HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - A woman is devastated after she returned home from vacation to find her beloved dog had died while in the care of a sitter. Now she is seeking answers as a police investigation gets underway.
Speaking to 7News on Wednesday, owner Kaylynn Ackeret said she left Prince, her 4-year-old French bulldog, and his brother King with a dog sitter in Hollywood for an out-of-town trip on Friday night.
She found the dog sitter on the pet care app Rover, and she said that sitter had previously stayed with her dogs.
“Once. No issues. Everything was fine. So that’s why I reused them, because it is hard to trust,” said Ackeret.
But this time was different, Ackeret said, as on Saturday morning, she got a phone call from the sitter that her dog had died.
“She was just, ‘Oh, Prince passed,’ like it was a normal thing. That’s what she said, just ‘Prince passed. You know, these dogs overheat. That’s what they’re known for. We’ll hold his body. Just let me know what you want me to do with it,'” she recounted.
Ackeret said the phone call made her heart drop.
“Like we stayed in the hotel, cried,” she said.
Ackeret had a friend pick up Prince’s body as well as King, who is OK.
“He was the freaking cutest thing ever. He had a personality. He was so different from regular dogs,” she recalled.
Since then, Ackeret has contacted Hollywood Police, who have confirmed with 7News that they are investigating the incident.
Following Prince’s death, Rover released a statement which reads in part:
“Most of us at Rover are pet parents ourselves, and we can only imagine the heartbreak and stress Prince’s family is experiencing. The account of the sitter involved has been deactivated without the option to appeal, meaning they cannot communicate or book new stays with pet parents via Rover. Prince’s death is truly heartbreaking, and it’s one we’re handling with the seriousness it deserves.”
On Wednesday, 7News passed by the house of the woman who, Ackeret said, was the dog sitter. The woman came outside and started recording 7News reporters but didn’t say anything about the incident despite the reporter’s questions.
As detectives investigate what occurred, Ackeret wants to know why her sweet Prince didn’t make it home.
“He didn’t overheat with me. Why is he overheating with you? He was healthy. Nothing was wrong with him. It’s just everything’s so sad,” she said.
Rover has also launched its own investigation, reimbursed Ackeret for the stay, and offered to reimburse all eligible veterinary and aftercare costs.
As of Wednesday afternoon, nobody has been charged, and the investigation remains ongoing.
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