A Tehachapi woman and her 200 dogs have an extra month after a home foreclosure auction was delayed due to bankruptcy proceedings Wednesday morning.
Kimi Peck has until January 5 to raise thousands of dollars or a find new place for her and her dogs to live.
"I believe this house is supposed to be mine for the dogs. It's perfect," Peck said. "I just needed time and God gave us time."
The house, in the 24000 block of Bear Valley Road, is owned by Los Angeles accountant Susan Marlowe, and was once occupied by accused animal hoarder Cynthia Gudger before Gudger was arrested and ordered into mental health treatment.
Peck moved into the home in June with 204 dogs after being chased out of another Tehachapi home on Water Canyon Road by nuisance complaints by neighbors to the county. The County Board of Supervisors determined Peck's large number of dogs violated county zoning ordinances and that she needed to apply for a conditional use permit that would essentially turn her home into a shelter.
Calls to Marlowe have not been returned.
"I know I don't look happy but I am so happy," Peck said through tears on the steps of Bakersfield City Hall. "I had my speech planned and I was trying to plan on where we'd go. I never thought I had another month."
A TV production crew from the Animal Planet network followed Peck at the home auction Wednesday. The crew says it is working on stories of people who run into problems living with lots of animals.
Peck is delinquent on licenses for her 204 dogs and faces up to $200,000 in fines and 10 years in prison. Animal Control slapped her with 200 misdemeanor citations. Peck was tentatively scheduled for a court hearing in Mojave on December 7. However Animal Control Director Guy Shaw couldn't immediately confirm the court date and Peck was not listed in an online court schedule.
Peck says she delayed paying for the licenses because she was still battling the county's mandate to obtain the conditional use permit. The permit would exempt her from having to license each dog, but Peck says she can't afford to pay for both.
"Hopefully they wont put me in jail because my licenses are late because I've always had my licenses," Peck said. "I just wanted my day in court."
Peck co-wrote the screenplay for the 1980 film 'Little Darlings' and says she has returned to writing in the hope she can sell a script and buy the foreclosed home.
Peck carried a notebook to the home auction Wednesday where she had penned a statement about her ordeal she wanted to read aloud. Following the auction delay, she declined to share the message with members of the media, saying the outcome was unexpected and her mood had changed.
"This month will be a gift," she said. "And I'll make the most of it."
