Sitter drank all my alcohol then abandoned my pets
I am not The OOP, OOP is u/DragonMasterAsh
OOP Has given their permission to repost these
Sitter drank all my alcohol then abandoned my pets
Originally posted to r/RoverPetSitting
Thanks to u/AssignmentFit461 for suggesting this BoRU
TRIGGER WARNING: >!alcoholism, animal neglect, theft!<
Original Post Apr 11, 2025
I hired a sitter on Rover over a month ago for a trip this week, from last Saturday through Friday (today), to house sit at my house. We did a meet and greet, I liked her. She has 8 5-star reviews over the last year and a half, with the last several months of verified stays. Booked through Rover. We did exchange Whatsapp numbers because I am out of the country on this trip and do not have an international calling plan.
She sent messages the first few days. Wednesday at 3am she sent a message that she had been sick with a stomach bug, but was feeling better. She asked a question about one dogs behavior (sitting in the bathroom barking), and I responded (she probably wants fresh water, she's asking to drink from the toilet). I didn't hear anything so I sent several messages checking in, on Whatsapp and Rover. No response. I checked my smart lock on my door and there was very minimal locking and unlocking, and always from the inside. I checked my camera outside that door. My dogs happened to be outside so I watched them. Then you hear a man (a man I don't know) say "okay one last shot". Then the man whistles for the dogs to come inside, and she wobbles into the door way. They walk out and she falls over and he catches her. They leave together in, I assume, his vehicle. She was barefoot and obviously heavily intoxicated. That was 4pm Thursday.
I sent my friend over around midnight to check on the dogs and let them out. She found my bottles of liquor, now empty, all over the dining table (they were all either brand new or over half full), a handful of my truly seltzers empty and in the trash, a container of cratum on the table and several more in the trash. A couple empty bottles of a THC drink, with more in the fridge, that are not mine. A weed vape pen on the table. Loose pills in the bottom of her purse - methocarbamol 500mg. That matches a prescription my dog has but she had more than what my dog was prescribed, so either none or only some were stolen from my dog. My boxes where I keep medications were taken down from the cabinet in the bathroom and set on the counter and back of the toilet. I won't know if any are missing until I get home, but I have the things worth stealing with me. The toilet was clogged. The second toilet has a towel under it like it was leaking, which it has never done before.
My dogs free feed - I keep food in their bowls at all times. Both bowls were empty. Their water (a 2 gallon bowl with fountain) was empty. My friend put 2.5 cups of food in both bowls and they immediately ate all of it. Then she put another 5 cups in both bowls and they kept eating. They never do this so they hadn't been fed in a long time.
Thank you for reading this far. I want to know, what is every single step I should take next? I have already made a report to Rover. I can't call their number until I am back in the country at my layover around 6:30pm today. I sent them all the pictures from my friend and the video from my camera of her falling over. They are sending it to their trust and safety team and said I should get a response within 24 hours. They have offered no alternatives to pet care in the mean time.
My friend spoke with the police and they said her stuff is abandoned property so have her car towed and do whatever with her things inside my house. If she comes back, I can keep her stuff until I am home and make sure she only leaves with her things. I have deactivated her door code so it won't work and all doors are locked, but I will see if she attempts to come back and use her code. Her car is still in my driveway. My friend peeked inside and saw synthetic urine inside. I have not had any communication since the message Wednesday.
How much liability is on Rover?
RELEVANT COMMENTS
Bulky-District-2757
This is insane! I’d imagine rover will refund you and then ban the sitter.
OOP
I do also feel like that much is guaranteed. I am not sure about the several hundred dollars in alcohol she consumed. Is that a civil suit? Can I even get her info from Rover to be able to file that? And I have no idea the cost of the toilet repair.
~
scoutydouty
Hey, so, she got really fucked up, and a man came and took her away? And she never returned for her CAR or any of her stuff??
Am I the only one actually concerned for this sitter's wellbeing? What if she's been kidnapped? Raped? She had good reviews and 1.5 years of them to boot, this is really, abnormal behavior from what I can see.
OOP
She definitely knew the man who showed up. He seemed concerned when he first got there and he stayed for a while before they left together. He was helping her to the car. It seemed like he came to help.
OOP added in the comments
I was also wondering how someone with this level of addiction could have passed the background check. I have her last name because she has business cards in her purse, and a vague address from the Rover profile.
annaxdee
None of the substances that were being used are illegal so as long as the sitter hasn’t committed a crime adject to addiction (theft, DUI, etc.), there is no reason why they would not pass a background check.
Sounds like the sitter is smart enough to have a designated driver if they left their vehicle in OP’s driveway. However it sounds like their sticky finger will eventually land them a theft charge.
OOP
Well it's theft now. All the liquor bottles were mine, and the seltzers.
Mini update in the comments
General updates after going through my whole house:
There were methocarbamol pills scattered everywhere throughout her things, as well as a few Sudafed, amoxicillin, another vape, and many many many of those little bottles of kratom. Inside her box of cosmetics. Inside her box of yarn and crochet supplies. Inside multiple pockets of her purse. I threw away all of it.
She has a prescription bottle for sertraline. It was on the floor in a bag and thank gods my dogs didn't get into it.
My custom built gaming table, the floor under it, and the chair that was on that end of the table are all incredibly sticky and nasty.
Multiple towels were in the washing machine. The towel on the floor of the spare bath smells like shit. So did her clothes in the spare room. The main bath was clogged because the tank was empty, because the water was shut off. It appears to be flushing now. Hopefully that's functional. The toilet is stinky and nasty. The spare bath is stinky.
The dogs were happy to see me. I brought them chicken nuggets. I turned my back and Ginny ate half my burger bun too, the counter surfing goon. Both are currently napping, on either side of me.
I will investigate the yard in the morning given that I found some empty truly cans and a cigarette bud in the front porch.
Her car is still out front. It's parked entirely off the street with all 4 wheels in the grass between my yard and my neighbors yard.
I am still going through all the camera footage. There is more. The man was there longer and she stumbled INTO the house at 9am Wednesday. I think they were gone all Tuesday night. I will update once I can finish reviewing all that.
No new responses from Rover.
Thank you everyone for the warmth and support and advice. I will continue to keep everyone updated via this thread.
Update 1 Apr 16, 2025 (5 days later)
I finished reviewing all the camera footage. It took most of the Saturday and Sunday after arriving home. The sitter arrived at my home at 10:30am Saturday (I hadn't requested her to start until the afternoon, but she said she happened to be off work so would show up early). She started drinking the seltzers on the front porch at 11:00am that day. She notices the camera and tries to hide the cans in her dress as she drinks them outside Saturday and Sunday. She also smokes outside those days. I found an empty HHC sativa cigarette box, and saw her bring that into the house, plus found a lighter - I assume that's what she was smoking.
Her boyfriend starts showing up on Tuesday and shows up every day after that, usually twice a day. I've never met him and never agreed to allow him in my house. She appears drunk while leaving Tuesday at 6:30pm, and no one returns until she comes back Wednesday at 8:30am, also stumbling. She sent me an update at 3:30am (while not even at my house) to say she had a stomach bug and ask about my one dog barking in the bathroom (I responded saying she was asking for water). That was the last communication I had from her until Friday morning, when her BF tried to get into the house with her code. I sent several messages and requests for updates, via Rover and WhatsApp, but didn't hear back.
The first time the door opens on Thursday is at 3:45pm when her boyfriend shows up. It's possible she let the dogs out in the back yard, but until then they had been going out the side door (with the camera) quite often, so I suspect they weren't let out at all that day. Watching the full video, her BF has a moment of breaking down crying (facing the outdoor camera with his back to her) after finding her, so I don't think he was encouraging her to drink. His full comment, after listening very closely, is "take one last shot and then we'll go" and there's another, quieter, "we gotta get outta here". I think he was just trying to convince her to leave. I do think it's possible she was actually in the hospital. I never saw anyone else show up to the house, so given how much she drank, she absolutely should have been in the hospital.
In general, the videos were a lot of just the dogs being outside, barking to come in, wandering around, and Ginny begging for someone to throw her Frisbee. It was so hard to watch them be ignored like that. I feel guilty for not keeping a closer eye on my camera. I normally watch the door locking and unlocking, and use that to check the camera, but she wasn't locking it, even over night or when she left the house. I know I wouldn't have caught the early signs of drinking the seltzers unless I was watching every single video, but I am feeling the parent guilt over everything my babies went through.
I have written out a full timeline of events, saved all relevant videos, saved screenshots of all conversations on WhatsApp and Rover, printed all emails with Rover, included a copy of my dog sitting instructions, and collected every photo from myself and my friends. I updated the itemized list to include the actual amount of time my friends spent here, screenshots of uber costs, and things like that, plus court costs. I ordered all photos to be printed to bring to court. I'm not sure how to share the videos other than bring my tablet to court, but I took the most damning screenshot from every video and added that to the printed photos. I officially filed paperwork for a civil suit against her, and the sheriff has everything to serve her. After double checking all the costs of everything, getting the total from the house keeper, and adding in court-related costs, I am suing for $1,124. If all goes well, court will be mid-May.
I searched public records in my area for her, and she has no record (for crimes or probation) that I could find. I am guessing the synthetic urine was to pass a drug screen for work.
I was able to get a house keeper to come Monday to help with the sticky mess and gross bathrooms. I've been doing laundry for days, in between all the documentation. Everything in my house feels gross and violated.
The pups are acting relatively normal, maybe little more tired than usual. The independent hound dog is definitely clingier than usual, and actually listening when I tell her to come. The Carolina dog couldn't possibly get more clingy than she already was, and she's acting perfectly normal. I took them on a car ride with me to get food because I couldn't bear to leave them, and they got spoiled with some chicken nuggets. They are getting extra treats and love. The vet said that after 6 days without it, the Prozac is basically out of Ginny's system and it could take another 6-8 weeks to see full effects again. There is also a chance it will not work at all anymore after suddenly stopping it. So far it does seem she is calmer so I'm hoping she is feeling better to be back on it and home safe with momma.
Attached is the full-res original image from my friend for the haters.
RELEVANT COMMENTS
Supercrushhh
I’ve been waiting for this update! I cannot imagine how someone could do this while responsible for someone else’s babies / in another person’s home. I wish you all the best with your case and hope to get more updates! Has the sitter said anything else to you?
OOP
Not sure if you read all the updates on the other post ... So she apologized for making me uncomfortable and leaving my house a mess and said she hadn't drank in 9 years. Then threatened me for keeping her things. I said that her things were in her car and it had been towed, and if she wanted to settle things out of court, here is the itemized list. I listed out all the alcohol, cleaning fees, and extra sitters for 3 check ins after she left. She said she'll have her lawyer call me and "this is a cease and desist". I haven't heard anything from her since then.
When discussing what costs to add to the civil suit
MindOverEntropy
Your time cleaning, vet costs and time should also be included. I hope they were.
Prior_Talk_7726
And you said you hired a house cleaner. Include that too
OOP
I included the house cleaner with a receipt signed by both of us. I haven't included my time spent cleaning. I can bring that up in court and see what they say.
shrinkingnadia
And the time your friend took to go over and check things out. Also consider a lawyer.
OOP
Yes, I included Uber for friends and the time they spent there for the 3 check ins until I could get home.
Update 2 July 2, 2025
I showed up at the most recent court date. I tried to have the sheriff serve her, paperwork returned as multiple failed attempts. I sent certified mail to her home, returned undeliverable. I sent certified mail to her business and someone (not her) signed for it, and that was then returned to the court as well. The judge said that I have to continue to attempt, and they cannot hear the case until she is served. My only allowed options for serving her are via sheriff or certified mail.
So, I need help - how do I find her and get her served? The sheriff and post office left notes that they attempted to reach her so she knows I'm after her.
I have the following information on her, because of everything she left in my house (which has since been returned): Full name, address at the time of events, her frequently-used username (from her cash app credit card), her social security number (her card was in her things), current and former drivers license, her past work places (business cards), and her now-expired car dealership seller license number (it's not searchable unfortunately). I've found her Facebook page (minimal public info), instagram (barely used), and reddit account (frequently used, but nothing on this subreddit).
Based on what I have, it looks like she moved to another city 2.5 hours away, but in the same state. I'm not sure if it's allowed to post the state, but that's super relevant because legal issues vary so wildly from state to state, so I'll put it in a comment in case that needs deleted!
RELEVANT COMMENT
the state
OOP
If allowed - the state is NC.
THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT THE OOP
DO NOT CONTACT THE OOP's OR COMMENT ON LINKED POSTS, REMEMBER - RULE 7
Posted Jul 9, 2025, 4:04 AM UTC