Five-star pet sitter who had four dogs die on her watch 'after cramming seven animals into her tiny shed amid blistering heat'

Trending 5 months ago

Four pet dogs are dormant and 3 are fighting for their lives aft a canine sitter allegedly crammed them into a mini shed connected an 86-degree night.

Gabriela Masak had a five-star rating on dog-sitting app Rover from much than 900 reviews erstwhile nan now-heartbroken owners entrusted their beloved pets to her. 

Instead, they received panicked texts astir 5 americium connected June 29 telling them their dogs suffered heatstroke and were being rushed to a vet successful Houston.

Masak wrote successful nan texts shared pinch DailyMail.com by nan heartbroken pet owners that she put nan dogs to furniture astatine 10 p.m. and woke up astatine 5 americium to find her aerial conditioning had failed, which she blamed for their deaths.

The petsitter is nether investigation by Houston Police Department animal cruelty detectives, but has not been charged pinch a crime.

Gabriela Masak had a five-star standing connected dog-sitting app Rover from much than 900 reviews erstwhile nan heartbroken owners entrusted their beloved pets to her

The mini woody shed is visible complete nan backmost obstruction of nan location and was only built past year

Several of nan owners said they were led to judge their pet was nan only 1 she was looking after, too her ain 2 dogs.

Some were repetition customers and often sent photos of their pets wrong nan location either by themselves aliases playing pinch Masak's dogs.

They now opportunity they consciousness conned aft discovering Masak had astatine slightest 11 dogs astatine her location successful Timbergrove.

'We were lied to and deceived, we thought he was safe her house… we thought we had checked everything out, it's shocking,' Matthew Johnston, whose cocoa Labrador named Porter died, told DailyMail.com.

A mini woody shed is visible complete nan backmost obstruction of Masak's location that she shares pinch her partner, Chevron technologist Ryan Hilton, and was only built past twelvemonth erstwhile turf was put down successful nan backyard.

The location was pelted pinch eggs days aft nan dogs died arsenic angry locals and friends of nan pet owners shared their accusations online. 

The 7 dogs, each from Rover, that suffered from heatstroke were housed overnight successful nan shed erstwhile its air-conditioning grounded while Masak was dormant successful nan house, owners said constabulary told them of Masak's relationship to officials. 

Meanwhile, nan owners of different 4 dogs that were unharmed are believed to person recovered Masak done different channels.

Goose, pictured pinch his owner Jessica Hayward, was 1 of 4 dogs that died after nan dogsitter crammed them into a mini shed connected an 86F night

Masak runs 2 dog-sitting businesses named Best successful Class and The Ultimate Petsitter.

She studied petroleum and earthy state engineering at Pennsylvania State University wherever she besides worked arsenic a petsitter successful her spare time.

'Dog, cats, donkeys - you sanction it! I return nan acquisition that I person from owning my ain pets and use it to this portion of my business,' she wrote connected her website.

A blog station from February 28, 2016, talked up her acquisition moving successful a barn and railed against pet owners who don't get their animals neutered.

'Owning a pet does not needfully mean making judge that they are fed and cared for,' she concluded.

'You cannot power and scheme for everything that will hap complete nan lifespan of nan pet, and fixing an animal is nan responsible point to do.'

After her panicked early-morning texts and telephone calls, Masak took nan 7 dogs to Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists wherever she gave mendacious names and interaction numbers for their owners, nan owners person claimed.

Masak's Rover floor plan was past taken down, on pinch each her and Hilton's societal media profiles, and she stopped responding to texts.

Multiple attempts by DailyMail.com to scope either of them were unsuccessful.

A blog station talked up Masak's acquisition moving successful a barn and railed against pet owners who don't get their animals neutered

Masak's Rover floor plan was past taken down, on pinch each her and Hilton's societal media profiles, and she stopped responding to texts

Jessica Hayward and Taylor Friesenhahn dropped disconnected Goose, their Petit Brabançon, a type of Brussels Griffon, astatine Masak's location connected June 27 and went connected vacation.

Hayward said they sewage a telephone astatine 5:30 americium connected June 29 and 'immediately knew thing was wrong.'

'Gabriela was crying hysterically and couldn't get words out. All I said was, "Is Goose alive?" and she said no,' she told DailyMail.com.

'We asked what happened, and she said that she put him successful his crate astatine 10 p.m. and erstwhile she checked connected him astatine 5am he was dead, and mentioned that she had AC issues.'

The somesthesia successful Houston was betwixt 83 and 86 degrees during those hours, and reached a maximum of 95 nan day before.

'An hr went by, and we hadn't heard from her, and we were panic truthful we called nan vet,' Hayward said.

That was nan first clip nan mates learned their canine was 1 of 7 staying astatine nan location who had been brought successful pinch heatstroke.

Jessica Hayward and Taylor Friesenhahn dropped disconnected Goose, their Petit Brabançon, a type of Brussels Griffon, astatine Masak's location connected June 27 and went connected vacation

Goose was put to furniture successful his crate astatine 10 p.m. and was dormant by nan clip he was seen again astatine 5 am, Masak told his owners

'We knew thing astir nan shed, nor that location were different dogs there. We were ever nether nan belief that he was nan only canine she was taking,' Hayward said.

'We ne'er heard from her since, she still has his belongings, and location was nary apology aliases recognition, nothing.

'We're devastated and not judge really we tin moreover usability without him. We don't person children truthful he wasn't conscionable a dog, he was our child. 

'Everyone who met him knew really overmuch we dedicated our lives to giving him nan champion life a canine could have. Everyone falls successful emotion pinch him immediately.'

Friesenhahn said they utilized Masak's services a fewer times complete nan past year, but she ne'er fto them wrong and ever picked up aliases handed backmost Goose successful nan driveway.

'They created an forbidden strategy successful their home… we each consciousness for illustration we've been conned and misled successful nan aforesaid way,' he claimed.

'How galore times, we don't know, but each signs propose location was a scaling of this cognition recently.'

Matthew and Jordan Johnson mislaid their six-year-old cocoa Labrador named Porter and had an eerily akin story

Jordan (pictured pinch Porter) said they were successful Canada visiting nan remainder of their family erstwhile they sewage messages from Masak early successful nan greeting astir nan situation

Matthew and Jordan Johnson mislaid their six-year-old cocoa Labrador named Porter and had an eerily akin story.

They were successful Canada visiting nan remainder of their family erstwhile they sewage messages from Masak early successful nan greeting astir nan situation.

'We had an emergency. I'm astatine nan vet. I woke up, and nan AC wasn't working,' she wrote done nan Rover app successful messages obtained by DailyMail.com.

'Oh no! Can we telephone you? Is Porter ok?' they replied, past said to her connected nan phone.

'She told america he died from heatstroke and that didn't make consciousness arsenic really could it perchance person gotten basking capable successful her location moreover if nan AC went retired for that to happen,' Jordan said. 

Not until they said pinch nan vet did they cognize Porter was only 1 of galore dogs staying together, contrary to photos Masak sent them.

'The first clip we knew location were different dogs was erstwhile nan vet called america and said, "You're 1 of nan seven,"' Jordan said.

'I thought Porter was location unsocial pinch 1 aliases 2 different dogs. I thought I was sending my canine to [what was portrayed in] nan photos she sent me. Nobody would nonstop their canine to beryllium successful a shed pinch 10 different dogs.

'She called america because she needed america to telephone nan vet and put our paperwork successful and in installments paper down, I person nary illusions that she called america because she was trying to pass america of thing because aft that we heard nothing.'

A photograph Masak sent to nan Johnstons during a erstwhile enactment successful April, showing him wrong and only pinch 1 of Masak's ain dogs

'We had an emergency. I'm astatine nan vet. I woke up and nan AC wasn't working,' Masak wrote done nan Rover app

The mates are still successful Canada pinch 2 and four-year-old kids and each their extended family arsenic they didn't want to return them backmost to nan Houston power aft Porter's abrupt death, truthful they are staying until July 14.

'It helps to beryllium pinch family, but we're angry and really upset,' Jordan said.

'He was a portion of our family, he's been pinch america done a batch of alteration successful our lives - we sewage him erstwhile it was conscionable my hubby and I and were surviving successful Calgary, and since past we've gotten joined and had 2 kids and moved to Houston.'

Archie, an 11-month-old Bernedoodle, was luckier arsenic he survived nan nighttime and is successful captious information but improving.

'We person a agelong measurement to go. We're staying affirmative and he's fighting,' his owner, Andrew Seerden said.

Seerden woke up to messages from Masak starting astatine 5:39 am.

'I'm taking Archie to nan emergency room. I woke up and nan AC wasn't running. He has power changeable and we are rushing to Gulf Coast,' they read.

Seerden replied astatine 6:46 am, writing, 'Oh my god. Updates?' Masak wrote she was astatine nan vet, and he asked, 'Where was he?'

Jordan said Porter was portion of her and Matthew's lives since they were surviving successful Canada, and successful that clip they moved to Houston, sewage joined and had 2 children

Seerden said Masak didn't reply nan mobility and replied, 'They are trying to scope you to commencement care.'

'We request to cognize what happened and wherever he was,' Seerden insisted. 'You request to telephone america backmost now.'

'My first thought was wherever was he? If our powerfulness goers retired successful nan mediate of nan nighttime we're going to get a small lukewarm but nary of america are going to get heatstroke,' he said of nan little call.

'Her consequence was "in nan backmost room" – which sounds to maine for illustration it's a room, not nan backmost shed. None of america would person been OK pinch them being retired there.'

Seerden said nan vet had problems contacting aliases moreover identifying nan dogs' owners aft Masak dropped them off, and only sewage his number because it was written connected Archie's collar.

'Gabriela not erstwhile successful a matter aliases a telephone expressed immoderate interest aliases sympathy aliases apologized, aliases asked really he was doing aliases what she could do,' he said.

Archie is still successful nan vet hospital on oxygen and attached to a show pinch a feeding tube.

'He was successful astir arsenic bad a style arsenic he could person been, and still beryllium alive. We had respective meetings pinch nan vets wherever they took america into a room and it felt for illustration it was nan end,' Seerden said.

'The things they're astir concerned astir person improved but he's not retired of nan woods yet.'

Archie, an 11-month-old Bernedoodle, was luckier arsenic he survived nan nighttime and is successful captious information but improving

Archie is still successful nan vet infirmary connected oxygen and attached to a show pinch a feeding tube

Seerden woke up to messages from Masak starting astatine 5:39 am

Other erstwhile Masak clients whose dogs were not astatine her location that nighttime were horrified to perceive of nan accusations shared connected societal media.

'Our jaws are connected nan level arsenic we publication this. We conscionable had our canine location past weekend. She usually sent pictures of him playing pinch a shot successful nan backyard but she was power silent,' 1 wrote.

Another added: 'I near my canine pinch gabby astatine slightest 10 times. I've recommended her to friends and family. I americium perfectly sick that this happened.'

A 3rd wrote: 'She was our canine sitter but we luckily sewage him backmost a time earlier this happened… Very shocked... We've utilized her for nan past 2 years and she ever said our canine was nan only 1 too.'

Another pet proprietor wrote that they hired Masak successful nan past because she had specified bully reviews connected Rover and galore repetition customers.

They explained that location were nary incidents, but nan reports explained a batch of insignificant issues.

'When we dropped her disconnected nan first clip she did not return america wrong nan location to spot nan surviving conditions. We utilized her services 2-3 times and ne'er saw nan wrong premises,' they wrote.

'Our canine would ever person her chin and cervix soaking wet, astir apt because she was captive successful that shed and she was chugging h2o to modulate her temperature.'

Their canine besides each clip came location pinch superior tummy issues wherever they had to activity weeks of aesculapian attention.

BARC, nan City of Houston's municipal animal shelter, visited nan location but wasn't allowed successful until constabulary obtained a hunt warrant. The BARC motortruck is seen waiting extracurricular nan house

Pet owners said they consciousness conned aft discovering Masak had astatine slightest 11 dogs astatine her location successful Timbergrove

Staff astatine nan vet session besides recalled their distress astatine having to dainty nan dogs erstwhile they arrived and woody pinch nan 4 that died.

'As personification who took attraction of 1 of nan dogs that arrived DOA astatine our hospital, nan measurement I sobbed for an hr erstwhile I was told. He was a saccharine small angel and nan bestest boy,' 1 wrote,

Another vet worker wrote: 'Goose was nan absolute cutest boy and was loved crossed truthful galore departments. He was moreover successful 1 of our OR techs' floor plan photos! 

'He made truthful galore group happy and ever put a grin connected my look whenever I saw him.'

Other locals who heard astir what happened wrote online that they heard canine barking successful nan backyard and reported it to authorities.

BARC, nan City of Houston's municipal animal shelter, visited nan location but wasn't allowed successful until constabulary obtained a hunt warrant.

Eventually, nan remaining 4 dogs were removed from nan property. 

Investigators were seen searching nan location connected Monday day and Houston constabulary opened an animal cruelty investigation. No charges person been filed.

BARC antecedently issued Masak a citation for not having a commercialized pet work installation license.

Hayward said she wanted Rover to vet canine sitters amended and make judge they were trained amended and checked connected really they look aft dogs

Hayward said she wanted Rover to vet canine sitters amended and make judge they were trained amended and checked connected really they look aft dogs.

'We person to clasp these apps accountable to make judge they don't let unqualified group to return successful 10 dogs, without anyone's knowledge, and location needs to beryllium regulations to forestall this from happening,' she said.

Friesenhahn added: 'We're chopper canine parents, we're very peculiar astir who takes attraction of him and we did each nan owed diligence truthful if it tin hap to us, it tin hap to anyone.'

Rover said it was 'deeply concerned' and promised to behaviour a 'thorough investigation' and cooperate pinch police.

'We are committed to supporting these pet parents passim this heartbreaking ordeal, including reimbursing nan families for related veterinary expenses,' it said.

More
Source dailymail
dailymail