Squirrel Ransacks Home While Owners Away on Vacation

An Atlanta couple came home from vacation to discover damage throughout their house. The floors were scratched, the rooms were a mess, the baseboards were chewed up and the kitchen faucet was running. The culprit? A squirrel.

Kari and Dustin Drees were visiting family out of town for the holidays when their security alarm went off, but police and a friend assured them the doors and windows were still locked. When they returned home, they discovered the damage.

Apparently, a squirrel had fallen down the chimney and was trapped in the house. It defecated throughout the house and scratched the doors and almost every wooden window frame in an attempt to get out. It even made a nest in the couple's couch.

"We were stressed at first, but we were like, 'This is why you have homeowner's insurance. It's in situations like this.' ... and so we weren't too stressed," Kari Drees told Fox 11.

But the couple's home insurance will not cover the damages because a squirrel is a rodent," which is not covered under the policy. The couple was told if a raccoon had destroyed the house, the damages would have been covered.

The Drees say they need to repair furniture, windows, floors, walls and have the home professionally cleaned. They are staying at a hotel until the house is cleaned, which will cost approximately $2,000, not including the price to repair all of the damage.

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