Last spring, Michael Juers and his wife Pamela dropped their two Chihuahuas off at the home of Adrienne Skaggs, a Ruckersville resident who’d listed her Sweet Dogs Grooming dog-sitting service on Rover.com. The Juers were traveling from the Charlottesville area to Florida ahead of a permanent move there, and hoped the dogs would have their own mini-vacation while the couple house-hunted.
The day after leaving 2-year-old Rosie and 12-year-old Chico in Skaggs’ care, the Juers’ long-anticipated trip turned into a nightmare that began with a text from Skaggs.
“She said, ‘Rosie got away, but she’s okay,’” says Michael Juers. “It was very vague.”
Ten months later, despite ongoing searches, there is still no sign of Rosie. When the Juers picked up Chico, he required veterinary care for a serious puncture wound. The Juers have since learned they’re not the only dog owners to suffer such anguish after leaving their pets in Skaggs’ care.
Ben Combs and Laura Brown also discovered Skaggs’ ad for dog-sitting on Rover.com and had used her once before without incident. They left their 11-year-old Chihuahua, Olive, at Skaggs’ Fray’s Mill Road home again in January when they traveled to Mexico. This time, they had to cut their trip short by a day when Skaggs texted to let them know that Olive had disappeared.
“It just really took us by surprise because she doesn’t run away or escape if we’re walking somewhere in the woods with her,” says Combs.
While Combs and Brown tried to change their flight and get home, family members in the Charlottesville area immediately mounted a massive search effort for Olive. Still in Mexico, Combs says he started calling businesses near Skaggs’ home and got some disturbing information.
“One of them was a farm and a woman picked up,” Combs says. “I told her what was going on and she was like, ‘I’m really sorry to say this, but this is the third call I’ve gotten about this from that facility.’”
Indeed, Skaggs is known to Albemarle County Animal Control. According to online court records, in January she was found guilty of inadequate animal care and allowing a dog to run at large, both misdemeanors that carry $250 fines. The Juers have sued her over the loss of Rosie, and that case is still pending.
Albemarle County Police Public Information Officer Bridgette Butynski declined to comment on an active case.
After Googling Skaggs’ name and posting about Olive on the NextDoor app, Combs and Brown discovered the Juers and at least four others who were still searching for—or mourning the death of—dogs they’d left with Skaggs.
Combs and Brown consider themselves lucky. Olive was found after being hit by a car, but she survived. Karen Calvino’s 13-year-old Yorkshire terrier, Toby, was reportedly hit and killed by a car after he disappeared from Skaggs’ property the day before Thanksgiving.
Calvino and her husband had flown into Charlottesville from Florida to visit her daughter and grandchildren. Hoping to cut down on the holiday chaos, Calvino decided to board Toby with Skaggs for the three-day visit. Skaggs met Calvino at the airport and picked Toby up with his bed, food, and medicine. A few hours later, Calvino looked at her phone and saw a text from Skaggs.
“Toby got away,” it read.
Calvino says Skaggs assured her she was out looking for him. Calvino’s kids posted about Toby on social media. The next morning, Calvino went to Skaggs’ house to make sure Toby wasn’t hiding behind furniture. She says Skaggs initially resisted letting her come in, and when she relented, Calvino was confronted with what she describes as a “horrific” scene: The room was filthy and dark, there was one couch with no cushions, and she counted an estimated 15 large barking dogs in stacked cages.
“My heart sunk,” says Calvino, who began shouting Toby’s name, to no avail.
“When I left, I almost started crying,” Calvino says. “I’m like, ‘How could I ever have done this to Toby?’”
Calvino says she printed fliers and posted online. After 12 days, Calvino says a man admitted to hitting and killing Toby with his car around 5pm on the day Skaggs picked him up. Calvino says the man claimed he threw Toby’s body into the trash but kept his harness.
Skaggs did not return online messages sent through Facebook and Bark.com, where her services are still listed. A woman who answered a phone number listed for her online claimed it was a wrong number and hung up after this reporter identified herself.
Both Rover.com and Wags.com have removed Skaggs from their platforms and cite a requirement for criminal background checks as one of their safety features, in addition to featuring previous client reviews.
“Prior to booking a service, we highly encourage pet parents to meet with multiple sitters in-person to discuss their specific care instructions, ask any questions they may have, and evaluate the sitter’s home environment to ensure it meets their expectations,” reads a statement from Rover in response to a C-VILLE query.
The Juers, Combs, and Brown admit that while they found Skaggs through Rover, she offered them a lower rate to pay her directly, and they both agreed to do so. They also say subsequent examination of the rural property revealed alarming details including an electrified fence with gaps large enough for a small dog to slip through.
The Juers, Combs, Brown, and Calvino say they want their heartbreak to end Skaggs’ ability to take in animals. They also want to serve as a warning to others to scrutinize the credentials of the people who care for their pets.
“Our number one goal is really just to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else,” says Combs. “I think if we are successful in that, then we’ll feel vindicated.”
Courteney Stuart is the host of “Charlottesville Right Now” on WINA. You can hear an interview with Michael Juers at wina.com.