Houston area family fears their 2 purebred dogs were stolen by dog sitter they found on popular website
HOUSTON - "I think the dogs were stolen," said Matthew Nieten.
The Nieten family is missing two family members, Dux and Maxie.
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"I keep telling myself they're going to come back the next day, another day goes by, and nothing," said Matthew's daughter, Thalia.
Dux and Maxie are unaltered purebred Miniature Australian Shepherds.
"They're both ASDR registered dogs, and they come from a great pedigree," Nieten said.
The two pure-bred dogs and Belle, a rescue, needed a dog sitter from Friday, December 22 through Sunday, December 31.
Nieten turned to Care.com.
"We've used them off and on for the last 10 years," he said.
But Nieten says the dog sitter who they had never used before wasn't staying in contact.
"She said she was going to send pictures and videos every day," he said.
But that didn't happen.
On December 27, Care.com told Nieten the dog sitter cancelled the booking and his money was returned.
"After 2 and a half days of no response, on the 29th, we called the Harris County Sheriffs Office and filed a police report," said Nieten.
When the family got back to town on New Year's Eve, Nieten texted the dog sitter.
"We got a text from another number we didn't know, that said we saw your number come across our daughters phone. She was in a really bad car wreck and is in a coma at Houston Methodist and your dogs are at yet another address," Nieten said.
When Nieten went to that address, he says the woman there denied knowing the dog sitter. She told us that as well.
"She said somebody came and dropped them off, and they didn't know the dogs were there," said Nieten. "That they would have never let anybody bring dogs there."
Belle was found by Galena Park Police on December 28, and is now back home. But Dux and Maxie, worth thousands, are nowhere to be found.
If you have any information on their whereabouts call (832) 549-2386 or email Mjnieten@yahoo.com.
No charges have been filed against the dog sitter.
We reached out to Care.com for comment, but have yet to hear back.