Leaving the fur babies at home can be a very stressful prospect for traveling pet parents. While there are thousands of caring and professional petsitters who go the extra mile to look after their charges, entrusting one’s pets to the care of a stranger can still be a gamble on some level, no matter how trustworthy they seem.
Tragically, it’s a gamble that Lindsey Scalera and Andrew Beifus, two proud pet parents from New Jersey, lost. The couple’s late summer vacation was horrifically cut short when their dog was shot to death by their pet sitter.
Lindsey Scalera told @abc7ny that she had gone to a Hunterdon County dog lover’s site searching for a pet sitter to look after her Pit Bull, Remi, while she and Andrew went on vacation. Multiple users recommended Kalli Cooke, who offered pet boarding services on the popular app Rover with her husband Craig.
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“We had a meet and greet with her. Our dog was fine around her and she assured us that she was insured and bonded,” Andrew Beifus told ABC 7 NY in an exclusive interview.
Unfortunately, things took a terrible turn after Beifus and Scalera left for the Jersey Shore. 36 hours into their trip, Craig Cooke called to tell them that Remi had “gotten into a tussle” with another dog. The couple told Craig that they would return early to pick up Remi, but Craig said that it was fine and Remi had been crated in a room, later sending pictures of them hanging outside together. Not long after that, the couple got a second call from Craig. Remi was dead.
“I hear it over and over. He said I just put a buckshot in your dog’s head. He went after my pregnant wife, come get your f—— dead dog’s body off my property,” a weeping Scalera recounted the horrific phone call.
Neither Scalera nor Beifus bought Cooke’s explanation. According to ABC 7 NY, they had adopted Remi from a rescue shelter six years before. Beifus recounted their emotional first meeting as Remi came bursting out to greet his adoptive parents with kisses, calling it “love at first sight.” They didn’t believe Remi could have done what Craig had accused him of.
“”He ran our dog down. And shot him twice in the head. For no f—— good reason,” Andrew told ABC.
Justice for Remi
The couple immediately called the police, who arrested Craig Cooke and brought in animal control to remove Remi’s remains. Cooke now faces one count of second-degree possession of a weapon and one count of third-degree animal cruelty. Kalli has not been charged with anything at this time.
Rover, which had hosted the Cookes’ pet sitting business, immediately removed them from their website and assisted any pet parents who had reservations with them in finding alternative care.
“We will continue to work with law enforcement to the fullest extent of our ability,” Rover reportedly said in their statement.
Jersey Pit Rescue, who rescued Remi from a kill shelter before his adoption, did their part in spreading the word. They issued a Facebook statement warning their followers about the Cookes, alleging that several of their other former clients had also come forward with allegations of animal abuse against the pets left in their care. Andrew Beifus started a GoFundMe benefit for Jersey Pit Rescue in Remi’s name, honoring the people that brought them together in the first place.
Despite Craig Cooke’s arrest and the massive outpouring of community support, however, no amount of justice will truly make up for the cruel death of the couple’s dog.
“This has just been a tragedy we never would have imagined,” mourned Scalera.
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