VANCOUVER, Wash. — Vancouver police are still looking for a man accused of stealing from an apartment complex in Vancouver after gaining building access by posing as a dog sitter.
The suspect used the Rover app, a popular tool for finding pet care, and was hired by a resident of the building.
According to the Vancouver Police Department, the man then used the building access to break into a secure area of the building and stole property of the RiverWest apartment complex.
Although he was captured on security footage, the police said they are still trying to identify the man. They also clarified that the property management company was the victim of the theft, and not the resident who hired the sitter.
In a statement, Rover wrote:
“The safety of our community is a top priority for Rover. When a pet parent raised a concern about this sitter, our team investigated the incident and suspended the sitter’s account. We will work with law enforcement to the fullest extent possible.”
They also stated that “480,000 services have been booked through the Rover platform, and of those that are reviewed, over 98% received a five-star rating," which are numbers for the Portland metro area.
Background checks are also required for all sitters trying to join the app, and meet-and-greets with potential sitters are highly encouraged before booking.
“Even if you do have a meet-and-greet, that doesn’t guarantee anything," said Gillian Hightower, a dog owner who said she will not be using the app now. "People can always have harmful thoughts to you and your animals ... especially when it comes to your animals being home in that, what if he would’ve done something else to injure the animal?”
Lauren Ramos is a dog owner and dog sitter, but does not find clients through Rover.
“I would rather go with somebody that I know 100%, even a platform that is background checking, this could still happen, I would rather get to know the person on my own and have that validation for myself,” she said. “I mean if you feel comfortable using Rover and you’ve had good experiences then that’s fine, but I know that there’s a group of people that I’ve built a small client base who want that person to person and that guarantee.”
Other dog owners like Tonya Hawks said she just downloaded the app.
“Somebody told me about the Rover app," Hawks said. "So I thought, 'Well shoot ... somebody comes to my house, get my dog, take him for a walk, bring him back, drop him off, how perfect, so she’s not there all day by herself.'”
But now, she’s a bit more skeptical.
“I want to know that if I leave my dog she's going to be safe, they’re going to treat her like I would,” said Hawks. “It’s scary, because you don’t want to leave them with just anybody, it’s like your kid."
Vancouver police have asked anyone with knowledge of the man's identity to contact Officer Drynan at stuart.drynan@cityofvancouver.us and mention case number 24-20466.