What was meant to be a peaceful family vacation turned into a nightmare after a family returned home to find their house trashed and her animals appearing to be neglected, and in some cases, dying.
Melanie Carbine (@ssmellanie), a daycare owner from Bend, Oregon, had planned a two-week trip to visit family in Utah and found a local pet sitter through a Facebook group, she was reassured by the sitter’s experience with animals and their pleasant first meeting. Her story has since gone viral on TikTok, garnering 1.3 million views.
“My dog loved her, my cats came up to her and my 9-month-old daughter Kit even loved interacting with her and she was a sweet lady, very personable and felt knowledgeable and I was thrilled that it felt like a good fit,” Carbine told Newsweek.
Newsweek reached out to the petsitter and to the relevant police force for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.
Before leaving, Carbine said she gave detailed instructions. The sitter was responsible for watering the garden and houseplants, feeding and caring for three cats, a Labrador named Trip, and a flock of chickens, geese, and 11 baby chicks. Carbine said she had gone to great lengths to make things easy—installing large feeders and waterers, pre-filling supplies, and making sure everything was well-stocked.
“She reiterated she understood the necessary tasks required for the house and it wouldn’t be an issue at all,” Carbine said.
For the first few days, the sitter sent photos of Trip and checked in occasionally, which seemed sufficient. But toward the end of the vacation, Carbine said that things took a bizarre turn. While still in Utah, Carbine claims that neighbors alerted her that police had been called due to fireworks and gunshots being reported at her rural home.
“I texted her asking her what the heck that was about and she said she didn’t know,” Carbine said. “I started to be super confused.”
According to Carbine, she and her boyfriend decided to head home a day early. That morning, the sitter texted to ask when they would arrive—then casually added that one chick had died.
“I was like what? How? And then figured I’d deal with it when I got home to get clearer answers,” she said.
What she came home to was beyond what she could have imagined.
Carbine said that fireworks littered the front yard and trash and tire marks scarred the lawn. Inside, the house was in disarray: cat feces everywhere, a sweatshirt covered in vomit stuffed under the kitchen island, filthy pans on the stove, brown hair dye splattered across the bathroom, and used tampons left on the floor. Her personal items—including a hairbrush and deodorant—had clearly been used.
According to Carbine, when she checked the animals, the situation was even worse. “There were what looked like five dead chicks,” she said. “Two chicks ended up being dead when we got home, one more had to be culled that night because it was suffering, and I’ve nursed the remaining two ill ones back to health, yay! My goose IS walking now, thank god. We still have no idea what happened to him.”
“Walking into the house after driving for two days with a 9-month-old in the car after a stomach bug, and seeing it in that state was the most sinking, gut-wrenching feeling,” Carbine said. “It was like walking into a completely different home that felt unsafe to even put our belongings from the car into.”
Cabrine said she immediately called the police, contacted her landlords, and demanded the sitter return. When the woman arrived, Carbine said she confronted her.
“I told her I felt disappointed, hurt, disrespected and violated that my house and my animals were harmed. She cried and cried,” Carbine recalled.
According to Carbine, the sitter later admitted via text that friends had come over and were responsible for much of the damage. She offered to pay for the repairs and damages to avoid police involvement. Carbine estimates the total cost—including cleanup, replacement of damaged items, and vet expenses—to be over $1,500.
Despite the turmoil, Carbine says she has agreed to deal with the matter without taking criminal action.
The TikTok community have since shared their support and horrifyingly similar disaster stories.
“This happened to me years ago, I left to visit my family for two weeks came home to my cat with a huge gash under his arm that needed stitches and antibiotics, house completely trashed and he cashed and spent my full income tax check that came in the mail through our joint bank account,” said one user.
“I’m so sorry! This happened to us! We came home to our house sweltering, smelling, trashed, they shredded two tires on our car joy riding (no permission) ruined my Anthropologie bedding, pet sick. I pressed charges,” shared another.
“As a pet sitter I’m disgusted!! How could someone do that. These are all my babies and I don’t even cook in people’s homes.. I’m fully insured and safe as all else,” added a third.
Others urged future pet owners to vet sitters more rigorously, with one person writing: “This is horrible. Next time ask for a copy of their business insurance and confirm they are a licensed business. I used to own and operate a pet sitting business and while my services came at a higher price tag you would’ve come home to a much different situation.”
Even seasoned pet sitters chimed in with disbelief. “I pet sit for people all around me when people go for vacation. and I have taken care of EVERYTHING. the only thing I have EVER lost is a baby sea horse! that is absolutely DESPICABLE,” said Fraya.
For Carbine, the experience has been both financially and emotionally devastating.
“I just feel like I somehow misread this lady… and felt like an idiot for being so trusting of her saying everything was fine,” she said.
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