score:
0

Our dog was bitten by another dog while using a Rover sitter, while they were dropping off their dog and in control of their dog. Why is the owner of the dog who bit our dog not responsible for the vet charges we incurred?

We recently used a http://Rover.com sitter who we have used before and does a great job. Unfortunately our dog was bit when another dog arrived and decided she did not like our dog. The sitter was very helpful in getting our dog to an emergency vet and getting her all taken care of. We assumed the other owner would take care of the vet charges for their dog biting our dog, however they are refusing to do so. Apparently Rover says there is nothing they can do about it. Other dog sitting services we have used in the past have required the other owner to pay these costs, but Rover does not take this stance. This is extremely frustrating and not a good first experience with Rover.

4 Answers

Sort by » oldest newest most voted
score:
6

Wow, I am actually surprised with the responses to this question. I agree with Katie, the owner of the dog that bit her dog should be responsible for the medical charges. Especially because she was present when this happened. She was able to see first hand what happened and clearly was able to see her dog going after Katie's dog. (unless, she saw something different).

All reservations that are booked through Rover are covered under Rovers insurance. There is a deductible of $250 but after that Rover should be covering any additional charges.

score:
2

Although I can't answer this, if Rover support indicated the vet charges aren't covered or there's a deductible, it sounds reasonable to ask the other dog's owner . If this other dog was also booked on Rover, the sitter may have to facilitate the exchange of messages and explain what happened if they were not there to see it firsthand.

Sitters need to prepare safe spaces to provide ample room for dogs to meet each other, be very attentive during initial introductions, and observe signs of any issues. If it was my dog, I'd want to know exactly what precautions were taken (were dogs kept behind gate until introduced? were dogs leashed to introduce, so the sitter can easily redirect if senses negative reaction? were the two dogs led on a parallel walk to create a more neutral, relaxed environment and form a canine pack bond if possible?) If you think the sitter may have mishandled it, and still would consider using that person again, another option is to ask if they'll give you a credit on your next Rover booking (the sitter can enter a cost adjustment before it's booked) to help offset your vet expense.

score:
0

This also happened to me. My dog was bitten by the sitter's dog. The vet bill was close to 200.00. Rover said to discuss with sitter how to handle the reimbursement. I sent her the bill, vet notes and heard nothing back. I think that was really poor decision to ignore the bill. My dog was fine before the visit and I had to pay extra for an injury caused by her dog. Just not fair.

Comments

Where I live, all dog bites are supposed to be reported to the authorities. If I were you, I would look into this. The sitter will regret having ignored your bill. BTW, had your dog met the sitter's dog before or was this their first M&G? Always have a supervised one of those first.

Just in case you spoke to a customer service rep (who potentially may be less knowledgeable and not understand), I'd suggest calling rover again and make sure you are connected to their Trust & Safety Team. [Edit: Rover’s contact options have changed. Visit the Rover Help Center at https://support.rover.com/ to find the phone number, help articles, or chat with the team] & as suggested, contact Animal Control to report the bite.

score:
-8

You picked a sitter you love and trust completely. The other owner probably feels the same about her. The sitter was in charge of both dogs. You can NOT possibly want the other owner to pay your bills. It was your choice to leave your dog with her, and it was her responsibility to be in charge and make her place a safe place for everybody. If a sitter boards two dogs who do not know each other, then she must take measurements and make sure they do not interact unsupervised. Unfortunately your sitter let them interact and that's when accidents happen. Not the other owner's fault, but your sitter's fault. And then, YOU chose to leave your dog w her, right? Sorry.

Comments

Do understand your comment, but probably should have added that the other owner was there when our dog was bit. The other owner had just brought their dog for their stay and was in control of their dog. Hard for me to fault the sitter in the case.

No need to fault your sitter. It was your call to board your dog with her and knowing there will be other dogs around. Maybe you didn't care and that's why you didn't demand that your dog is not around strangers. And seems the owner didn't know your dog will be there. Not his fault.

Did the other owner know your dog will be there? Was he OK with it? Or did he just book a petsitting service with his favorite sitter and wasn't told she also decided to board your dog? Maybe he wasn't told, brought his dog over and his dog didn't appreciate your dog. This could have been prevented

Lenka many sitters board multiple dogs at a time, so the owners were likely aware that other dogs would be there. Since biting dog's owner was present it may have been a "protection" reaction. I don't fault the sitter, though if it was me I would offer to pay the deductible as a gesture of good-will

Carly, I agree that many sitters board multiple dogs, I think I am just not able to express what I mean. I believe, that it is the sitter's responsibility to keep everybody safe. But I agree with you. The owner of the injured dog knew that other dogs will be around, so it was her call.

I sometimes sit dogs from multiple owners, but I've learned the hard way that the best way to do drop off is have all dogs in kennels while the new dogs arrive & introduce them slowly to ensure that everyone is safe. I'm sorry that you've had a terrible experience. Hopefully this advice will help.