Rover Sitter Accused of Covering Up Dog’s Death With Cremation

Leaving your beloved pets behind in the care of another is always stressful. But for one Florida woman, it turned into a nightmare when she returned from vacation to find that her dog had passed away — and a sitter she hired through Rover reportedly covered up the mysterious death.

Eilyn Jimenez of Miami Shores, Florida left her three dogs, Baxter, Bentley, and Aria with Barbara Paz, a dog sitter she found on the Rover app, while she was on vacation. When she returned, Jimenez learned that Aria, a 12-year old Maltese-Shitzu, had passed away — and Paz hadn’t informed her until she handed Jimenez a box of ashes. 

“During the trip, I had been checking in with her, asking how everything was going and she was like, ‘No, everything is fine, everything is wonderful.’ Sending me videos of the dogs, perfect,” Jimenez told Local 10 News. 

Reportedly, Paz told Jimenez that the dog had passed away in her sleep and that she had tried to perform CPR on her. But there are holes in her story. For one, the cremation provider, Resting Rainbow Pet Memorials & Cremation, told Paz that a separate individual named Daniel Cruz had brought in Aria’s remains. Joseph Castronovo, who works at Resting Rainbow, told Local 10 that Cruz claimed Aria was his dog — and he paid extra to have her cremated immediately.

Furthermore, the story Cruz told about Aria’s death did not match up with what Paz told Jimenez. “When Daniel [Cruz] came to pick her up, I asked what happened, and he told me, ‘The dog was attacked by a bigger dog,’” Castronovo said. Resting Rainbow’s records also show that Aria “had her scalp separated from her skull and an eye popping out.”

Neither Jimenez, her husband, or Rover were contacted about Aria’s passing and cremation. On October 21, Jimenez shared a TikTok, revealing more details of the incident. Apparently, Paz had left the dogs with Cruz to compete in a jiu-jitsu tournament in Las Vegas. Sleuths in the comments dug up pictures of Paz posting from the tournament. Paz also claimed that a veterinarian friend confirmed Aria’s cause of death, but the friend was actually not an animal professional.

After Jimenez learned of her dog’s death, she filed a report with the Miami Shores Police Department and contacted Rover. 

“To be honest, all we want is accountability,” Jimenez told The Independent. “It’s almost like I wish she did pass in her sleep, because at least that would give me peace of mind.”

Rover issued an apology and offered Jimenez $1,000 from a support fund. 

“Upon learning of this incident, Rover’s 24/7 Trust & Safety team conducted a thorough investigation into Aria’s passing,” a Rover spokesperson told Kinship. “The sitter involved has been deactivated from our platform without the option to appeal. This means the sitter’s profile has been removed from our platform, disabling their ability to communicate or book new stays with pet parents via Rover. We stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation should they become involved.”

But Jimenez said she refused the money from Rover. “I don’t want to take anything that assumes that I am OK with the way this is handled,” Jimenez told The Independent. Instead, Jimenez told Local 10 that she wants Rover to change their policies, provide more protection for pet parents, and increase sitters’ accountability.

“I still dream of her, I still feel that sadness inside because she was ripped away from me and they just continued with their life as if nothing,” Jimenez said to Local 10.

The Rover app acts as an intermediary between pet parents and contractors — not a direct employer. “We make no representations or warranties about the quality of boarding, pet sitting, dog walking, house sitting, or other services provided by Service Providers,” states Rover’s terms of service.

While Rover does do background checks on their pet care workers and requires each sitter to pass a safety quiz, there are no trainings required or standards of conduct set.

On Rover, Paz had 118 reviews and five stars — but reviews alone aren’t enough to go by when it comes to keeping your pet safe. Meeting up with a potential sitter ahead of your vacation and seeing how they interact with your pet is strongly recommended. It’s best to give yourself plenty of time, so you can find an alternate option if your gut tells you something is off. And when it comes to interviewing a pet sitter, there’s no such thing as too many questions. A safe sitter will have their answers at the ready and be happy to put you at ease.

It’s not always possible to stop a tragedy from happening, but trusting the person looking after your pets to make the right decisions in the moment will go a long way.