It's a pet sitting nightmare. Imagine trusting your best friend with a high rated pet sitter only to come home and find that your pet is gone.
That is the reality that one Valley woman is now forced to deal with.
The owner of the pit bull puppy "Bear" said she found a five star rated pet sitter on the popular site Rover.com. The company is known for hiring high-rated dog walkers and pet sitters that go through background checks and have to pass tests showing they have basic knowledge of pet care and treatment.
Elizabeth Page was a pet caregiver featured on the website. She told ABC15 working for Rover.com was her full-time job. In the last year, she had walked and cared for more than 100 dogs.
Page said she too was devastated after losing Bear. Page said she had put Bear in a fenced in portion of her backyard when she breached a fence and ran away.
She said she searched the neighborhood with her family as soon as it happened. Bear's owner came to pick her up about an hour later.
"Bear is literally everything to me. Everybody tells me she is my daughter, I talk about Bear non-stop," said her owner who asked not to be identified.
Page says for two weeks now; she has spent every waking moment trying to help find Bear.
"I'm so sorry to her. I can only imagine what she's going through. I would be going through the same thing if my little dogs were gone, I'd be a wreck," said Page.
ABC15 reached out to Rover.com to find out what liability the company has if a dog is lost in their care. A company spokesperson sent us this statement:
"As dog parents ourselves, we are deeply concerned about Bear’s situation and join her family in hopes that she is returned home safe and sound very soon. Our Trust & Safety team has been in regular contact with Bear’s family, and we will continue doing everything we can to help bring her home. We have engaged local members of our user community to join in search efforts, initiated notifications through online pet locator platforms, posted flyers throughout the city, and are offering a reward for finding Bear."
Bear's owner is now considering hiring a lawyer to take the pet sitter to court. She said the experience has taught her not to trust her beloved pets with a stranger.
"I would say make frequent visits because I didn't do that. It was just kind of a first-time meet and greet. If anything, try to leave them with close family members or close friends," said the woman.
Page said she would continue to help to search for Bear, and was still talking to Rover.com several times a day, trying to get flyers out into the community.
If you know where Bear is you are urged to call the numbers posted on the flyer that is 602-681-7376 or 623-206-5620.
Rover.com is offering a reward to anyone who can reunite Bear with her owner.
