Maryland woman hires dog sitter from Rover. When she picks him up, her puppy starts shaking uncontrollably: ‘Did he have chocolate?’

Trusting just anyone to take care of your pet while you’re away is not something most people would do.

That’s why pet owners often rely on platforms like Rover, a popular pet-care marketplace where users can find dog sitters and walkers, read reviews, and set up a meet-and-greet before booking. Rover also says sitters and dog walkers on the platform go through background checks.

According to one Rover customer, however, a careless pet sitter can still slip through the cracks.

In a recent TikTok video, which got over 48,600 views, TikTok creator Liz Anne (@lizanne88) alleges that a Rover sitter caused an emergency vet visit for her puppy.

What Went Wrong With The Rover Sitter?

“I am here with a horror story,” Liz Anne says. “This involves the company Rover.”

Liz Anne says she has used Rover before and always had “very, very great experiences” with it. But over the weekend, she and her partner had to board their puppy, Boomer, while they were away.

Usually, she says they use a sitter they already know and like. This time, the sitter was booked, so they found another woman in the area through Rover.

“She had five stars and really good reviews,” Liz Anne explains. “Rover does background checks and all that kind of stuff.”

When Liz Anne came home and went to pick Boomer up, she says the sitter told her they had eaten dinner and gone on a walk. The sitter reportedly said Boomer seemed exhausted, lethargic, and “a little bit shaky.”

At first, Liz Anne thought that made sense. He is a puppy, and maybe a long walk tired him out.

Then she got him into the car. “He starts shaking profusely,” Liz Anne says. “Can’t really control his body, can’t control his bladder. He pees, is very confused, whimpering because he doesn’t understand what’s going on.”

Liz Anne says she texted the sitter right away.

“I don’t wanna toss blame, but did he get into anything? Chocolate, cleaning supplies?” she recalls asking. “Anything that I can think of that might be making him feel this way?”

According to Liz Anne, the sitter said no. She also allegedly said she had cleaning supplies in the bathroom, but Boomer did not go into that bathroom.

Liz Anne says she wondered whether it could have been low blood sugar. Meanwhile, Boomer kept getting worse.

“I’m crying, freaking out,” she says.

They Took Him to The Emergency Vet

Her partner, Casey, took Boomer to the emergency vet.

According to Liz Anne, the emergency vet tested Boomer’s urine, and it “immediately lit up red for THC toxicity.”

The vet reportedly told Casey this was not from Boomer simply being near marijuana smoke.

“This is from him ingesting marijuana, eating marijuana,” Liz Anne says. “Why is there marijuana around my dog that he can eat?”

Liz Anne says she texted the sitter and told her what the vet found. The sitter was reportedly apologetic and said Boomer may have gotten into something while they were at a neighbor’s garage with other people.

At that point, Liz Anne says she was still trying to give the sitter the benefit of the doubt.

“If she’s being truthful with me, OK, it’s not her fault,” she says.

But the next morning, Liz Anne went to get Boomer’s bag from the car. Inside were his dog bowl, food, toys, and blankets.

“It reeked of marijuana,” she says. “When I say reeked, I mean, like, I almost puked when I smelled it reeked.”

Liz Anne believes the bag was in the room where the sitter was allegedly smoking.

“For that stuff to smell that bad, there had to have been a lot of smoke in that room,” she says.

Liz Anne says she now has a “massive emergency vet bill” and wants someone to take accountability.

“My dog has been poisoned by this THC, which is not good for dogs, clearly,” she says. “And my dog almost died.”

In a video update, she showed Boomer, who appeared to be doing better.

How Did Rover Respond?

In the comments section, Rover urged Liz Anne to contact support.

“Hi Liz, we’re incredibly sorry to hear about your experience. We sincerely hope your puppy is doing better now,” Rover wrote. “If you have not already, please reach out to our Trust and Safety team so that we can open an investigation to look into this further and help you open a Rover Guarantee claim.”

In an email correspondence with The Mary Sue, a Rover spokesperson stated the company is currently investigating this case. 

“Rover is committed to creating a safe and trustworthy experience for pet parents, pets, and sitters alike and we take reports of this nature seriously,” they wrote. “Our 24/7 Trust & Safety team is conducting a thorough investigation into this incident and will ensure all appropriate actions are taken.”

“For context, all bookings made through Rover are backed by the Rover Guarantee, which offers up to $25,000 in reimbursement for eligible vet care expenses in the rare event something goes wrong during a booking,” the spokesperson continued. “Additionally, all prospective pet care providers must pass an enhanced background check and safety quiz prior to offering services on our platform.”

The spokesperson noted that incidents like this don’t happen often.

“It’s important to note that incidents on Rover are extremely rare,” they concluded. “Nearly 40 million stays have been booked by pet parents in the U.S., with more than 98% of reviewed stays receiving five stars.”

Does She Qualify For Rover Reimbursement?

Based on what Liz Anne claims, this sounds like the kind of situation Rover’s Guarantee may be meant to address. That does not mean reimbursement is automatic, but Rover’s own terms say it can cover eligible veterinary expenses when a pet is injured while in a service provider’s care.

For U.S. claims, Rover says the Guarantee can cover up to $25,000 in eligible pet veterinary expenses. The company also lists up to $100,000 for eligible property damage to a pet owner’s personal property and up to $100,000 for certain third-party personal injury costs.

There is a catch, though. In the U.S., Rover has a $250 minimum contribution per request-related incident. So if the reimbursement request does not exceed that amount, it does not trigger reimbursement.

The company also states that the incident has to happen during the scheduled dates of a confirmed Rover booking. It does not apply to a pre-booking meet-and-greet or a service that was not covered by a Rover booking.

Rover says the injury or damage must be “directly and proximately caused” by the sitter or walker’s acts or omissions. The pet owner has to notify Rover during the booking or, if later, within 48 hours after the injury or damage.

Viewers Were Horrified

“I’m so sorry this happened, as someone who has worked in pet care for several decades in both the training and care side of the industry the on demand pet care apps keep proving to be so unsafe in so many ways,” one commenter wrote. “I always recommend asking your vet for pet service providers that they know are skilled and trustworthy, they may even have staff members who are also sitters.”

Others thought Rover should cover the bill.

“Rover NEEDS to cover the bills and pay you for emotional distress for your dog and you!” one commenter said.

Another viewer urged pet owners to remember that Rover sitters are not all the same.

“Rover only does the most surface level criminal background check when a sitter joins,” they wrote. “you have to remember that each person you book with on there is an individual business/private contractor who gives Rover a percentage commission for basically advertising their business on their platform, but you need to vet the people you hire individually.”

Someone else said they had been hearing more stories like this.

“I’ve been hearing this a lot about Rover,” they wrote.

@lizanne88 Fuck you #rover #roversitter #fyp #puppy #horrortok ♬ original sound – Liz Anne ? ? ? ☕︎

The Mary Sue has reached out to Rover via email and Liz Anne via TikTok messages for comment.

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