A pet sitter commissioned under a smartphone app called Rover was recorded on a security camera throwing a defenceless Labrador puppy onto a hard kitchen floor. The puppy, Lucy, struggled to get to her feet afterwards. The busines that runs the smartphone app are obviously horrified and have immediately dismissed the person who appears to be a young woman.
Amanda Roy, Lucy’s owner with her husband, is also horrified because they specifically hired a pet sitter to look after their puppy while they were away. They were making a particular attempt to be loving towards their puppy. Obviously the exact opposite transpired.
The pet sitting company which runs the pet sitting network, rover.com, said:
“The activity depicted in this video is shocking and appalling. We have permanently deactivated this sitter from our platform and we will continue to investigate. Any incident of this nature is extremely rare on our platform, and we take it very seriously. Additionally, we have offered to pay for any veterinary expenses that may have been incurred as a result of this incident. We have been assisting local law enforcement with the investigation and will continue to offer support.”
The pet sitter was order to leave the home immediately once the video had been seen.
This is a clear case of animal abuse and is probably a misdemeanour (in the USA a minor crime). However, the good news is that Lucy was checked over by a veterinarian and found to have not suffered any injuries.
Comment: this incident points to the value of security cameras. When you let someone into your home and that person has been selected by third-party you do not know yourself exactly how they will behave towards your property and your pet. You can’t be careful enough. You can’t assume that because the pet sitter is employed by a company that he or she is suitable for the job because you don’t know how good the vetting procedur is by that company.
They woman concerned should be interviewed by the police but I would doubt that this will happen.
The incident happened in VICTORVILLE, USA. This is near LA in California.
