A Rover Sitter Cremated a Woman’s Dog in Miami to Cover up Deadly Attack

Disturbing details are emerging after a Miami-area woman returned home from her trip to find that one of her beloved senior dogs was cremated while under the care of a Rover sitter. Indeed, the dog passed away under mysterious circumstances and was cremated thereafter in a possible cover-up.

Consider this a trigger warning, as the details in the story below deal with death and potentially disturbing details that may have been the result of animal abuse.

Below, we explore the report of a Rover sitter who was entrusted with the care of multiple animals, with death and cremation as the end result for one dog.

Let's dive into the details to assess what happened, what we know at this point, and why people online are so concerned about the welfare of one senior dog who mysteriously died and was cremated without the dog's parents' consent.

This heartbreaking story begins when a Miami Shores, Fla. resident, Eilyn Jimenez, hired a dog sitter named Barbara Paz via the Rover app to watch over her three dogs.

According to the Independent, when Jimenez returned home from vacation, she discovered that her 12-year-old Maltese-Shitzu named Aria was cremated without her or her husband's knowledge and consent. Jimenez had been told by Paz that Aria died peacefully in her sleep.

Paz was apparently in cahoots with another person named Daniel Cruz, who paid Resting Rainbow Pet Memorials and Cremation via the Zelle app to have Aria cremated on August 29, according to a report by Local 10.

According to a staff member at Resting Rainbow Pet Memorials and Cremation, Cruz claimed it was his dog and "paid $400 extra dollars" for a rush job to have the cremation done immediately.

In a series of photos posted to her TikTok account, Jimenez wrote, "Cremation records show Aria's body was brought in the same day she died — with a "rush" request.

When the cremation center asked what happened, the person who dropped her off admitted Aria was killed by a larger dog. They described severe trauma: her scalp detached, one eye bulging — injuries impossible to confuse with a peaceful passing."

According to one of the photos posted to Jimenez's TikTok, "The sitter was never even in Miami. She was in Las Vegas, competing in a jiu-jitsu tournament, while our dog was left with her partner, and around bigger dogs we never approved."

Paz also concocted a lie about a "vet friend" who backed Paz's story, though Jimenez wrote on TikTok that the person in question is not a veterinarian — simply someone who supported Paz's lie.

“When Cruz came to pick [Aria's cremated remains] up, I asked what happened, and he told me, ‘The dog was attacked by a bigger dog,’” according to one of the employees at Resting Rainbow Pet Memorials and Cremation.

According to Local 10, Jimenez filed a report with the Miami Shores Police Department. While Rover offered a measly $1,000 to Jimenez to brush the drama aside, Jimenez didn't fall for the cover-up.

The incident underscores the immense amount of anxiety that parents of companion animals feel when leaving their beloved furry friends behind. The gruesome details also show that once again, Rover is not to be trusted, and anyone watching over your companion animals should be vetted with intense scrutiny to ensure your animals' well-being.