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Lawsuit: Emotional support dog killed under Baywatch actress' care

By KIRO 7 News Staff
By KIRO 7 News Staff

A Los Angeles woman filed a lawsuit against a Seattle-based dog walking and sitting app after she claimed her dog was negligently killed under the care of the dog's sitter.

The lawsuit also names the dog sitter -- identified as former Baywatch actress Angelica Bridges -- in its effort to seek compensation for damages.

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According to the lawsuit, the woman, who wasn't identified in the complaint, adopted a dog named Snoopy as an emotional support animal in 2016. The adoption came at the advice of her physician as part of a treatment plan for a medical condition.

Snoopy, an "extremely well-behaved" dog, accompanied the woman frequently, the lawsuit says. The woman became so dependent on the Papillon mix that she even changed therapists when her emotional support animal wasn't allowed to attend sessions. The woman also started researching how to formally train Snoopy.

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Last year, the woman needed to find dog sitting options for when she went to work. She chose Rover over day care because she thought it would be safer, according to the lawsuit.

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The woman found a Rover profile ranked with five-star reviews, and it advertised a fenced yard. She left her dog on April 3 with the sitter, Bridges, the complaint says.

According to the lawsuit, the woman had to stay at work late, and she texted Bridges about the delay around 5 p.m.; Bridges texted "no worries" back.

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Around 8:00 p.m., the complaint says that the woman saw that Bridges messaged her on the Rover app: “I tried calling you through Rover, but it is not going through! Please call me asap. Snoopy went under a literal 2-inch opening under our fence & we have had the whole neighborhood looking for him right now. Please call me!"

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The woman claims in the lawsuit she never had any phone calls through the app, and a malfunction prevented her from contacting Bridges. The woman left work, and she and a friend searched the neighborhood. Nearly four hours later, a neighbor told the woman the 1 1/2-year-old dog was hurt in a hit-and-run accident, according to the lawsuit.

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After the dog died, the woman was left to find the dog's body -- which was confiscated by animal control -- and pay for cremation. The lawsuit also alleges the woman suffered extreme emotional distress through the process.

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The complaint says that Rover gave the woman the opportunity to submit invoices related to the expenses, but gave her a tight timeline to do so. The complaint claims that the app removed the woman's ability to rate Bridges.

Attorney Rob Tauler, of LA-based Tauler Smith, filed the lawsuit on Monday and wrote that Rover is falsely claiming a rigorous vetting system.

Rover connects more than 140,000 sitters to pet owners nationwide, in roughly 10,000 cities.
KIRO 7 News reached out to Rover. A spokeswoman said that company officials usually do not comment on pending litigation, but released the following statement:

"The Rover team is heartbroken by Snoopy's passing and made extensive efforts to assist with aftercare and to check on the owner’s well being. Regarding the lawsuit, we learned about it as result of the law firm's media outreach. We've read what they posted online but we have not been served so we’re not in a position to comment further at this point."

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