Owner of dog faces new trouble

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Friday, April 6, 2001 | 10:48 a.m.

A Las Vegas woman, whose dog was killed apparently after her neighbors' pit bulls dug under a fence and entered her home through a dog door, has received some more bad news.

She said her homeowners' insurance won't cover the estimated $3,000 in damage.

Thelma Yandric is disappointed that representatives of Farmers Insurance Group have said the company won't cover her claim, which includes $2,400 she paid to have blood, feces and urine professionally removed from carpeting, walls, furniture and bedding.

"I consider what happened a home invasion, even if the invaders were dogs," Yandric said. "I shouldn't have to pay out of my pocket because my home was invaded."

Susan Bithell, state executive director of Farmers Insurance, said she doesn't know of any agency that covers damage by domesticated animals.

"This is certainly a unique and tragic circumstance, and the responsibility really lies with the (pit bulls') owners," Bithell said. "We certainly have empathy for the situation, but we have to operate within the standards."

Yandric on Monday found the body of her 2-year-old dachsund-terrier mix, "Hooch," on her living room floor, and three pit bulls stood nearby, she said. The pit bulls, all less than 1 year old, apparently tunneled under a fence and entered the house through a dog door, animal control officers said.

The dogs' owners, Tammy Cain and Rodney Williams, have not apologized, Yandric said. Neither Cain nor Williams, who rent the house next door to Yandric in the 3900 block of El Parque Avenue, near the intersection of Oakey Boulevard and Arville Street, refused comment Thursday.

Las Vegas Councilman Michael McDonald, who visited Yandric Thursday, called the incident "tragic" and offered his help.

"I understand the insurance company has its policies and procedures, but you have to look beyond the black and white," said McDonald, who added that he considers his own English bulldog a member of the family. "Every circumstance is different."

Cliff King, chief examiner with the state Department of Insurance, verified that most insurance companies won't cover damage done by domesticated animals. Some companies will even refuse to issue a policy if a homeowner or renter has a pit bull or other breed that's known to be vicious, he said.

It wasn't known Thursday whether the dogs' owners have liability insurance. In some cases, a homeowner can be held responsible for incidents that occur on their rental properties, King said.

The pit bulls' owners have been cited for failing to control their dogs and for not having them licensed, said city animal control officials. The dogs were in custody Thursday in lieu of $150 bail and will likely be euthanized if the owners decide to forfeit responsibility.

George Savov, the owner of the home in which Cain and Williams reside, said he regretted the death of Yandric's dog and was grateful that no people had been injured.

Williams and Cain, who have rented the house for about a year and a half, have been good tenants, Savov said. Savov, who has owned the house for about seven years, said past tenants complained about Yandric's dogs -- another of which also died recently -- digging under the fence and barking. Yandric denied those charges.

"He's blaming the victim, just like they did in California,"said Yandric, referring to a San Francisco case in which a dog killed Diane Whipple in the hallway of an apartment building. The dogs' owners suggested she brought the attack on herself.