14-03-2025
Family accuses pet sitter of cremating dog without permission
OBETZ, Ohio (WCMH) — A family is fighting for answers after their pet unexpectedly died and the chance to say goodbye was taken from them.
NBC4 Investigates is uncovering just what lines may have been crossed and how a family's dog was cremated without their consent.
Many people on social media are outraged, and the Obetz family is heartbroken. Their one-year-old dog Sando died in the care of a professional pet sitter who apparently was not honest about what happened, and in a shocking move, the evidence is gone.
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It was supposed to be the happiest time of their lives; Cherelle and Joel Dublin were getting married.
'We can't enjoy our marriage as much as we would like to, the beginning of our marriage,' Cherelle Dublin said.
The couple left Sando in the care of an Obetz area professional pet sitter. The day after their wedding, they got a call telling them Sando was dead.
'She told me specifically, verbatim, that she took Sando out. She gave him a treat. She noticed that he was in distress,' Cherelle Dublin said. 'She immediately started to do the Heimlich maneuver, that wasn't working. So she rushed him to the emergency animal hospital.'
She called the vet.
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'She said, 'Oh, honey, he was brought in on Wednesday. This didn't happen this morning', like I was told,' Dublin said. 'They took a look at him, deceased. There was no sign of choking and that was it.'
But now, there's no way to check for sure, because of what the pet sitter did next.
'I know accidents happen, but if it was an accident, why are you lying about the dates when this happened?' Cherelle Dublin said.
NBC4 Investigates called the vet and confirmed Sando was brought in dead two days before the Dublins were told.
Cherelle called the pet sitter back.
'She says, 'I'm on my way to take him to get cremated,' and I said, 'Absolutely not,'' Cherelle Dublin said. 'I said, 'You're not taking him nowhere.''
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But Sando was cremated at a Worthington funeral home, without the permission of Cherelle or her husband.
'Why? Why would you do that to us?' Cherelle Dublin said.
We are not naming the pet sitter, her business, or the funeral home because they have not been charged with a crime. However, NBC4 Investigates did look into these businesses. The pet sitter's business has an active license with the state. According to the website Rover, which connects pet owners to care services, she was removed from the app a year and a half ago, though Rover would not tell us why.
The pet sitter recently deleted her business Facebook page and LinkedIn profile. NBC4 Investigates called and messaged her. She messaged back saying: 'I have been advised not to speak to it until the investigation is complete.'
'I told her specifically, you do not have my consent to cremate him without me being there,' Cherelle Dublin said.
NBC4 Investigates spoke with two different local pet crematories. They shared that a lot of the process is based on trust but both confirmed the person bringing the pet to be cremated has to confirm they are the owner.
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Jamie Wright is a lawyer with expertise in Ohio animal law.
'It would be up to the owners to accuse her of fraud,' Wright said.
NBC4 Investigates went to the Worthington funeral home and emailed, asking how Sando was cremated without his owner's consent, and why now they won't release the documents to his legal owners.
'I'm literally telling you that we are the legal owners and we have documentation of proof that we are the legal owners,' Cherelle Dublin said.
The funeral home did not respond to our email and said 'no comment' in person.
'It's very typical when someone has failed to comply with the law to not want to turn over the documentation,' Wright said.
'I hope that they don't think we're ever going to give up. We're never going to give up,' Cherelle Dublin said. 'I don't understand at all, you took my family from me.'
The family plans to file civil charges against the pet sitter and funeral home.
With the help of a third party, the Dublin family got Sando's ashes back. They are still fighting for the cremation paperwork.
We are waiting on paperwork, too. Obetz Police plan to release an investigation. The mayor of Obetz released a statement on Facebook saying:
'The City of Obetz has completed its investigation into the recent concerns regarding the passing of a dog while in the care of a pet sitter. After a thorough review, we have determined that all relevant events surrounding this case occurred outside our jurisdiction. As a result, the appropriate agencies for further investigation are the City of Columbus and the Franklin County Humane Society. To ensure transparency, the full investigative report will be available as a public record this Friday. Anyone wishing to obtain a copy may do so through the proper records request process. For any further inquiries or to report additional concerns, please contact the City of Columbus authorities or the Franklin County Humane Society directly. We appreciate the community's engagement and trust as we work to uphold public safety and animal welfare.'
Columbus Humane said because there is no evidence of cruelty, the law does not allow them to open an investigation at this time.
An incident report shows the pet sitter did contact Columbus Police saying she felt threatened by the Dublins, but CPD says there is no investigation.
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