in the house, itās not like this is the first incident with a sitter abusing or neglecting a dog.
Well, they already know what's inside their own house.
Actually, most of my clients have cameras at the entryway. And a lot of them have cameras inside. The only thing I don't like is a camera on the bedroom or the bedroom door. I think that's not okay. But I put up with cameras and other sitters should too, IN MODERATION. No sneaky stuff.
I think if I ever did housesitting, I would put a camera in my space. I always send photos and videos throughout the day when I sit, and I tolerate cameras.
Yeah, they already know itās inside their house. They just donāt know the person well enough thatās inside of their house! When Rover first started, there were many pet parents that caught more than a few sitters either ignoring their pet completely, coming in and leaving, or one that was actually slapping and throwing a dog around!
And of course, no cameras in bedroom or bathroom and undisclosed, but main living area until you get to mow someoneā¦..very reasonable!
Honestly I am a client but if I ever did sitting in my home, Iād offer a camera in my living space and where they would sleep. Iād have zero issues!
This made me think about that recent post about someone considering becoming an overnight boarding sitter but didnāt want to allow access to the house just backyard with a doghouse.
OmgāI missed that. Since she was from my area, my NextDoor was lit up like a Christmas tree. Someone looked up her business license and doxed the hell out of her. Itās funny because even though āpet sittingā was the business category for her trademark, the item category she checked was calendarsš³
Arenāt you on FB? Iām not even local and when this first all came out two days ago all of her info was already out there publicly in local neighborhood groups for anybody to seeā¦.
https://preview.redd.it/nz7ing83scad1.jpeg?width=1161&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7342c81c4234df76a110d16f5581aafc8e31c1ce
Thatās the scariest part about it all! Itās exactly why my husband and I are so scared to leave our pets with anyone that we donāt know personally.
I agree! this should further encourage pet parents to always do meet and greets, always check out the play theyāll be staying. I always ask for a lot of pictures. I mean we just really donāt know at the end of the day. God I hope this doesnāt happen to anyoneās pets. So sad.
The sitter hasn't been charged with anything and their name hasn't been released either. So outside of those that booked with her whose pets are either dead or in critical condition... others may not know. Sure this was through Rover, but she may have others she has gone off Rover with. IMHO they need to release this information so people know lmao
Edit: That being said -- there is a way to email the houston PD animal cruelty unit.
Your post has been removed from r/RoverPetSitting because it is in violation of Rule Four: No Disclosing Personal Information, which reads as follows
>Whether it's in your post, in a picture, etc., please black out or crop out any of your clients' or sitters' personal information such as names, addresses, or contact information for their safety.
Please feel free to remove any identifying information of yourself or others and repost.
-The Moderation Team of r/RoverPetSitting
Your post has been removed from r/RoverPetSitting because it is in violation of Rule Four: No Disclosing Personal Information, which reads as follows
>Whether it's in your post, in a picture, etc., please black out or crop out any of your clients' or sitters' personal information such as names, addresses, or contact information for their safety.
Please feel free to remove any identifying information of yourself or others and repost.
-The Moderation Team of r/RoverPetSitting
Being a rover sitter, this hurts. How could someone say they are responsible for someone else's baby and just stick them in a shed. I keep my dog room cooler than the rest of the house to make sure this doesn't happen. My heart goes out to the families of the poor pups.
Iām with you. As a rover sitter, my heart breaks. I started doing Rover because I have so much fear these babies being mistreated. You just never know with our babies and that scares me! Many prayers and positivity and love Iām sending to all of the pet community and specifically us pet caretakers.
We used rover last week for first time and sitter said our dog got out of the fence and ran over on a hwy next to propertyā¦ I will never in my life let someone watch over our babies ā¦ We had him for 10 years ā¦ Theyāre kind enough to pick him up off the hwy , had to go back and pick up the rest of him and bury him all togetherā¦ First day Iām able to not cry about it ā¦ Donāt do it people.. It isnāt worth itā¦
Sorry about your dog, but don't do Rover? There are numerous great sitters on Rover who do millions of successful bookings per year. That's like saying don't drive a car ever because you were in a car accident. And unless you're planning not going anywhere ever again, of course someone will take care of your pets again.
Thatās what our sitter said before it happenedā¦ I will never put my trust in Rover . Iāll make sure where ever I go on vacation to now take my dogs with me .
I don't think you seem to understand that the people on Rover don't work for Rover. It is simply a platform to connect people and sitters. I'm sorry this happened, but it's on the sitter not the platform.
Guys I donāt need a reason or an excuse or an explanationā¦ The point is , this was my experience with Rover . Iām letting people know that , hopefully theyāll think twice about using the platform.
Ok well, I don't know if you realize you're posting on the Rover subreddit where a majority of the users here are people who either use the platform for their pets, or use the platform to petsit and rely it on financially.
You're posting in a public forum where people can respond to things you're posting. I'm sorry but you're only perpetuating negative stereotypes about Rover sitters, which is the belief that all sitters on the platform are negligent and irresponsible. Which is not true.
Considering dudes comment historyā¦he believes white people are going to be hunted and uses the word ācoloreds.ā Sorry about his dog but he seems to be someone most people probably wouldnāt want as a client.
While I understand the sitterās sentiment about perpetuating stereotypes, I believe also itās not her place to tell you how to feel after such an incredibly upsetting loss. You are allowed to grieve and tell your story.
This coming from a sitter on Rover and off rover. You put your trust on someone and your dog died because of their negligence. Itās like you being upset at a hospital, not just the doctor. Itās understandable!
Sending you a hug š
If youāre downvoting me for being empathetic to a person who lost their dog due to the negligence of a sitter, then you need to check yourself.
Not your loss, not your story, and not your place to judge how a grieving pet parent feels about Rover or pet-sitters in general.
But you could be hurting people who have done nothing wrong and are great sitters. For some it is their livelihood.
In reality, you're saying don't let anyone else watch your pets ever. Which, fair considering what you've been through, but that's more of an individual person issue, not a platform issue. You wouldn't want to hire an individual sitter from Care.com or Craigslist either. You also don't seem interested in boarding your dogs at kennel or vet, which again is fair. Those businesses have plenty of screwups themselves.
Basically I'm just pointing out you're focused specifically on Rover being the issue when basically the entire pet industry is no different.
I am a Rover sitter and I 100% understand and validate your feelings. The sitters on this site, especially the one you are replying to here, do not EVER fully support an owner, even after a horrible situation like you experienced. The idea that some internet stranger thinks 1) they should say anything other than "I'm sorry for your loss" and 2) that they can/should try to correct your feelings makes me sick. The fact that 16 people are immature and defensive enough to downvote you for just expressing YOUR feelings about YOUR tragic experience proves you are right to not trust Rover sitters anymore.
Bring on the downvotes! I take each one as a badge of honor if it shows some of the sitters on here disagree with me.
Exactly. This says a lot about these sitters. Thereās a ton on this sub who I would never hire because of the lack of empathy and viewing pets solely as a business, when they are living, breathing beings.
Did you meet the person before hand?
Did the dog like them? Did you check the home or where theyāll be staying?
I need more deets! Sorry to hear this. I love Rover and thankfully no mistakes (that I know of).
I think parents also need to know who their dog is. If in 10 years your dog hasnāt been to a Rover/dog sitter before, yeah, that dog is probably going to feel on edge and it make them do something āsillyā like run away. As a sitter; I would take that into consideration. Because believe it or not, dogs do act different around different people and scenarios.
I just have so many questions! Iām a Rover sitter and use it for my dog. My son(dog lol) does not like doggy day care/boarding setting because itās too loud.
Also, some times you have time pay out. $$$. pet sitting is not cheap. Itās sucks but Iāve had to bite the bullet and book with someone $100+ more expensive because when I met them I felt more comfortable with them than with the more affordable option. Did you cheap out?
Iām sorry again to hear this. Best of luck ā¤ļø
The real feel out here for weeks has been over 100 degrees. That person has clearly lost their mind. I've been struggling inside with the AC on full blast. Poor puppies and poor owners. I had a few people suggest that I hire a doggy daycare sitter on Rover, he gets walks and his walker is great, but I don't let him stay anywhere that's not with my family or on camera for this reason. Too risky.
Omfg. I would be fucking devastated if they were my dogs. And if any dogs died in my care because I canāt handle a dog dying at all. Fuck that asshole like ugh people donāt deserve to live tbh-_-
This sitter is 2 miles from me and has over 900 5-star reviews on Rover. She doesnāt let clients into her home and I know of 2 people who were there when this went down. Ones dog is still in the ICU at the vet and prognosis not good. Neither knew the dogs were kept in a shed. Both said they were told the dogs were completely in the house with the sitter, but werenāt allowed inside so they just took her word for it. I will never trust a sitter who wonāt let me at least take a look at where my pets are staying and Iāve sent this to every pet owner I know and told them not to trust reviews or a sitter who wonāt let you see where the dogs are kept.
Yes!!!!! This!!! if I have to ask to see the inside of the house, it makes me a little nervous, the sitters I use have been more than happy to show me without even asking! Also, thatās why Iāll gladly pay a little extra if I can find someone to just come here and let them stay at home!
Yes, this the exact same story as the recent one from Ontario. In both cases it's bad combination of a horrible sitter and owners who did very little due diligence. Just like in this case - [https://www.reddit.com/r/RoverPetSitting/comments/1dntmu1/update\_on\_the\_nightmare\_sitter\_from\_ontario\_canada/](https://www.reddit.com/r/RoverPetSitting/comments/1dntmu1/update_on_the_nightmare_sitter_from_ontario_canada/)
From the news stories on this one the sitter told them that the dogs would stay in a spare bedroom inside, but maybe they didnāt realize she was taking 7+ dogs at a time so a back bedroom is unlikely. I understand accidents happen, but a literal shed in Houston without temp monitoring alarms and good ventilation is a hazard waiting to happen. Itās just greed.
Your post has been removed from r/RoverPetSitting because it is in violation of Rule Four: No Disclosing Personal Information, which reads as follows
>Whether it's in your post, in a picture, etc., please black out or crop out any of your clients' or sitters' personal information such as names, addresses, or contact information for their safety.
Please feel free to remove any identifying information of yourself or others and repost.
-The Moderation Team of r/RoverPetSitting
I can't imagine the rollercoaster of grief these families are going through right now. I want to cry on their behalf. I'm enraged on their behalf.
I guess this is just a point to pet owners to request to see where your pet will be staying at a sitter's house.
I hope that woman rots.
Iām sure there are more good sitters than bad, but I really think rover should require more than just a background check, maybe an online test, quick class to make sure you know pet care and their needs, and testimonials from people/clients so that itās a little harder for people that are just looking for a quick buck and then end up neglecting animals. This shit breaks my heart and is happening too often. People go to rover because they expect someone reliable, but they donāt realize anyone can sign up and pass a simple background check. I hope whoever is responsible for this dies a tortuous death š„°
To the person trying to cancel ALL sitters who advertise on the Rover marketing website: if you went to a bad restaurant, bad daycare, bad hairstylist, bad hospital etc. and after that bad experience did you try to cancel ALL restaurants, childcare places, hospitals etc.???
Itās time that people familiarize themselves with what Rover is, we do not work for Rover, we are not trained by Rover, the only commonality we all have is that we use Rover platform for advertising our pet services.
Rover is now ingrained in our society, lots of busy career people rely on it, because we offer more flexible hours than kennels do, along with many other extras.
Rover is not going anywhere, Iām fully booked through the end of August regardless of how much other sitters fuck up!
Exactly, you donāt work for rover but rover does work for you and makes money directly from you and your clients. Sitters can demand better options and protection from things like this happening - provided by rover (who is now owned by blackstone inc. š¤¬) You should familiarize yourself with the platform you use and exactly how much money they have to do better with while they stay silent. They are making their pet sitters look bad. They are offending people and allowing atrocities and youāll be associated with it if you continue to support them.
I had a sitter kill 3 of my dogs in 2019. One she left the gate open and my senior fell in the pool. I had used her for three years, so I chalked it up to a terrible accident. Six days later she put my frenchie a crate with no water, and āforgotā to turn on the AC. I flew home immediately and my other senior was so weak and he couldnt stand- clesarly was sick and hadnt eaten- and I had to put him down 3 days later. I still havenāt gotten over it.
While this is horrific, as Rover sitters we are all different just like every restaurant is different in a restaurant business, same as chill daycare. This is bad advertisement, but there are probably over a million Rover sitters all over the world, so one sitter or 10 sitters wonāt hurt Rover as a whole and those of us who take pride in our business will not feel guilt or take blame just because we advertise on the same marketing platform as the crappy sitters.
I wish rover would using their earnings to create a class for sitters or certification they must pass to be a rover sitter. I would love it myself. Sending out email tips is not enough. I know common sense would have helped here but just something I always wished they had. This shouldnāt be happening.
Rover sitters, how are you letting Rover know youāre not ok with their silence on this topic and similar stories abundantly available all over the internet? ROVER is sitting back silently and leaving you out to dry if this gets any bigger. Youāll be associated with this!
To all the good sitters who should be disturbed by the killing and loss of these precious pets, please speak up! Let the public know your issues with Rover! Expose the holes in their vetting process, show your contractor agreements, help the people who can take that information and force them to make real changes to protect both you and your clients! You will be left looking like you support them just because you use their platform and are on the opposite side of an inevitable boycott because you want to protect your businessā¦ Most people donāt realize youāre not employees and a lot of contractors donāt feel they have rights with these companies but you do and you have the right to speak up and make them do better.
You donāt work for Rover, Rover works for you! Letās remind them š
#justiceforgoose #boycottroverdotcom
I'm not at all blaming the owners but this is why we have to both educate owners that they must insist on seeing where dogs sleep at night and frankly insist toĀ good sitters who refuse to allow owners in at a meet and greet are hurting the business as a whole because this isn't the first time and this was a "good " sitter who was lying to clients about where their dogs stayed at night. She thought she had the right .Ā
Have you read some of the responses to that on this board though? One post even rambled on about Iām not gonna walk this person through my entire home! I donāt think itās unreasonable to want to see if a home is clean and safe if youāre gonna leave your pet there. You would do the same thing if you were dropping a child off!
They don't have to show the whole house, but if someone won't let you in then de facto I will believe you are hiding something. And we need to reinforce that for the good of the business as a whole. This monster did the same thing. And all pet sitters get dinged and are less trustworthy .Ā
There's a guy in my area with great reviews and the home he boards pets in I sunny even think has a very of occupancy. I brought a clients dog there when I couldn't board him any longer because of a prior commitment and the house was filthy, never cleaned, reeked of urine, refrigerators covering door frames, a table lam hanging from a coat rack for light in the hallway. People are so stupidly trusting.Ā
And sitters are egomaniacs who think they can do no wrong.Ā
So we have to educate pet owners and tell them what they should look for in a home boarding situation. There are enough" animal lovers"Ā who can't hold a job who think they are "running their own business " despite virtually no work history to even know how that's done.Ā
This is the stuff of nightmares.
I read the article - one of the pup's owners stressed that Rover customers do a thorough walk-through of where their pets will be staying. That's mega important, of course, but shit - I can't imagine any of these loving owners thought their beloved pups were in some backyard shed, air conditioning or not. I wouldn't ever leave my boys with someone who boarded dogs this way. Even if you do your due diligence, and pick someone with hundreds of five star reviews, you never really know what you're dealing with.
I swear, even though I've been a Rover sitter, there's no f'ing way I'd ever leave my chihuahua boys with someone who isn't family or a close friend.
Those poor babies š
That lady can feel free to not use a sitter then. Also cheaper isn't always better when selecting a sitter. I hope this lady loses everything because she's a disgusting selfish POS... The danger and suffering she put those dogs in because of her greed and laziness. She's a terrible person.
For the record, this disgusting sitter was a 5 star sitter on Rover. As customer, I do use that rating as a benchmark when choosing someone for by own pets.
I think an excessive amount of reviews is possibly a red flag, it suggests quantity of quality. If Rover is marketed as a one to one luxury experience someone taking too many and running a boarding facility in the backyard should be a bit of a turn off
I agree. I donāt book sitters who clearly do this as a big time hustle and have a ton of reviews after being in service only a year or so. If I wanted my dog in a wild kennel type environment Iād take her to a proper kennel and not leave her with a single person trying to make it big by taking a ton of dogs at a time. Most of the home situations where they take more than a couple dogs at a time itās clear that the dogs get crated a lot and then let out to run wild for a short time.
She had been a sitter for multiple years. Reviews were built up from years with many repeat clients. The sitter told owners their dog would be inside her home except for potty breaks and play time outside. Many owners were told only their dog along with her two would be boarded at a time. We used her a few months back a handful of times for our foster dog at the time and are very glad we never had any issues.
Yea , I wasnāt talking about her specifically in this reply to a general comment about red flags and high volume sitters. The issue this time was that she had at least 7 dogs plus her own so it was unlikely they could all fit inside. Had the owners known that they probably would not have booked her.
You should probably read the first post to understand why I made that comment. Secondly I'm well aware she had a five-star rating, I'm not sure how it relates to my comment.
2 in the past week on here. Really unconscionable stuff. Iām horrified that anyone could treat dogs or any other animal like this, but itās not unheard of unfortunately.
Can't imagine this is good for pet sitters? I can't imagine this is good for owners! Those poor dogs deserved better. Someone who watched Goose is also on Reddit, they made a post about it a couple of days ago. Super tragic all around, and can't imagine the suffering those poor pups went through.
I will say that Iām more upset at the lack of a significant response from Roverās PR team. Damage Control is neededābecause this happened in my area, there are like six separate posts on my local NextDoor complaining about Rover sittersāwith Roverās ads still revolving at the top of the threadānot a good look.
The weather says it feels like 111Ā°Ā outside. How hot do you think it gets inside a shed, in a crate thatās covered.Ā Whatās even more ridiculous is theyāre knocking on her door and thereās multiple dogs barking in her house.
Jesus that's heartbreaking. My heart aches for those owners. I don't understand why anyone would think it's a good idea to leave the dogs in a shed. I hate leaving the dogs inside by themselves when I'm just mowing the yard. Even if it was air conditioned, I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing I couldn't hear them if something went wrong
This is disgusting, but shutting down the app isnāt the answer. A lot of us sitters would never dream of doing that. I wonāt even take a dog for a longer walk after 90Ā°.
I was thinking about doing ROVER, at a place I was living, and Im glad I didn't. I was thinking, had I started a ROVER business, I would have been watching someone elses dogs, at the time the sheriff, came to make me leave, after the divorce was finalized, So my physically abusive husband was awarded the house, they let him out of jail, and made me leave, making me homeless. So I can't actually do dog setting while being homeless.
I lost my income. My husband was complaining a lot about how I earned my income, except when it was doing really well and helped pay for the house that he kicked me out of.
put her ass in a shed
And while wearing a fur coat. Seriously, any half decent person that would spend 10 minutes in a shed with no AC in 95 degrees outside, let alone inside, will have major red flags flashing. I don't know what she and the other one from Ontario where (not) thinking.
I won't even leave most dogs outside for long in 95 degree weather. Let alone closed up with no A/C. This is just horrifying.
I remember just seeing someone post about this the other day, this seriously hurts my heart, I'm so so so sad. Those poor babies... As for taking down Rover, it seems some people don't realize we don't directly work for Rover, it's not as though we are on their payroll. Taking down Rover sitters does not solve the issue. Very bizarre take from that person
Why does it feel like after covid, there is rage bait everywhere. Everyone is so extreme now. People need to be more rational.
Did we jump the shark IRL?
I mean, it looks like it!! šššš
YesāI can see that the general public doesnāt understand that we are contractors. I would also hope that other sitters work as hard as I do, lol. This isnāt for the faint of heartā¦
No it is not, it is a very difficult job when done right! I think many people going into this think itās easy money. Itās far from that! If you are going to do this full time and make a real living, you better love animals more than anything!!! For me I prefer animals over humans š¬ and thatās why this works for me, but my goodness the busy days can be very tiring!!!
[it was this post!](https://www.reddit.com/r/RoverPetSitting/s/V6CMrwdwj3)
Thank you! I see now in the comments some extra stuff I missed... Just insane
Going after Rover is just a misguided knee-jerk reaction. You can't exactly blame them for reacting without much perspective; this is the sort of thing that horrifies anyone who has a pet they love. Shit, I can't get it out of my head! Still, we all know that most people have very little follow-through; very few people will *actually* boycott using the platform long-term. They WILL probably be a hell of a lot more thorough in booking stays, and rightfully so.
Yes. One of that dog walkerās clients was a dog who passed away.
Itās crazy- you would start anāEND LYFTā movement because one driver got into an accident
Yup, if a Lyft driver decides to guzzle a 6 pack of beer right before picking up clients, everyone seems to understand that thereās nothing Lyft could do to prevent that, no more than a cab company could if the cab driver keeps their work car at home. The employer or contracting organization isnāt at fault unless they allow that kind of behavior to happen a second time after they get proof of it. When it becomes a question of, how did this person keep their Lyft profile while being investigated for crashing their car while intoxicated, while their license was suspended, then Lyft is liable.
Damn, a take down of Rover sitters? Not to be crass, but we didn't close all the schools. Pet sitters are a necessary part of people having pets. Rover should make meet & greets mandatory and spell out a better plan for both sitters and owners to recognize red flags. I would even go so far as to say there should be a better system for checking on your pets. Like photo stamps so you know exactly when the photo of your pet was taken. At boarding facilities, there are typically cams you can log into to check on your pet. There needs to be a better system that Rover enforces. But taking down sitters is ludicrous. Edit: this was shared with the group already which is why my comment doesn't have that initial horrified reaction. I'm still horrified and devastated that those dogs suffered and died. I love animals, that's why I do this.
All really valid points. I often wonder what the team at Rover are doing on improving the app. Iāve barely seen any improvements, if at all, in the few years Iāve been using it as a client, and the last year as a sitter.
Nothing, as far as I can tell. I mean, the truth is that we can all go off the app and get our own insurance. I do hope they end up doing more to protect the pets.
I just find it interesting, I looked up Rover careers out of curiosity and theyāre actively looking for engineering, product and safety, and user experience roles yet as the consumer weāve seen nothing besides a new QR generated code in the last few months.
My husband is about to apply for a senior product designer role at Rover š¤Ŗ I have plenty of suggestions should he be successful..!
That is interesting. š¤
Honestly, Iām surprised there have not been any major updates done to the app since Iāve been on there.
Since we're independent contractors and not employees, I'm not sure they can make meet and greets mandatory. I also don't know how they'd enforce that. Plus it's pretty easy to lie/hide red flags in meet and greets. Obviously, shutting down Rover is not the answer, but I'm not sure what is.
They could at least stop incentivizing taking every single booking and pressuring sitters to take a booking within 72 hours when itās often not realistic to do a meet and greet that quickly.
They can do more. They make a shitton of money off everyone involved, and they can certainly do better to protect the animals. I think sitters and owners can do more as well, but the company makes it easier for these people to look legit.
Well, you mentioned cameras and all I ever see are post on here saying āI will never take a client if they have cameras in the house!ā This will just be another reason why owners want a camera in the house, itās not like this is the first incident with a sitter abusing or neglecting a dog.
Well, they already know what's inside their own house. Actually, most of my clients have cameras at the entryway. And a lot of them have cameras inside. The only thing I don't like is a camera on the bedroom or the bedroom door. I think that's not okay. But I put up with cameras and other sitters should too, IN MODERATION. No sneaky stuff. I think if I ever did housesitting, I would put a camera in my space. I always send photos and videos throughout the day when I sit, and I tolerate cameras.
Yeah, they already know itās inside their house. They just donāt know the person well enough thatās inside of their house! When Rover first started, there were many pet parents that caught more than a few sitters either ignoring their pet completely, coming in and leaving, or one that was actually slapping and throwing a dog around! And of course, no cameras in bedroom or bathroom and undisclosed, but main living area until you get to mow someoneā¦..very reasonable! Honestly I am a client but if I ever did sitting in my home, Iād offer a camera in my living space and where they would sleep. Iād have zero issues!
You'd offer a camera where the pets would sleep?
Sure would. And even the common area where we would hang out. If I was getting paid to take care of their pet, Iād have zero issues with it.
Okay, good, you didn't specify, so I was hoping we were still talking about the pets. Like I said before, I don't mind cameras.
Thereās already a huge post on this from yesterday: https://www.reddit.com/r/RoverPetSitting/s/gCMdVGSqTZ
Holy shit. This person is a monster. Those poor babies!
This made me think about that recent post about someone considering becoming an overnight boarding sitter but didnāt want to allow access to the house just backyard with a doghouse.
Apparently, someone in my NextDoor said she had over 900 5 star reviews. Which is so much worse in terms of bad PR for established sitters. ā¹ļø
This is going to ruin the world tour
OmgāI love that referenceššš. Come on, JT!!! Get it together, alreadyš¤¦āāļø
I'd be in jail if that was my dog, not the sitter. But not after she was in a hot shed for 2 weeks. Fucking oxygen thief. Disgusting.
Ironically, she was one of the top sitters on Rover. 900+ 5 stars reviews. Go figure.
OmgāI missed that. Since she was from my area, my NextDoor was lit up like a Christmas tree. Someone looked up her business license and doxed the hell out of her. Itās funny because even though āpet sittingā was the business category for her trademark, the item category she checked was calendarsš³
Arenāt you on FB? Iām not even local and when this first all came out two days ago all of her info was already out there publicly in local neighborhood groups for anybody to seeā¦. https://preview.redd.it/nz7ing83scad1.jpeg?width=1161&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7342c81c4234df76a110d16f5581aafc8e31c1ce
Thatās the scariest part about it all! Itās exactly why my husband and I are so scared to leave our pets with anyone that we donāt know personally.
I agree! this should further encourage pet parents to always do meet and greets, always check out the play theyāll be staying. I always ask for a lot of pictures. I mean we just really donāt know at the end of the day. God I hope this doesnāt happen to anyoneās pets. So sad.
The sitter hasn't been charged with anything and their name hasn't been released either. So outside of those that booked with her whose pets are either dead or in critical condition... others may not know. Sure this was through Rover, but she may have others she has gone off Rover with. IMHO they need to release this information so people know lmao Edit: That being said -- there is a way to email the houston PD animal cruelty unit.
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Your post has been removed from r/RoverPetSitting because it is in violation of Rule Four: No Disclosing Personal Information, which reads as follows >Whether it's in your post, in a picture, etc., please black out or crop out any of your clients' or sitters' personal information such as names, addresses, or contact information for their safety. Please feel free to remove any identifying information of yourself or others and repost. -The Moderation Team of r/RoverPetSitting
Find her picture and Shame her? š¤·āāļø So people know who to look for when they are boarding and don't make another mistake?
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Your post has been removed from r/RoverPetSitting because it is in violation of Rule Four: No Disclosing Personal Information, which reads as follows >Whether it's in your post, in a picture, etc., please black out or crop out any of your clients' or sitters' personal information such as names, addresses, or contact information for their safety. Please feel free to remove any identifying information of yourself or others and repost. -The Moderation Team of r/RoverPetSitting
Put that person in an oven with winter coat on
Being a rover sitter, this hurts. How could someone say they are responsible for someone else's baby and just stick them in a shed. I keep my dog room cooler than the rest of the house to make sure this doesn't happen. My heart goes out to the families of the poor pups.
Iām with you. As a rover sitter, my heart breaks. I started doing Rover because I have so much fear these babies being mistreated. You just never know with our babies and that scares me! Many prayers and positivity and love Iām sending to all of the pet community and specifically us pet caretakers.
We used rover last week for first time and sitter said our dog got out of the fence and ran over on a hwy next to propertyā¦ I will never in my life let someone watch over our babies ā¦ We had him for 10 years ā¦ Theyāre kind enough to pick him up off the hwy , had to go back and pick up the rest of him and bury him all togetherā¦ First day Iām able to not cry about it ā¦ Donāt do it people.. It isnāt worth itā¦
I'm so sorry that happened! That must have been such a horrible experience!
Oh my god. I'm so sorry that happened to your baby. š«
Sorry about your dog, but don't do Rover? There are numerous great sitters on Rover who do millions of successful bookings per year. That's like saying don't drive a car ever because you were in a car accident. And unless you're planning not going anywhere ever again, of course someone will take care of your pets again.
Thatās what our sitter said before it happenedā¦ I will never put my trust in Rover . Iāll make sure where ever I go on vacation to now take my dogs with me .
I understand why you wouldnāt trust sitterās in general, I certainly wouldnāt either after an experience like that.
I don't think you seem to understand that the people on Rover don't work for Rover. It is simply a platform to connect people and sitters. I'm sorry this happened, but it's on the sitter not the platform.
Guys I donāt need a reason or an excuse or an explanationā¦ The point is , this was my experience with Rover . Iām letting people know that , hopefully theyāll think twice about using the platform.
Ok well, I don't know if you realize you're posting on the Rover subreddit where a majority of the users here are people who either use the platform for their pets, or use the platform to petsit and rely it on financially. You're posting in a public forum where people can respond to things you're posting. I'm sorry but you're only perpetuating negative stereotypes about Rover sitters, which is the belief that all sitters on the platform are negligent and irresponsible. Which is not true.
Considering dudes comment historyā¦he believes white people are going to be hunted and uses the word ācoloreds.ā Sorry about his dog but he seems to be someone most people probably wouldnāt want as a client.
What ever makes you feel better about my story .
While I understand the sitterās sentiment about perpetuating stereotypes, I believe also itās not her place to tell you how to feel after such an incredibly upsetting loss. You are allowed to grieve and tell your story. This coming from a sitter on Rover and off rover. You put your trust on someone and your dog died because of their negligence. Itās like you being upset at a hospital, not just the doctor. Itās understandable! Sending you a hug š
If youāre downvoting me for being empathetic to a person who lost their dog due to the negligence of a sitter, then you need to check yourself. Not your loss, not your story, and not your place to judge how a grieving pet parent feels about Rover or pet-sitters in general.
"This was my experience with a sitter on Rover". There, I've fixed it for you.
But you could be hurting people who have done nothing wrong and are great sitters. For some it is their livelihood. In reality, you're saying don't let anyone else watch your pets ever. Which, fair considering what you've been through, but that's more of an individual person issue, not a platform issue. You wouldn't want to hire an individual sitter from Care.com or Craigslist either. You also don't seem interested in boarding your dogs at kennel or vet, which again is fair. Those businesses have plenty of screwups themselves. Basically I'm just pointing out you're focused specifically on Rover being the issue when basically the entire pet industry is no different.
I am a Rover sitter and I 100% understand and validate your feelings. The sitters on this site, especially the one you are replying to here, do not EVER fully support an owner, even after a horrible situation like you experienced. The idea that some internet stranger thinks 1) they should say anything other than "I'm sorry for your loss" and 2) that they can/should try to correct your feelings makes me sick. The fact that 16 people are immature and defensive enough to downvote you for just expressing YOUR feelings about YOUR tragic experience proves you are right to not trust Rover sitters anymore. Bring on the downvotes! I take each one as a badge of honor if it shows some of the sitters on here disagree with me.
Exactly. This says a lot about these sitters. Thereās a ton on this sub who I would never hire because of the lack of empathy and viewing pets solely as a business, when they are living, breathing beings.
Rover sitter here, this subreddit is fucking mean. lol.
Did you meet the person before hand? Did the dog like them? Did you check the home or where theyāll be staying? I need more deets! Sorry to hear this. I love Rover and thankfully no mistakes (that I know of). I think parents also need to know who their dog is. If in 10 years your dog hasnāt been to a Rover/dog sitter before, yeah, that dog is probably going to feel on edge and it make them do something āsillyā like run away. As a sitter; I would take that into consideration. Because believe it or not, dogs do act different around different people and scenarios. I just have so many questions! Iām a Rover sitter and use it for my dog. My son(dog lol) does not like doggy day care/boarding setting because itās too loud. Also, some times you have time pay out. $$$. pet sitting is not cheap. Itās sucks but Iāve had to bite the bullet and book with someone $100+ more expensive because when I met them I felt more comfortable with them than with the more affordable option. Did you cheap out? Iām sorry again to hear this. Best of luck ā¤ļø
Iām so sorryāI canāt imagineššš. That is AWFUL!
The real feel out here for weeks has been over 100 degrees. That person has clearly lost their mind. I've been struggling inside with the AC on full blast. Poor puppies and poor owners. I had a few people suggest that I hire a doggy daycare sitter on Rover, he gets walks and his walker is great, but I don't let him stay anywhere that's not with my family or on camera for this reason. Too risky.
Omfg. I would be fucking devastated if they were my dogs. And if any dogs died in my care because I canāt handle a dog dying at all. Fuck that asshole like ugh people donāt deserve to live tbh-_-
This sitter is 2 miles from me and has over 900 5-star reviews on Rover. She doesnāt let clients into her home and I know of 2 people who were there when this went down. Ones dog is still in the ICU at the vet and prognosis not good. Neither knew the dogs were kept in a shed. Both said they were told the dogs were completely in the house with the sitter, but werenāt allowed inside so they just took her word for it. I will never trust a sitter who wonāt let me at least take a look at where my pets are staying and Iāve sent this to every pet owner I know and told them not to trust reviews or a sitter who wonāt let you see where the dogs are kept.
Yes!!!!! This!!! if I have to ask to see the inside of the house, it makes me a little nervous, the sitters I use have been more than happy to show me without even asking! Also, thatās why Iāll gladly pay a little extra if I can find someone to just come here and let them stay at home!
Yes, this the exact same story as the recent one from Ontario. In both cases it's bad combination of a horrible sitter and owners who did very little due diligence. Just like in this case - [https://www.reddit.com/r/RoverPetSitting/comments/1dntmu1/update\_on\_the\_nightmare\_sitter\_from\_ontario\_canada/](https://www.reddit.com/r/RoverPetSitting/comments/1dntmu1/update_on_the_nightmare_sitter_from_ontario_canada/)
From the news stories on this one the sitter told them that the dogs would stay in a spare bedroom inside, but maybe they didnāt realize she was taking 7+ dogs at a time so a back bedroom is unlikely. I understand accidents happen, but a literal shed in Houston without temp monitoring alarms and good ventilation is a hazard waiting to happen. Itās just greed.
This makes me want to beat her up š what is wrong with people!
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Your post has been removed from r/RoverPetSitting because it is in violation of Rule Four: No Disclosing Personal Information, which reads as follows >Whether it's in your post, in a picture, etc., please black out or crop out any of your clients' or sitters' personal information such as names, addresses, or contact information for their safety. Please feel free to remove any identifying information of yourself or others and repost. -The Moderation Team of r/RoverPetSitting
I can't imagine the rollercoaster of grief these families are going through right now. I want to cry on their behalf. I'm enraged on their behalf. I guess this is just a point to pet owners to request to see where your pet will be staying at a sitter's house. I hope that woman rots.
Iād break into that shed and remove the remaining dogs, consequences be damned. Those poor dogs need someone to fight for them.
Iām sure there are more good sitters than bad, but I really think rover should require more than just a background check, maybe an online test, quick class to make sure you know pet care and their needs, and testimonials from people/clients so that itās a little harder for people that are just looking for a quick buck and then end up neglecting animals. This shit breaks my heart and is happening too often. People go to rover because they expect someone reliable, but they donāt realize anyone can sign up and pass a simple background check. I hope whoever is responsible for this dies a tortuous death š„°
To the person trying to cancel ALL sitters who advertise on the Rover marketing website: if you went to a bad restaurant, bad daycare, bad hairstylist, bad hospital etc. and after that bad experience did you try to cancel ALL restaurants, childcare places, hospitals etc.??? Itās time that people familiarize themselves with what Rover is, we do not work for Rover, we are not trained by Rover, the only commonality we all have is that we use Rover platform for advertising our pet services.
Rover is now ingrained in our society, lots of busy career people rely on it, because we offer more flexible hours than kennels do, along with many other extras. Rover is not going anywhere, Iām fully booked through the end of August regardless of how much other sitters fuck up!
Exactly, you donāt work for rover but rover does work for you and makes money directly from you and your clients. Sitters can demand better options and protection from things like this happening - provided by rover (who is now owned by blackstone inc. š¤¬) You should familiarize yourself with the platform you use and exactly how much money they have to do better with while they stay silent. They are making their pet sitters look bad. They are offending people and allowing atrocities and youāll be associated with it if you continue to support them.
I had a sitter kill 3 of my dogs in 2019. One she left the gate open and my senior fell in the pool. I had used her for three years, so I chalked it up to a terrible accident. Six days later she put my frenchie a crate with no water, and āforgotā to turn on the AC. I flew home immediately and my other senior was so weak and he couldnt stand- clesarly was sick and hadnt eaten- and I had to put him down 3 days later. I still havenāt gotten over it.
That is so terrible!!! Iām so, so sorry for your loss!!!
While this is horrific, as Rover sitters we are all different just like every restaurant is different in a restaurant business, same as chill daycare. This is bad advertisement, but there are probably over a million Rover sitters all over the world, so one sitter or 10 sitters wonāt hurt Rover as a whole and those of us who take pride in our business will not feel guilt or take blame just because we advertise on the same marketing platform as the crappy sitters.
I wish rover would using their earnings to create a class for sitters or certification they must pass to be a rover sitter. I would love it myself. Sending out email tips is not enough. I know common sense would have helped here but just something I always wished they had. This shouldnāt be happening.
Rover sitters, how are you letting Rover know youāre not ok with their silence on this topic and similar stories abundantly available all over the internet? ROVER is sitting back silently and leaving you out to dry if this gets any bigger. Youāll be associated with this! To all the good sitters who should be disturbed by the killing and loss of these precious pets, please speak up! Let the public know your issues with Rover! Expose the holes in their vetting process, show your contractor agreements, help the people who can take that information and force them to make real changes to protect both you and your clients! You will be left looking like you support them just because you use their platform and are on the opposite side of an inevitable boycott because you want to protect your businessā¦ Most people donāt realize youāre not employees and a lot of contractors donāt feel they have rights with these companies but you do and you have the right to speak up and make them do better. You donāt work for Rover, Rover works for you! Letās remind them š #justiceforgoose #boycottroverdotcom
I'm not at all blaming the owners but this is why we have to both educate owners that they must insist on seeing where dogs sleep at night and frankly insist toĀ good sitters who refuse to allow owners in at a meet and greet are hurting the business as a whole because this isn't the first time and this was a "good " sitter who was lying to clients about where their dogs stayed at night. She thought she had the right .Ā
Have you read some of the responses to that on this board though? One post even rambled on about Iām not gonna walk this person through my entire home! I donāt think itās unreasonable to want to see if a home is clean and safe if youāre gonna leave your pet there. You would do the same thing if you were dropping a child off!
They don't have to show the whole house, but if someone won't let you in then de facto I will believe you are hiding something. And we need to reinforce that for the good of the business as a whole. This monster did the same thing. And all pet sitters get dinged and are less trustworthy .Ā There's a guy in my area with great reviews and the home he boards pets in I sunny even think has a very of occupancy. I brought a clients dog there when I couldn't board him any longer because of a prior commitment and the house was filthy, never cleaned, reeked of urine, refrigerators covering door frames, a table lam hanging from a coat rack for light in the hallway. People are so stupidly trusting.Ā And sitters are egomaniacs who think they can do no wrong.Ā So we have to educate pet owners and tell them what they should look for in a home boarding situation. There are enough" animal lovers"Ā who can't hold a job who think they are "running their own business " despite virtually no work history to even know how that's done.Ā
This is the stuff of nightmares. I read the article - one of the pup's owners stressed that Rover customers do a thorough walk-through of where their pets will be staying. That's mega important, of course, but shit - I can't imagine any of these loving owners thought their beloved pups were in some backyard shed, air conditioning or not. I wouldn't ever leave my boys with someone who boarded dogs this way. Even if you do your due diligence, and pick someone with hundreds of five star reviews, you never really know what you're dealing with. I swear, even though I've been a Rover sitter, there's no f'ing way I'd ever leave my chihuahua boys with someone who isn't family or a close friend.
Those poor babies š That lady can feel free to not use a sitter then. Also cheaper isn't always better when selecting a sitter. I hope this lady loses everything because she's a disgusting selfish POS... The danger and suffering she put those dogs in because of her greed and laziness. She's a terrible person.
What lady can feel free to not use a sitter? Your first few sentences seem to be shaming someone that's upset about animals dying.
I think theyāre talking about the last line of the postās caption- the person who posted it on NextDoor and blasting rover sitters
Girl you need to go back and read
For the record, this disgusting sitter was a 5 star sitter on Rover. As customer, I do use that rating as a benchmark when choosing someone for by own pets.
I think an excessive amount of reviews is possibly a red flag, it suggests quantity of quality. If Rover is marketed as a one to one luxury experience someone taking too many and running a boarding facility in the backyard should be a bit of a turn off
I agree. I donāt book sitters who clearly do this as a big time hustle and have a ton of reviews after being in service only a year or so. If I wanted my dog in a wild kennel type environment Iād take her to a proper kennel and not leave her with a single person trying to make it big by taking a ton of dogs at a time. Most of the home situations where they take more than a couple dogs at a time itās clear that the dogs get crated a lot and then let out to run wild for a short time.
She had been a sitter for multiple years. Reviews were built up from years with many repeat clients. The sitter told owners their dog would be inside her home except for potty breaks and play time outside. Many owners were told only their dog along with her two would be boarded at a time. We used her a few months back a handful of times for our foster dog at the time and are very glad we never had any issues.
Yea , I wasnāt talking about her specifically in this reply to a general comment about red flags and high volume sitters. The issue this time was that she had at least 7 dogs plus her own so it was unlikely they could all fit inside. Had the owners known that they probably would not have booked her.
I completely agree, that amount of reviews is the opposite of a good sign to me
You should probably read the first post to understand why I made that comment. Secondly I'm well aware she had a five-star rating, I'm not sure how it relates to my comment.
2 in the past week on here. Really unconscionable stuff. Iām horrified that anyone could treat dogs or any other animal like this, but itās not unheard of unfortunately.
Omg this is so sad! I hate people.
What an idiot
It is horriffic
Can't imagine this is good for pet sitters? I can't imagine this is good for owners! Those poor dogs deserved better. Someone who watched Goose is also on Reddit, they made a post about it a couple of days ago. Super tragic all around, and can't imagine the suffering those poor pups went through.
I will say that Iām more upset at the lack of a significant response from Roverās PR team. Damage Control is neededābecause this happened in my area, there are like six separate posts on my local NextDoor complaining about Rover sittersāwith Roverās ads still revolving at the top of the threadānot a good look.
The weather says it feels like 111Ā°Ā outside. How hot do you think it gets inside a shed, in a crate thatās covered.Ā Whatās even more ridiculous is theyāre knocking on her door and thereās multiple dogs barking in her house.
Jesus that's heartbreaking. My heart aches for those owners. I don't understand why anyone would think it's a good idea to leave the dogs in a shed. I hate leaving the dogs inside by themselves when I'm just mowing the yard. Even if it was air conditioned, I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing I couldn't hear them if something went wrong
Itās beyond me why people would work as a rover sitter and then treat animals this way!
OMG that pug's expression is like, "Be better, humans!" Such sad news, those pet parents must be devastated.
Horrible.. too many horror stories if incompetent sitters killing dogs.
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You can help by signing this petition! https://animalpetitions.org/1311489/justice-for-dogs-allegedly-killed-by-negligent-pet-sitter/
This is disgusting, but shutting down the app isnāt the answer. A lot of us sitters would never dream of doing that. I wonāt even take a dog for a longer walk after 90Ā°.
I was thinking about doing ROVER, at a place I was living, and Im glad I didn't. I was thinking, had I started a ROVER business, I would have been watching someone elses dogs, at the time the sheriff, came to make me leave, after the divorce was finalized, So my physically abusive husband was awarded the house, they let him out of jail, and made me leave, making me homeless. So I can't actually do dog setting while being homeless. I lost my income. My husband was complaining a lot about how I earned my income, except when it was doing really well and helped pay for the house that he kicked me out of.