KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Victims who say their pets were abused and killed by a North Knox County pet sitter are speaking out. The Knox County Sheriff's office recently removed 38 animals from a North Knox County home, where five other animals were also found dead.
Natalie Hartman and her dog, Koda, are victims. Natalie had rescued Koda when she was 10 months old and became to be her emotional support animal.
"When I got her, I really needed something at that time to ground me. And that was her," Hartman said.
She had only owned Koda for less than a year and their bond had flourished.
"She was like, my everything. So it's really hard to process at all," she said.
In just less than a year, Hartman said she lost her best friend. She said she contacted a pet sitter before a trip. The pet sitter promised her an all-inclusive experience with full care, baths and walks for only $25 dollars per month.
"She really did come across as someone that knew what she was doing and had been in the business for a long time," she said.
But that changed when Hartman got a phone call during her trip that her dog had suddenly suffered a seizure. Hours later, her dog was dead.
"Koda was dead upon arrival. My mom went out to see her and she was just hard and cold," she said. "And it was pretty obvious that she had been dead for a while. I think both my parents were kind of just in shock at the time."
Harman said the pet sitter presented herself as someone who knew what they were doing. She said she had good online reviews and required owners to sign documents on their pets' histories before handing them off. She also said the sitter was a dog owner themselves.
Like Hartman, another pet owner, has come forward to share their experience. When Lisa Lynch couldn't take care of her dog, Maybel, due to a family emergency — she said the sitter presented themself as someone who does rescue work.
"She told me that she had a rescue and I believed her and I checked her reviews, like a lot of people, and they were good reviews," Lynch said.
But six days later, Maybel was dead and never made it to a rescue group. Lynch said she does not what led to her dog's death.
"It's disturbing. You put your trust in a rescue organization or group and then you found out the dog was probably either starved or mistreated," she said.
Her only hope now is for this to not happen again to any dog owner.
"My husband hopes that we get justice for Maybel and all the other dogs that probably passed away in her care," Lynch said.
As of Monday evening, no charges have been filed but the Knox County Sheriff's Office says they're investigating multiple abuse cases and charges are pending.
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