What have you done when an owner doesn't pick up their dog?

I thought I had a dog abandonment situation with my very first Rover job. However, the owner was going back and forth for business and her unresponsiveness was due to the demands of her job. She did finally pick up her dog after 28 days.

Rover's response to you is fairly pathetic. As for requiring emergency contact info, you can ask for it yourself. I do when owners fill out their dog info sheets.

You have acknowledged the pitfalls of not having a M&G, etc. Nuff said. However, you do know where this brother lives since you picked up the dog from him. I suggest you stake out his home, catch him here, and hand him the dog's leash and walk away.

Sounds awful! I hope the owner shows up and just wasn't responding to messages while away ,which can be totally normal.

Even though no formal protocol exists through Rover, I'd still submit the Extend a Stay request to document and in effort of collecting funds for additional time if the dog stays much past the time you were expecting someone to return.

No experience with this, but I looked this up for another sitter a while ago.

This is covered by one of our state (CA) laws: following excerpt is fromhttp://www.lawdogsusa.org/the-top-fiv...

The Dog Abandonment Law

California also has dog abandonment laws. It is considered a misdemeanor crime to abandon an animal. There is also a strict rule regarding leaving animals at a veterinarian clinic or boarding facility. All owners must discuss a specific pick up date with the veterinarian’s office. They must pick their pet up on this date, or at least within 14 days afterward. Failing to do so results in abandonment charges, and allows* *the veterinarian to make other arrangements for the dog. The veterinarian must take an additional 10 days to find a proper home. Once those 10 days are up, the dog will be brought to a local shelter that has the space. *The veterinarian* may also find a new home for a dog if a vet bill remains unpaid.

What ended up happening?

What a situation. Sounds like something serious has happened to the owner... I don't even want to imagine. Since the brother is not responding either, that sounds like really something awful happened to the family, maybe a family emergency ? You can try to just bring the dog to his place. Or call the number on the dog's rabies tag or registration tag, and explain the situation and ask if they either give you the owner's address or if they take the dog and contact her.

Good luck.

Hi Rover Community, During my last booking the dog's owner wasn't there when I brought the dog back to his apartment. I could not get in touch with him. After few days i finally got his full name from his vet as Rover did not want to share this information. I found the person was evicted the day after I got the dog and is now in jail. I did everything to get in touch with the family and take the best decision for the dog. Meanwhile, I had to keep the dog for an extra 12 days!! Sure I could have brought the dog to a shelter but I have consideration for animal. Rover initially said they will cover the necessities for the dog (bed, food, ...) but after I submitted my receipts they said they can do a "gesture of $xx" which was 25% of the total amount. They failed to honor their commitment.

The story is too long to be told here but I want to warn everyone about the "Trust" Department of Rover who is not taking responsibilities when it comes to a challenging situation like mine. They are not giving consideration nor to the sitter and nor to the animal!!

This is outrageous!