Marlene Cordova: Queens pet sitter faces heat as at least 5 dogs die, get hurt or go missing under her care

QUEENS, NEW YORK: A Queens woman is facing heat from outraged pup owners after at least five dogs were found dead, injured or missing while being under her care. The woman, who has been identified as Marlene Cordova, reportedly runs an unlicensed dog-sitting business out of her Bayside apartment. 

“Marlene killed my puppy,” Coby Davidson commented in response to a January 8 Facebook post on the Nassau County Lost & Found Pets page which anonymously alarmed other dog owners against hiring Cordova as a dog sitter. 

How did Marlene Cordova kill Davidson's puppy?

According to text messages between Davidson and Kelly Brach, a professional pet tracker, Cordova admitted to the dog owner she had left a piece of watermelon out when leaving his home, which his pooch ate, causing the canine to fatally choke.

“I had no idea anyone else had a similar experience,” Davidson wrote on Facebook, adding “I can’t give all the details here but we did get a settlement from her insurance company which obviously is never enough to replace him in our hearts.”

Another dog owner shared her tragic experience with Marlene Cordova

Baneet Pabla’s Australian vacation was cut short after Cordova informed him on December 28 that his beloved, four-year-old Australian Shepherd, Ozi, was missing.

After catching the earliest flight home, the 35-year-old owner went directly to Cordova’s 217th Street home where he had left Ozi for her to watch on numerous occasions since he first found Cordova’s dog-sitting profile on Rover, a pet care services app, in 2019. 

“At that point, I had no reason to be suspicious because I had used her before, so that trust was there,” the East Elmhurst resident told the New York Post. 

What did Marlene Cordova tell the dog owner?

Cordova initially told Pabla that Ozi had escaped her home, potentially through a door she’d left open while she wasn’t home, and that she’d thoroughly searched the area for him, called nearby vets and animal shelters, and alerted neighbors about his disappearance.

However, Pabla didn't buy her version of events after inquiring about Ozi at nearby businesses and residences “and nobody had any idea there was a dog missing,” he said. When he called vets and shelters, “that was the first time they were hearing about my dog. “Nothing she said added up,” Pabla said.  

After Cordova stopped responding to Pabla’s messages days later, he hired Brach, who used search dogs to track Ozi’s scent. The dogs’ response indicates that “Ozi did not leave that block on foot,” Brach explained. “We still have no idea what happened to Ozi and we have no idea where he is, even if he’s alive,” Pabla lamented. 

The outlet has also detailed other instances of dogs allegedly disappearing and getting hurt while under Cordova’s care. The city Department of Health is “currently investigating” a complaint Cordova is illegally running a dog boarding business in residential premises, a department spokesperson said.