What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NC
Background info: My wife and I volunteer for a Shar-Pei rescue organization. We have a foster dog in our house as well as 2 of our own dogs. The foster (Sable) is 11 years old and has bad arthritis in her back legs. She can be ornery and is not friendly to a visiting dog or a new dog brought in the house. All the dogs stay in the house when not being exercised. We have a fenced-in back yard and also a fenced in area directly behind the house, so there are 2 levels of containment. During the weekdays, ours are in crates in a bedroom and Sable is in the dining room behind a baby gate. We have a long-time friend who we lean on sometimes to come by and let the dogs out around noon if we will be late coming home from work. She has a miniature dachshund (Lulu) that she takes with her everywhere she goes.
She did not used to bring Lulu over with her when she would stop by, but some months ago she did. Sable either tried to chase Lulu or bite at her, so she told us about it. At that time I told her not to bring Lulu to the house when we were not home. I told her that Sable is not aggressive, but does not want to share her new home with any newcomers.
The next time we called on her services, she brought Lulu with her again. She thought she could safely have Lulu on the outer side with our dogs and let Sable out in the inner fenced area and all would be fine. She walked in the back yard and left Lulu in the inner fence while she would go inside and let our dogs out. She would then come in for Sable. She entered the back door and LEFT IT OPEN. She did not check on Sable first or see that the cheap expandable baby gate had been knocked down. She went into the bedroom to release our dogs. As the 3 of them neared the back door, she heard terrible cries from Lulu. She went outside to find that Sable had gotten out and had Lulu by a back leg.
Fast forward, the damage was serious and her vet referred her to a specialist hospital. There were several bite punctures, some not detected at first. There are currently $2600 in vet bills for Lulu. We do not feel any responsibility since we specifically told her not to bring Lulu to the house. However, we value her friendship and help since we don't have anyone else to lean on for this service she provides. She has called several times to update us on Lulu and has not asked for money, but you can sense that she is trying to fish for $. Most recently she asked us to see if our homeowners insurance would cover it.
I emailed my agent and he said the only way to find out is to put in a claim. The problem is that even if the answer is no, it still counts as a claim against the policy. They threatened to cancel me 10 years ago after an auto accident and cited a claim from back in 1987 as part of the reasoning. I am torn as whether to place a claim or not. Knowing if it would be covered would go a long way towards making that decision.
Background info: My wife and I volunteer for a Shar-Pei rescue organization. We have a foster dog in our house as well as 2 of our own dogs. The foster (Sable) is 11 years old and has bad arthritis in her back legs. She can be ornery and is not friendly to a visiting dog or a new dog brought in the house. All the dogs stay in the house when not being exercised. We have a fenced-in back yard and also a fenced in area directly behind the house, so there are 2 levels of containment. During the weekdays, ours are in crates in a bedroom and Sable is in the dining room behind a baby gate. We have a long-time friend who we lean on sometimes to come by and let the dogs out around noon if we will be late coming home from work. She has a miniature dachshund (Lulu) that she takes with her everywhere she goes.
She did not used to bring Lulu over with her when she would stop by, but some months ago she did. Sable either tried to chase Lulu or bite at her, so she told us about it. At that time I told her not to bring Lulu to the house when we were not home. I told her that Sable is not aggressive, but does not want to share her new home with any newcomers.
The next time we called on her services, she brought Lulu with her again. She thought she could safely have Lulu on the outer side with our dogs and let Sable out in the inner fenced area and all would be fine. She walked in the back yard and left Lulu in the inner fence while she would go inside and let our dogs out. She would then come in for Sable. She entered the back door and LEFT IT OPEN. She did not check on Sable first or see that the cheap expandable baby gate had been knocked down. She went into the bedroom to release our dogs. As the 3 of them neared the back door, she heard terrible cries from Lulu. She went outside to find that Sable had gotten out and had Lulu by a back leg.
Fast forward, the damage was serious and her vet referred her to a specialist hospital. There were several bite punctures, some not detected at first. There are currently $2600 in vet bills for Lulu. We do not feel any responsibility since we specifically told her not to bring Lulu to the house. However, we value her friendship and help since we don't have anyone else to lean on for this service she provides. She has called several times to update us on Lulu and has not asked for money, but you can sense that she is trying to fish for $. Most recently she asked us to see if our homeowners insurance would cover it.
I emailed my agent and he said the only way to find out is to put in a claim. The problem is that even if the answer is no, it still counts as a claim against the policy. They threatened to cancel me 10 years ago after an auto accident and cited a claim from back in 1987 as part of the reasoning. I am torn as whether to place a claim or not. Knowing if it would be covered would go a long way towards making that decision.