Las Vegas dog owners claim online pet sitting app responsible for losing dogs

LAS VEGAS, NV (KTNV) — The holiday season is right around the corner. For many, that means traveling out of town and leaving our furry family members behind.

But before you book a boarder for your pet, 13 Investigates has a warning for families looking for a pet sitter online.

"He loves people and like, he wants to be around people," says dog owner Jodi Leishman.

Dogs don't like to be left alone and Leishman's dog, Louie, is no exception. Louie, a Pekingese - Shih Tzu mix, has been part of the Leishman family for over 7 years.

Darcy Spears: "This is still his bed here. You kept that."

Jodi Leishman: "Yes. When we go to search, I throw it in my car just so that he can have a good scent of him, of his bed while we're trying to entice him in, if we can find him."

As 13 Investigates reported, Louie's been missing for a month. When the Leishmans took a family trip in October, they boarded Louie with a dog sitter they hired through the Rover app.

Less than 24 hours after dropping him off, the sitter messaged them that Louie got out during a domestic disturbance at her home.

"Louie is running so scared right now," says Mike Leishman, Jodi's husband.

For each of the last 30 days, the Leishmans have searched for Louie, plastering neighborhoods with flyers, posting on social media and chasing leads.

"I've had four pictures sent to me today," says Jodi Leishman.

They've also been in contact with Rover. Although their pet sitters are independent contractors, Rover put up a $500 reward and paid for hundreds of flyers. Rover's statement to 13 Investigates says in part: "This situation is highly unusual, and we take it very seriously. As soon as we were informed Louie was missing, our 24/7 Trust and Safety team immediately took action to help bring him home..." You can read the full statement below.

But Louie remains lost. And it's not an isolated incident in our valley.

A Goldendoodle named Frankie who was boarded with a different Rover sitter got out on June 18th. According to an incident report, Frankie's owner told Clark County Animal Control, "when the sitter leaves the home, he leaves all of the dogs outdoors" and Frankie's owner was, "...concerned because the dogs were outdoors with very little water, ... in the excessive heat warning with no supplemental cooling..."

Frankie was never found.

Other concerns reported across the country are detailed in this Facebook support group called "Rover Kills Dogs."

One man posted, just an hour after dropping his two dogs off with a Rover sitter, he got a call that his smaller dog was hit by a car and died.

There's also change.org petition with 15,966 signatures, titled "Improve Rover Dog Sitting Qualifications or SHUT it down."

The Los Angeles woman who started the petition says she dropped off her dog with a Rover sitter in June of 2021, "...within a few hours, the Rover sitter misplaced her [dog], and 18 hours later, I found her on the side of the road. She had been struck by a car and killed."

Rover would not provide anyone for an on-camera interview. They sent us a statement saying they've reviewed the petition, writing, "We already have features in place to address many of the concerns outlined. For example....sitters should have a plan in place should a pet get lost. Our 24/7 Trust and Safety team has that expertise, and they are available to help."

"There needs to be due diligence done when you are trusting your pet into the hands of another," says Kathryn Aull.

Aull has eight years of experience working with K-9 rescues and fostering dogs. She turned to Rover to earn some extra money and has been doing in-home dog-sitting, daycare and boarding for about two years.

"When you create your profile, a background check is required, and you have to pay $25 for that background check," Aull explains. "You can then upgrade to the enhanced background check for another $10."

She says it took two or three days for her profile to be approved and go live.

"You do have to also complete watching some videos through Rover on their safety and their protocols as well," says Aull.

She says the entire process is automated, and she had no direct contact with a Rover employee. But she says direct contact is key between pet owners and potential sitters before any booking.

"If you have a dog that's a door dasher and maybe heading out the door, look for somebody with double entry, you know, just do your due diligence and trust your gut," says Aull.

But is that enough?

"These are troubling events, and we need to make sure that people are protected," says Nevada State Assemblyman David Orentlicher.

Orentlicher weighs the pros and cons of gig-service platforms.

"They offer a lot of benefits to the public and to workers," says Orentlicher. "From the public standpoint as more convenience, often lower prices."

But there's a potential downside too.

"We've seen this with ride-shares and short-term rentals, that the absence of regulation can cause a lot of problems," says Orentlicher.

Orentlicher says he wants to hear from pet owners who've had bad experiences with online sitters, emphasizing how critical it is for lawmakers to know the scope of a problem so they can address it in the upcoming legislative session.

National animal welfare groups are weighing in on the perils of pet-sitting apps. PETA provided the following statement;

If your dog goes missing in any situation, you can get help from the Las Vegas Doggie Task Force by calling (702) 265-4402.

This is the full statement from Rover: