Woman's dachshund mauled to death after being left with Rover pet sitter

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — A woman is mourning the loss of her nearly 10-year-old dachshund after she left it with a pet sitter found through a mobile app and it was mauled by another dog.

Elaine Conoly left Wally with a pet sitter she had used before through the Rover app when she left for the Fourth of July, according to KMGH.

Two days into her vacation, Conoly, who was unaware the sitter was watching another dog, got a message about Wally:

"Sorry, a mastiff completely mauled your dog and killed him instantly," Conoly told KMGH the message said.

Conoly has not heard from the pet sitter since then and she has not been able to locate Wally's remains, according to KMGH.

Conoly still had to pay Rover for the pet sitting service. She has hired a lawyer and plans to press charges, according to KMGH.

"Truly, it was like having my heart ripped out of my chest. You can't replace 10 years of memories," Conoly told KMGH. "I just want them to be held liable for their actions. They are falsely advertising to people."

Rover ended its relationship with that pet sitter, an official with the company told KMGH.

"As dog owners ourselves, we are distraught by Wally's passing and join his family in their grief during this heart-wrenching time," Dave Rosenbaum, a spokesman with Rover, told KMGH. "Upon learning of the incident, our trust and safety team immediately opened an investigation and we remain committed to providing support to the Conoly family. We have deactivated this particular sitter from our platform."

Cox Media Group