HOUSTON — A Rover dog sitter is being investigated for animal cruelty after several dogs died in her care.
Jessica Hayward and her husband are grieving the sudden loss of their one-and-a-half-year-old dog, Goose, they left in the hands of a woman they found on Rover.
"Goose was everything. We don't have kids and he was our child. We did everything for him," Hayward said.
The couple dropped Goose off at the woman's home in Timbergrove on Thursday.
On Saturday, they received a call from the woman caring for their dog. They said she was in tears.
"I asked her if Goose was alive and she said no. I said what happened. She said 'I don't know, I don't know,'" Hayward said.
The Haywards weren't the only ones who experienced a tragic loss.
Another couple Jordan and Matt Johnston said they also left their chocolate Labrador, Porter, in the hands of the same Rover sitter.
"She called us crying and said 'I don't know what happened Porter is gone, and I was like how," they said.
Goose and Porter are two of four dogs that suffered heat stroke and ended up dead at the pet sitter's home. Three other dogs ended up at a hospital in dire shape, including 11-month-old Archie.
"He's alive but he's fighting for his life," Andrew Seerden said.
Seerden hasn't gotten many answers either.
"She told us her AC went out," he said.
This past weekend was dangerously hot. Families now believe the dogs were being kept together in an outdoor shed on the property.
"None of us knew that's where they would be kept, and if we knew we would have never left our dogs there," Seerden said.
These families never thought something like this would happen.
"She comes back with 5-star reviews. One of the most highly rated Rover employees on the entire app," Hayward said.
Now, they're warning others before it happens to anyone else.
"We want answers. We want justice. We want her to never take care of dogs again. We don't want other dogs to be in this situation or people to be feeling the way we do," Johnston said.
The pet sitter is not facing criminal charges at this time. A spokesperson for BARC, the City of Houston's animal shelter, said they have issued a citation at that location in the past "for not having a commercial pet service facility license."
Rover released this statement:
At Rover, most of us are pet parents ourselves, and we were deeply concerned to learn of this incident. Our hearts go out to the families of the pets who have passed, and we are hoping the dogs currently receiving veterinary care heal quickly and completely. We are committed to supporting these pet parents throughout this heartbreaking ordeal, including reimbursing the families for related veterinary expenses.
Our 24/7 Trust and Safety team is conducting a thorough investigation, and we will work with local law enforcement to the fullest extent of our ability should they contact us. The safety of our community is a top priority, and we have deactivated this sitter’s profile from our platform.