Every Dog Sitter's Worst Nightmare Came True for This Woman—'Rest in Peace'

A dog sitter shared a harrowing story about her experience while watching a senior canine.

Diane Smith, who is based in San Diego, was hired through Rover to watch a 13-year-old poodle named Eloise for 10 days while the owner was in Italy. This senior dog was blind in her right eye and, being a weaker dog, she had trouble walking.

Smith and Eloise bonded instantly and they created a routine together. That happens a lot with Rover, Smith told Newsweek. She forms a special connection with these dogs that makes it feel like they are her own.

But on October 12, Smith sent a message to the owner that she believed something was wrong with Eloise.

It started a few days earlier when Smith woke up to Eloise getting sick. When informing the owners, they both decided to take Eloise off her pain medicine to see if that was the issue. But the problem continued.

Smith took the poor pup to the vet, who shared that he believed it was Eloise's time to go as she was declining.

Eloise is a small, frail dog who typically looks sick. Because of this, the owner wanted to have Smith keep her one more night to make sure it was her time.

"I told him I can't be the one to make this decision, it's not my animal," Smith said in the video. "I will be here with her throughout the entire time, throughout every decision you will make, but I want to make sure you're making the right decision."

Smith set Eloise up in a comfortable spot with a heated blanket for what would end up being her last night. But Eloise was constantly crying.

"It was really sad, especially since I had a feeling this was going to happen," Smith said.

She continued to send messages and videos to the owner to show what was happening. Smith believed it was her time as she was in so much pain, but again, she wanted to make sure the decision was coming from the owner.

The owner asked Smith to be there when the vet put her down and to make sure Eloise knew she was loved since he was not able to come back.

Eloise was in a safe place during her last moments. Smith and the nurse were petting Eloise's head, comforting her as she crossed over the rainbow bridge.

Smith immediately shared this experience with her TikTok followers, saying it was the saddest day she's ever had with Rover. She felt as if Eloise was her own dog.

Much to Smith's surprise, she's received nothing but positive feedback. All the kind comments helped her through the experience in more ways than she thought.

The Rover team even sent Smith a package in recognition of the compassion she showed to Eloise and her owner. It's a message to all those who have lost a pet before. It reads: "Our angels never leave us."

As for Eloise's owner, he met up with Smith about a week after the dog passed. He surprised Smith with a bouquet of flowers, sharing how thankful he was for her, and she gave him back all of Eloise's belongings. But for the time being, he is not quite ready for another dog, Smith said.

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