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Woman aims to sue dog-sitting company after service dog runs away, dies

A woman wants to sue a pet-sitting company after her service dog ran away while in their care, and then died.
Jeannette Moisman, who was visiting from Argentina, said she left her dog, Brownie, with a pet sitter from Rover.com and, while in the sitter's care, the dog ran away.
“He was so gorgeous. He was a good dog,” she said.
Moisman was in a car accident six years ago and although she can walk on her own, her legs are numb and she requires a service dog.
In September, Moisman and Brownie boarded a plane from Argentina to Orlando for a vacation.
She said she didn't want Brownie to spend long days at the theme parks and malls, so she hired a pet sitter from Rover.com, a popular pet-sitting website.
On Sept. 25, Brownie was spending the day with a pet sitter in Orlando when he got out of the house.
Moisman searched for him, but 10 days later he was found dead near Interstate 4.
“He was supposed to live for a long, long time and he was taken away from me,” said Moisman.
Moisman is working with a lawyer. She hopes the company doesn't allow the woman who was watching Brownie when he got away sit for pets again.
Moisman got another service dog, but said replacing Brownie was tough.

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“I was not expecting this to happen, you know? You come here, you go on vacation expecting everything to be perfect and now I feel like I am a terrible mother,” she said. “Because of what I did, he ended up dead.”
A Rover.com spokesperson said they couldn't talk specifically about the case but said, in these types of cases, a team helps to bring the dog home, using a pet Amber Alert system and online notices.
A statement from the company said, in part, “We understand that the loss of a dog is the loss of a family member, and our hearts go out to Brownie's family. Millions of nights have been booked on Rover and while situations like this are rare, we take every one very seriously.”
Shannon Butler

Shannon Butler, WFTV.com

Shannon joined the Eyewitness News team in 2013.