Dogs die, get lost, get injured under the care of NYC sitters: clients

Metro

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Through Georgia Worrell

He is a dog’s worst friend.

At least five dogs have died, been injured or gone missing under the care of Marlene Cordova — a Queens woman who runs an unlicensed dog-sitting business out of her Bayside apartment — according to outraged owners a puppy

“Marlene killed my puppy,” Coby Davidson commented in response to a Jan. 8 Facebook post on the Nassau County Lost & Found Pets page, which anonymously warned other dog owners against taking Cordova as a dog sitter.

According to text messages obtained by The Post between Davidson and Kelly Brach, a professional pet tracker, Cordova admitted to the dog’s owner that she left a piece of watermelon behind when she left her house, which eaten by his dog, causing the dog to die.

“I had no idea anyone else had a similar experience,” Davidson wrote on Facebook. “I can’t give all the details here but we got a settlement from his insurance company which is obviously not enough to replace him in our hearts.”

Baneet Pabla’s world was turned upside down — and her Australian vacation cut short — after Cordova informed her on Dec. 28 that her beloved, 4-year-old Australian Shepherd, Ozi, was missing.

After catching the earliest flight home, Pabla, 35, headed straight to Cordova’s 217th Street home where she left Ozi to watch her for the umpteenth time since she first saw Cordova’s dog grooming profile on Rover, a pet care services app, in 2019.

“At that point, I had no reason to be suspicious because I had used him before, so the trust was there,” the East Elmhurst resident told The Post.

At first, Cordova told Pabla that Ozi had escaped from her home — possibly through a door she left open — while she was away, and she searched the area thoroughly for him, calling nearby vets. and animal shelters, and alerted neighbors to her disappearance.

But Pabla cast doubt on her version of events after asking about Ozi at nearby businesses and residences, “and no one had any idea there was a missing dog,” she said. When she called vets and shelters, “that was the first time they heard about my dog.

“He didn’t say anything that added,” Pabla said.

After Cordova stopped responding to Pabla’s messages after a few days, she hired Brach, who used search dogs to track Ozi’s scent.

The dogs’ response indicates that “Ozi didn’t leave that block on foot,” Brach explained.

“We still have no idea what happened to Ozi and we have no idea where he is, even if he is alive,” Pabla lamented.

Other instances of dogs reported missing and injured while under Cordova’s care include:

• A 12-year-old Patterdale Terrier, Boozer, has not been found since he disappeared from his Cordova home in July 2021, according to Bayside’s owner and social media posts at the time.
• Alex Abramov’s 12-year-old Russell Terrier mix, Barkley, allegedly suffered three pelvic fractures from a car crash after he inexplicably fled the Cordova home in February 2022.
• Shirit Cohen’s 7-month-old Shar Pai, Gator, needed five stitches in his muzzle after he was allegedly attacked by another dog Cordova was also watching at his home in February 2022.

Cordova declined to comment.

A Rover spokesperson said Cordova was removed from the platform two years ago, but would not give a reason due to confidentiality issues.

The city’s Health Department is “currently investigating” a complaint that Cordova was illegally operating a dog boarding business on residential premises, a department spokeswoman said.