A West Hollywood family has filed a lawsuit against a pet-sitting service following the tragic drowning of their cherished dog while they were on vacation.
Rebecca Duke, the dog’s owner, recounted the devastating incident involving her 16-year-old mini schnauzer, Queenie, during a weekend trip to San Diego last November. “When I left here, she was not dying,” Duke lamented. “It never occurred to me in my wildest dreams that she wouldn’t be here. I would have never have gone.”
Duke had entrusted Queenie to what she believed was a vetted pet sitter recommended by neighbors and sourced through the Trust Housesitters service. The website claims to connect pet owners with reviewed and verified sitters. After interviewing several candidates, Duke selected a sitter she felt was the most suitable.
“I gave her very specific instructions not to let Queenie out in the dark at night, especially at night, but not to let her in the back garden where we have a swimming pool,” Duke stated.
Just two days into her trip, Duke received a distressing call from the sitter. “She was hysterical and she said Queenie had fallen in the pool,” Duke said.
Security footage revealed Queenie wandering outside and then swimming in circles in the pool. At one point, she appears to struggle on the steps, attempting to get out, but eventually stops swimming. A woman is seen rushing out of the house to perform CPR, but it was too late.
The sitter admitted to allowing Queenie outside, contrary to Duke’s explicit instructions. Consequently, Duke filed a lawsuit against Trusted Housesitters on Thursday, citing negligence and breach of contract.
“You are providing a service, so you need to take responsibility when that service does not go right,” said attorney Camron Dowlatshahi.
While nothing can bring Queenie back, Duke expressed that her dog’s preventable death exacerbates the pain. “I feel like I almost have a moral obligation to get the word out,” she said. “Frankly, I don’t want anyone else to go through the pain that we have been through as a family.”
Trusted Housesitters did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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