'Rover' app dog sitter accused of losing French bulldog 'Mushie'

Since the day a dog sitter from the Rover app lost their beloved French Bulldog, Mushie, Chris Casey and Gabriella Sidhu have been posting paper flyers with Mushie's photo, asking people to keep an eye out for their beloved dog. "She is a very, very sweet dog, black, big ears, full-grown Frenchie," says Gabriella.

On Tuesday, September 17, Gabriella and Chris dropped off Mushie with a sitter from Rover in North Hollywood. Fourteen minutes later, they received a panicked call. 

"She told me that she turned around for a second, and she (Mushie) was off the gate," says Gabriella.

Mushie was spotted roaming the streets of North Hollywood and later in Toluca Lake. When the couple filed a complaint with Rover, they claimed the pet-sitting company offered little assistance.

"They said they weren't going to hire people to come out or get volunteers to come out. It's a matter of us getting ourselves out there, getting the word out, her name out there, her photo," Chris said.

Rover issued the following statement:

"Our hearts go out to Mushie's family, and we join them in hoping for a swift and healthy reunion.

To support the search efforts, we have offered a significant reward for information leading to reuniting Mushie with her family, posted on online pet-finding websites that send alerts directly to local shelters and veterinarians, and reached out to members of our sitter community in the area. The reward and posts will remain active, and our team is ready to assist if anyone has information that helps bring Mushie home.

We have removed the sitter's profile from our platform. The well-being of all members of our community is a top priority for Rover. In the rare event that a safety issue occurs during a booking, our 24/7 Trust and Safety team will conduct a thorough investigation and take appropriate action.
For additional context, pet parents in the Los Angeles area have made over 1.4 million bookings through Rover, and 98% of reviewed stays have received five stars."

Regarding the statement, Chris says, "A flyer is great; offering a reward is great. But ultimately, who's out there searching? Us. There's no manpower behind it." The couple has been sleeping in their car, refusing to leave the area where Mushie went missing. Gabriella explains, "We've not gone to work, we've not gone home, and it's not a complaint; it's a sacrifice that we'll make for our baby, and we'll keep making it."

If you see Mushie, call 760-960-9272, no questions asked.