If you’ve ever had a skunk invade your home, you know that it’s not a fun experience. These creatures are notorious for spraying their potent scent all over the place, and it can cause thousands of dollars in damage. Recently, one Colorado family found this out the hard way. Jody and Aaron Britton were sitting in their living room watching TV when a skunk came walking through their back door. The skunk sprayed the Brittons’ dogs, as well as their living and dining rooms.
“I sat with my husband watching TV in this room while our dogs walked into our backyard, but there was a strange creature standing before our dogs,” Jody Britton recalls.
And they said creature was a skunk. The Brittons’ dogs, Maya and Charlie, along with their living and dining rooms was sprayed immediately by the skunk’s potent scent.
It took the exterminator an hour to get to the Brittons’ house because it was late at night. The exterminator then remove the skunk from the house, but not before it sprayed even more and the damage was already done.
“There were at least four or five walls sprayed, two couches and an easy chair sprayed and ruined, so they are in the trash, and our curtains were also sprayed,” Aaron Britton said.
The Brittons’ insurance company paid for the damage, but they also had to pay a $500 deductible and now have a higher premium because of what happened with this skunk.
The Britton’s home was covered in so much of this potent scent that they had to hire a professional restoration company to come and clean it up. It will cost them thousands of dollars to get rid of this skunk smell, but they are just thankful that the only casualties were their home furnishings and not their dogs, Maya and Charlie.
The Brittons estimate that the skunk’s visit caused $9000 worth of damage, from the furniture that had to be thrown out, the professional restoration they needed, to the repainting of their walls. But it’s not just the damage to their furniture, their expense could shoot up to $18,000 if their floors and rugs have to be replaced.
“According to the cleaning company we hired, they believe that the floors may have been permeated, and we may not be able to get rid of the permeation without possibly replacing the floors,” Jody Britton said.
As if getting sprayed by a skunk wasn’t bad enough, the Brittons thought that they could get some money back from their home owner’s insurance. But unfortunately, they got a letter from Allstate informing them that the insurance didn’t cover the said damages that were done by the skunk.
The policy has an exclusion that states damages and losses that are caused by “vapors, fumes, smoke, smog, soot, alkalis, acids, toxic chemicals, toxic gasses, toxic liquids, toxic solids, waste materials or other irritants, contaminants or pollutants,” are not covered.
Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association’s executive director, Carole Walker, says that damage caused by odors is generally not considered the same as physical damage. A skunk’s spray is considered a contaminant, and that’s why this kind of damage isn’t covered by many home insurance policies. The only time it will be covered is when a skunk tore up the carpet, walls, couch or caused a hole in the wall.
With its continued cleaning, the Brittons are hoping that their entire house, including the floors and rugs, will be odor-free. They are thankful to their friends who have helped them in their cleaning efforts, from laundry to repainting. Their friends also set a page at Gofundme.com to help raise money for the Brittons’
They are also thankful that their dogs are not bitten by the skunk and the only casualties were their home furniture.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has reported 41 cases of skunks rabies in May this year, having a higher number of reported cases compared to last year. Weld and Yuma counties reported that two dogs died from rabies. It is the first case of rabies in a canine for over a decade.
Pet food and bird feeders that may attract skunks are not to be left outside, say the police in Broomfield.
Skunk Prevention Tips
Skunks are not only smelly, but they can also cause damage to your property. Here are some tips on how you can prevent skunks from getting into your home or yard like how the Britton family did:
- Keep your home sealed with window screens, foundations vents, chimneys and doors.
- If you see a skunk near your home, make loud noises to scare it away. The sound of an air horn or loud music may scare them away.
- Set traps in case of skunks get into the house, but always make sure that you can safely release them out of your property. Also remember to stay away from them because they spray when they feel threatened by their presence or territory is being invaded.
- Skunks love bird seed and pet food so keep these items off the floor of your garage and off your porch. If a skunk eats dog food that is left out, it will attract the skunks to your home.
- Spray a deterrent such as ammonia near your trash cans, gardens and sheds where skunks may be looking for food.
Hire an Expert Wildlife Removal Company
If you find a skunk inside your home, do not attempt to remove it yourself. Just like any other nuisance wildlife animal, there is always the risk of getting bitten or sprayed by them and contracting rabies from them. So leave it to the experts and let them handle the removal and control of skunks.
A professional skunk removal company can help you get rid of skunks and prevent them from re-entering your home. They have had experience in dealing with these animals so they know exactly what to do to keep them out of your property for good.
At AAAC Wildlife Removal, we specialize in getting rid of skunks and other nuisance wildlife animals. We have the experience, knowledge, and equipment to safely remove them from your home and property. Contact us today for a consultation!
News originally from https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/skunk-causes-thousands-of-dollars-in-damage-to-home
