NJ Newlyweds Cancel Honeymoon After Sitter Loses Dog Night Before Trip

HOBOKEN, NJ — A Ridgewood couple was preparing on Sunday night to head on their honeymoon to Tahiti when — they say — a sitter lost their dog near the Hoboken/Jersey City border and they had to cancel plans.

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"[We] are heartbroken and still looking for him," said newlywed Luba, 34, who asked that her last name not be used. "With the dropping temperatures, we're terrified he’s starving and freezing. He’s only one year old and we’ve had him since he was 2 months old."

The family said that according to the sitter, who lives in Jersey City, the dog escaped near the Second Street Light Rail station in Hoboken, near the city's wooded border with Jersey City.

Luba said, "We look for him 18 hours a day, and our friends and my parents have been helping. He’s been missing for two days now. We do not live around here but the sitter does. We need to find this terrified and starving boy."

The couple's friend, Jaclyn Luberto, who has been helping them search, said, "The sitter lost him at 8:30 p.m. [Sunday], so they've spent every waking moment trying to find him."

The couple —Luba and husband Ira, 38 — had been planning to board a flight to the Pacific island on Monday morning.

Pet Sitting Problems

Luba said, "[The sitter's] explanation didn’t make sense, honestly. She said he got out of the harness and ran. He’s never gotten out before even when agitated. And I asked why she didn’t run after him. She said she did. Somebody last sighted him in Hoboken by himself and scared at
10 p.m. on Nov. 21."

Earlier this year, Hudson County dog lovers frantically searched for a dog named Mac, whose Jersey City-based sitter claimed she had lost him and then did not respond to messages. The search ended in tragedy and pet owners were furious, saying pet sitting apps need to better screen their sitters. READ MORE: Vigil Held In Hoboken For Mac The Jersey City Dog

Luba said they found their sitter through a website, but it wasn't the same sitter who allegedly lost Mac.

Luba added, "We fear him being sold or someone taking him in as their own or him freezing to death. We called all the police and vets to keep an eye out, and if anybody is walking him that’s not us ... to call the police."

The couple hopes someone has seen their pet because of his unusual coloring.

Anyone with information about Presley is encouraged to call 973-224-3631, or their local police. There is a reward.

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