Sept 25, 2012 - Animal hoarder may have opened another rescue
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -
Serial animal hoarder Kimi Peck has opened another, what she calls, animal rescue.
23ABC has been following Peck since 2009, when her neighbors in Tehachapi started complaining about all the dogs on her property.
When it was over, Peck surrendered more than a hundred animals and said she'd never run another animal rescue again.
A Facebook page has Southern California animal activists up in arms.
It’s for Chihuahua Rescue Beverly Hills. It claims to rescue sick and unwanted Chihuahuas. The page says the rescue was founded by Peck, and there is a link to her website.
"The websites are still up collecting cash and dogs asking for sponsorship of dogs," said animal activist Julie Feiner.
Feiner said she was duped by Peck in the past and is afraid for any animals Peck might be caring for.
Peck ran a dog rescue in Tehachapi that was shut down by the county. The Humane Society said it took 150 dogs from the home in July 2010.
"They have nightmares today about what they witnessed there -- the complete lack of veterinary care, very horrific conditions where the animals never leave the cages," Feiner said.
When those dogs were taken more than two years ago, Peck insisted she wouldn't open another rescue.
"Never. I will never ever get back into animal rescue again," Peck said.
"Since 1997, she has been legally forced to shut down eight of her rescue kennels," Feiner said.
We checked with the city of Beverly Hills to see if Peck had in fact opened a rescue there.
Officials said that kind of thing is illegal in their city and no one by that name has applied for or registered anything with them.
"Where in Beverly Hills is this rescue group? She doesn't even have a licensed kennel," Feiner said.
23ABC made repeated attempts to contact Peck for this story. So far she hasn't responded.
Officials with the city of Beverly Hills said now that we have alerted them to the Facebook page, they will be on the lookout for Peck..." Link & video
Editors note - Sept 20, 2012: Kimi Peck is back on the internet:
We were sent a link today, Ms. Peck, or an associate has created a Facebook page: "Chihuahua Rescue Beverly Hills".
Her Chihuahua Rescue site has also been updated.
Sept 1, 2010: Animal Planet: Dangerously Devoted
Kimi Peck is one of the 3 "devoted" persons profiled in this show. Description per AP's site:
"Dangerously Devoted is a gripping and intimate look at the lives of some of America's most extreme animal owners as they face a point of personal crisis."
Please check your local listings. Link to AP site: here
Although the show was interesting and showed the eccenticities of certain animal owners it left out a great deal about Ms. Peck's legal troubles in Kern County (including the relinquishment of 130+ animals in July 2010) and the citiations from Burbank, California.
July 20, 2010:
Rescued Dogs Rehabbed At Sacramento SPCA
"...These dog rescued from Kern county aren't yet available for adoption because they're
Video footage from July 8 seizure:
July 12, 2010: Kimi Peck – animal-abusing hoarder or misguided soul?
By: Valerie Heimerich
Kimi Peck was recently evicted from her rental home in Tehachapi, and up to 200 cats, dogs and other animals were removed from the property.
Public opinion is divided about whether she loved the animals and just tried to save too many, or if Peck is actually an animal hoarder.
Peck is listed as the president of Chihuahua Rescue and the Dog Angels, two animal rescue groups that have non-profit status, although she not have a license to operate a kennel. Peck has reportedly said that she is in the process of applying for a provisional license.
On Saturday the Sacramento SPCA received 50 of Peck’s cats and dogs, and is set to receive 108 more of them today. Leslie Kirrene of the SSPCA says that the animals seem generally healthy, although cases of deeply matted coats and demodectic mange have been found. Peck has a long history of convictions and citations that relate to animals, dating back to 1997.
She was convicted twice for operating an illegal kennel, and 25 additional times for charges including poor sanitation where animals are kept, no clean water provided, poor kennel cleanliness and drainage, improper maintenance of food prep areas and of insect controls, insufficient water and food provided for the animals and unsafe premises.
In March Peck reportedly had to pay $28,000.00 to a woman after a judge agreed that Peck had stolen two Chihuahuas from her. Purportedly seven “rescue sanctuaries” that Peck has operated have been legally shut down, and she has been banned from getting any animals from Los Angeles shelters since 2006. She has also reportedly taken $600,000.00 in donations for her non-profit dog rescues, despite not being licensed as a kennel. Peck has been heard repeatedly expressing since 1997 that she is a victim of a conspiracy.
Kirrene says that the authorities are “not treating this as a criminal case”. Despite her legal history, Peck has not been charged with anything and has actually been allowed to keep some of her animals..." More
July 9, 2010: Accused Animal Hoarder To Have Hundreds Of Animals Removed
Last week, Kimi Peck was served an eviction notice to her Tehachapi home that she is renting and that means she and her hundreds of dogs must be out by Thursday.
“The plan will be that I will turn them over to (Animal Control Director) Guy Shaw (Thursday) morning,” Peck said. “He will turn them over to the Humane Society, ensuring me that none of the dogs will be euthanized.”
Shaw confirmed that Thursday at 9 a.m., nearly 150 dogs will be removed from Peck’s property and then rescued out.
“I now have the opportunity to find these animals a great home,” Peck said. “I have no problem releasing them, I’m thrilled.”
But others, like Julie Feiner, who won a $28,000 judgment against Peck in March after a Los Angeles judge determined Peck stole Feiner’s two Chihuahuas, disagrees.
“She’s an animal hoarder,” Feiner said. “What I want to see is her shut down. She should never own another animal. In her mind, a typical hoarder mind, she believes that they’re better off with her.”
Peck denied any wrongdoing though.
“That’s a lie,” Peck told ABC23. “The only reason she has a judgment is because I was too sick to drive down to Pasadena and show up in court. That’s the only reason.”
Peck said she would adopt the dogs out, but she can’t because she does not have a conditional use permit.
“Do people know (that) I’m not allowed to adopt them out?” Peck asked. “What do you mean hoarding? If I’m not allowed to adopt them out, what am I supposed to do with them?”
And while Thursday over a hundred dogs will be removed from the property, Feiner hopes more will be done to prevent Peck from owning this many pets ever again.
“Why is her web site up and operating right now when she is violating every law?” Feiner said to ABC23. “She doesn’t have a kennel license, where is the coordination between departments to shut her down?”
Now, Peck did say she applied for a conditional use permit in May which county administrators did verify. That hearing is scheduled for Aug. 12.
As for Feiner, she said she would like to push for stricter legislation to prevent animal hoarding in Kern County...." More
Jan 30, 2010: Local Dog Rescuer Arrested After She Misses Court Date
by Mark Powell
Animal rescuer Kimi Peck was arrested Friday, Jan. 29 on suspicion of failing to appear in a Mojave courtroom Jan. 25 regarding misdemeanor charges of not licensing approximately 200 dogs she possesses on a property on Bear Valley Road in Tehachapi.
Her bail was set at $40,000, according to the Kern County Superior Court.
She was released on Saturday...." More
From the blog of James Burger, reporter Bakersfield.com:
Animal Rescuer Kimi Peck, who missed a court hearing Monday in Mojave, was arrested Friday evening and booked in the Sheriff's downtown jail in Bakersfield on bail of $40,000.
The hearing was on misdemeanor charges — brought by the Kern County Animal Control Department — of failing to license the 200 dogs which she cares for on property on Bear Valley Road in Tehachapi.
Peck is also in legal hot water with the Kern County Engineering and Survey Services Department — which has ruled Peck has failed to get a conditional use permit which is required to operate her animal shelter on Bear Valley Road..." Link & see reader comments
Arrest information:
| Inmate Name: | PECK, KIMI | |
| Inmate Number: | SO1884829 | |
| Date of Birth: | 12/28/1949 | |
| ID Process complete? | NO | |
| Inmate Location: | Central Receiving Facility | |
| Arrest Date/Time: | 01/29/10 07:31 PM | |
| Total Bail Amount: | $40,000.00 | |
| Anticipated Release Date: | ** PENDING ** WARNING: Release date may be subject to change without notice | |
| Next Hearing Date/Time: | 02/02/10 09:00 AM | |
| Next Hearing Location: | East Division - Mojave - Div/Dept IC | |
Jan 26, 2010: Peck Fails to Appear, Misdemeanor Charged - Bail Set
Defendant Information:Name:PECK, KIMI Birth Year:1949
Case Information:Court Case #:MM067257A
Bail Amount:$40000.00
Bail Status:N/A
Bail Type:N/A
| Count | Type | Code | Section | Charge Description | Charge Disposition | Disposition Date |
| 001 | M | PC | 597F | PERMIT ANIMAL TO GO W/O CARE | DISM - FURTH. OF JUSTICE | 12/21/09 |
| 002 | M | CO | 7.08.030(E) | FAILURE TO FURNISH INFORMATION ON LICENSE | ||
| 003 | M | CO | 7.08.030(E) | FAILURE TO FURNISH INFORMATION ON LICENSE | ||
| 004 | M | CO | 7.08.030(E) | FAILURE TO FURNISH INFORMATION ON LICENSE | ||
| 005 | M | CO | 7.08.030(E) | FAILURE TO FURNISH INFORMATION ON LICENSE | ||
| 006 | M | CO | 7.08.030(E) | FAILURE TO FURNISH INFORMATION ON LICENSE | ||
| 007 | M | CO | 7.08.030(E) | FAILURE TO FURNISH INFORMATION ON LICENSE | ||
| 008 | M | CO | 7.08.030(E) | FAILURE TO FURNISH INFORMATION ON LICENSE | ||
| 009 | M | CO | 7.08.030(E) | FAILURE TO FURNISH INFORMATION ON LICENSE | ||
| 010 | M | CO | 7.08.030(E) | FAILURE TO FURNISH INFORMATION ON LICENSE | ||
| 011 | M | PC | 853.7 | FAIL TO APPEAR AFTER WRITTEN PROMISE | DISM - FURTH. OF JUSTICE | 12/07/09 |
| 012 | M | PC | 1320(A) | FAILURE TO APPEAR ON MISDEMEANOR CHARGE |
Link to Superior Court: here
She should be on familiar ground.
She currently keeps around 170 dogs -- mostly chihuahuas -- in a home she rents from her Beverly Hills accountant, Susan Marlowe, on Bear Valley Road west of Tehachapi.
That home sits just a six-mile drive from the multi-level house on Water Canyon Road where Peck had kept the dogs until June 23.
If Peck hadn't moved, she would have faced a $500-a-day fine for more than 60 days of delay.
But county reports state that, within three days of Peck's move to Bear Valley Road, county code compliance officers confirmed she needed a conditional use permit to shelter her animals there as well.
The code enforcement process against Peck began all over again.
County Engineering and Survey Services Director Chuck Lackey and then-Planning Director Ted James met with Peck in July and ordered her to get a conditional use permit.
She asked them for more time to deal with the problem -- at the same time she promised Kern County Animal Control Director Guy Shaw she would be moving out of Kern County with her dogs.
"She had told me she's moving out of the county," Shaw said at the time. "She told me that she bought a piece of property but escrow won't close until August."
But in late August, according to an Engineering and Survey Services report, an attorney representing Peck wrote to the county arguing that Peck was not in violation of any law.
County officials wrote back, outlining the tax filings and evidence from various rescue websites maintained by Peck, that show she is operating either a kennel or an animal shelter on her property -- both of which are a violation of land use law in the county's opinion.
That was the same evidence that convinced supervisors to fine Peck in June for violations on Water Canyon Road.
County officials told Peck's attorney she must apply for a conditional use permit by Oct. 1 or face further penalties. Peck did not apply for the permit.
So county officials started the process of bringing the violations to supervisors.
While that process was going on, Peck got in more trouble.
County officials don't buy her argument.
But if it is true, then Peck is required to license every one of her dogs.
She has, according to Shaw, failed to meet that requirement..." More
In July 2008, Kern County Animal Control officers found accused animal abuser Cynthia Gudger living in the warehouse on the property with a menagerie of starving cats and dogs.
The building was piled with trash, feces and animal corpses.
Gudger fled animal abuse charges after making bail in Kern County but was recaptured, returned to court and was ruled incompetent to stand trial before being placed in a mental health facility in April.
Nov 12, 2009: Woman Spar of Chihuahua Puppies
By Carol Ferguson
BEAR VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. -- An angry woman wants two puppies back from the animal rescue run by Kimi Peck.Julie Feiner went to Peck's facility near Bear Valley Springs this week, but Peck called police and refused to give up the dogs.Feiner said she turned over the tiny puppies to a Chihuahua rescue volunteer this spring.
She said the agreement was the rescue would let the puppies nurse with a mother dog, and she could have them back when they were weaned.Feiner said the rescue went back on that agreement.
Peck said she didn't know about this agreement.Feiner said she tried repeatedly to call the volunteer. At first, the volunteer said the puppies were fine, then when Feiner wanted them back, her calls were not returned.
She eventually got a call through to Peck. But she couldn't get the dogs back, so she went to the rescue. When Feiner got there Tuesday morning, several young workers were outside the house and warehouse on Bear Valley Road.
They were waiting for Peck to return and unlock the doors. One girl reached another worker by phone, and they apparently forwarded a message to Peck, who then called police.
Peck came back to the house, along with an officer from the Stallion Springs Police Department and Kern County Sheriff's Department. The officers got statements from Feiner but said the situation was a "civil matter."
Feiner insisted she had an agreement to get the puppies back, when she took them to a shopping center in Santa Clarita and handed them over to the volunteer."
I gave her two puppies from a litter that my mom had," Feiner said. "Under the agreement, I gave her $200 so that they could nurse off a lactating female dog."
Feiner said she'd call the volunteer every couple weeks and got details about the puppy and the foster mother dog. After a couple months, she thought it was time to get the puppies back, but the volunteer stopped returning her calls. Then she got a call through to Peck. "She said, 'If you give me $3,000, you can have the puppies, if you give me $3,000,'" Feiner said..." More & video
Nov 3, 2009: Tehachapi woman, 200 dogs face foreclosure
A Tehachapi woman living with more than 200 dogs may be forced to move again.
Kimi Peck moved into a home on 20 acres in Cummings Valley, once occupied by accused animal hoarder Anita Gilbert. Now the property has fallen into foreclosure.
It was set to be auctioned Monday morning on the steps of Bakersfield City Hall....
...Peck's accountant, Susan Marlowe, bought the home years ago and Peck says she was supposed to move in before Gudger got there....
"The next thing I know she moves this woman, whose real name I don't know, with a lot of cats," Peck said. "So that eliminated the possibility of me moving over here."
Peck's trouble began while living on a nearby, 23-acre Tehachapi home where neighbors complained of wafting smells and loud barking.
Code compliance officers inspected the home and determined Peck needed a conditional use permit that would qualify her for running a kennel on the property.
Peck failed to meet a compliance deadline to obtain the permit and county supervisors fined her $5,000 in March..." More & video
June 25, 2009: Animal rescuer moves, but is she following land use rules?
BY JAMES BURGER
Jan 6, 2009: Kimi Peck Says She Will Not Apply For CUP
Julie Flannery
The Board of Supervisors ruled unanimously on Tuesday that Kimi Peck’s home wasn’t in compliance with county zoning laws, and while the county wants her to get a Conditional Use Permit, Peck said the home, which has been in foreclosure, was auctioned off Tuesday. Peck said, "My answer is a Conditional Use Permit where? What address should I use? This house no longer has anything to do with me.” Peck relocated to the Bear Valley Road home owned by Susan Marlowe after she was forced to leave her Water Canyon home after she did not apply for a CUP last June.
Tuesday, Supervisor Don Maben said she could have avoided all of this if she would have just applied for a CUP last year. "We wouldn’t be here today if you would be listened to their advice and filed for a Conditional Use Permit because actually, you’ve picked a very good location to move your dogs to. As I asked earlier, have there been any complaints from neighbors as such we had at Water Canyon and the answer is no, it's strictly a zoning issue," said Maben. But while the Board of Supervisors said it is purely a zoning issue, Peck said for her, it’s a matter of principle. “I’m a very principle minded person and I am not going to give into something I do not believe is right," said Peck. So, instead of applying for the CUP, Peck said she, a couple of employees and the dogs will instead load up in a fifth wheel and RVs and road trip cross country raising awareness of the importance of spaying and neutering your pets..." More
Jan 5, 2009: Peck Rips Board of Supervisors, Threatens Lawsuit
By: Chris VanHorne
The county says she's not in compliance with zoning regulations. She says the county is violating her rights and over stepping its bounds. That saga took center stage Tuesday afternoon before the Board of Supervisors as county staff was recommending that the board fine Peck and property owner susan Marlowe $5,000 each and charge them $500 a day each until they comply with zoning rules, but Peck said she won't pay the fines and is planning to sue the county. She even levied allegations of corruption at Supervisor Don Maben. "Did he trade favors or did he give you a large sum of money?" Peck exclaimed during her comments to the board....
...We wouldn't be here if you followed their (staff) advice and filed for a conditional use permit because actually you've picked a good location to move your dogs to," Maben said. "It's strictly a zoning issue."
The board voted unanimously to table the possible fines for 40 days, so that Peck can come into compliance. However, the home in question is said to have been auctioned off Tuesday morning, leaving Peck unsure of her next move..." More & video Jan 5, 2009: Animal rescuer gets reprieve from fines
Kern County supervisors delayed hefty fines against animal rescuer Kimi Peck Tuesday, hoping she'll apply for a permit that would allow her to comply with county land use laws.
"I'm never paying a cent," she swore after the meeting. "I'm never going to apply for a conditional use permit."
Supervisors were asked by Engineering and Survey Services Director Chuck Lackey to find that by keeping 100 to 170 dogs on a property on Bear Valley Road near Tehachapi, Peck is violating county land use laws.
"The housing of the animals has become the primary use of the property," Lackey said.
To maintain an animal shelter on the property, Lackey said, Peck has to have a conditional use permit. But she has refused repeatedly to apply for one, he said.
Supervisors agreed Tuesday Peck is violating land use laws and leveled a $5,000 fine and a $500-a-day penalty on her; they levied a similar penalty against Susan Marlowe, the owner of the property.
Marlowe said she has declared bankruptcy and the home on Bear Valley Road has been sold at auction. Both Marlowe and Peck said Marlowe is trying to evict Peck..." More
Jan 3, 2009: Animal "rescuer" continues to dog county supes
By: James Burger
Tehachapi animal rescuer Kimi Peck will face a $5,000 fine and a $500-a-day penalty when she is called on the carpet before the Kern County Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
She should be on familiar ground.
Peck was fined $5,000 in July for exactly the same offense she faces Tuesday -- running a kennel without a permit on land zoned for agriculture.
She currently keeps around 170 dogs -- mostly chihuahuas -- in a home she rents from her Beverly Hills accountant, Susan Marlowe, on Bear Valley Road west of Tehachapi.
That home sits just a six-mile drive from the multi-level house on Water Canyon Road where Peck had kept the dogs until June 23.
Peck moved from Water Canyon to Bear Valley Road just hours before a two month deadline to get the animals off the property or earn a conditional use permit to operate a kennel there expired.
If Peck hadn't moved, she would have faced a $500-a-day fine for more than 60 days of delay.
But county reports state that, within three days of Peck's move to Bear Valley Road, county code compliance officers confirmed she needed a conditional use permit to shelter her animals there as well.
The code enforcement process against Peck began all over again.
County Engineering and Survey Services Director Chuck Lackey and then-Planning Director Ted James met with Peck in July and ordered her to get a conditional use permit.
She asked them for more time to deal with the problem -- at the same time she promised Kern County Animal Control Director Guy Shaw she would be moving out of Kern County with her dogs.
"She had told me she's moving out of the county," Shaw said at the time. "She told me that she bought a piece of property but escrow won't close until August."
But in late August, according to an Engineering and Survey Services report, an attorney representing Peck wrote to the county arguing that Peck was not in violation of any law.
County officials wrote back, outlining the tax filings and evidence from various rescue websites maintained by Peck, that show she is operating either a kennel or an animal shelter on her property -- both of which are a violation of land use law in the county's opinion.
That was the same evidence that convinced supervisors to fine Peck in June for violations on Water Canyon Road.
County officials told Peck's attorney she must apply for a conditional use permit by Oct. 1 or face further penalties. Peck did not apply for the permit.
So county officials started the process of bringing the violations to supervisors.
While that process was going on, Peck got in more trouble.
Peck has argued, in the past, that she is simply an animal owner with a large number of dogs -- an argument that, if true, would eliminate the need for a conditional use permit.
County officials don't buy her argument.
But if it is true, then Peck is required to license every one of her dogs.
She has, according to Shaw, failed to meet that requirement..." More
Property with a history
Peck's current home on Bear Valley Road has a bad history.
In July 2008, Kern County Animal Control officers found accused animal abuser Cynthia Gudger living in the warehouse on the property with a menagerie of starving cats and dogs.
The building was piled with trash, feces and animal corpses.
Peck's accountant, Susan Marlowe, had allowed Gudger to live there under the alias Anita Gilbert and had helped Gudger get control of animals that had been seized from her in Hemet by Riverside County Department of Animal Services officers when she was living under the name Barbara Ryan.
Gudger fled animal abuse charges after making bail in Kern County but was recaptured, returned to court and was ruled incompetent to stand trial before being placed in a mental health facility in April.
Peck moved into the home in June.
Dec 2, 2009: Woman With 200 Dogs Has 30 Days Until House Goes To Auction
TEHACHAPI, Calif. -- Kimi Peck moved with her 200 some odd dogs to a new house just five months ago after the Kern County Board of Supervisors declared her old residence on Water Canyon Road in Tehachapi a public nuisance. The home on Bear Valley Road is owned by Peck's accountant, Susan Marlowe, and it has been in foreclosure since the time Peck moved in. Wednesday morning on the steps of City Hall in Bakersfield, the Bear Valley Road home was set to be auctioned off, but the auction date was pushed back at the last minute....
She has 200 misdemeanor citations from Kern County Animal Control for failure to license her animals to also deal with. Each misdemeanor carries a maximum of a $1,000 fine and six months in jail. Her arraignment is set for Dec. 7 on those citations..." More
Dec 2: Kimi Peck gets reprieve More & video
Nov 20, 2009: Animal rescuer says she will end Kern County operation
BEAR VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. -- Animal rescuer Kimi Peck will end her operation and said she is now trying to place about 150 dogs elsewhere.
Peck is now in a facility near Bear Valley Springs but said she will likely leave Kern County.
"I'm shutting down the Dog Angels and Chihuahua Rescue immediately," Peck said. "I'm giving up my 501(c)3, and I'll look back on the last 15 years as a horrible time in my life."
As of Friday, Peck said she had more than 200 dogs at the facility.
Friday morning, a group visited the large home and warehouse off Bear Valley Road. Peck said they were from Humane Society of the United States, but they immediately left when Eyewitness News arrived.
Peck said they had toured the facility, and they're ready to help.
"They went through all the dogs, evaluated them, and they said they're in excellent condition," Peck said. "They're going to do everything they could to help me find other sanctuary for them."
Contacted by phone in Washington D.C., Humane Society spokeswoman Rachel Querry said she had no knowledge of a group from her organization being at Peck's place. Querry said she would check at the state level..." More & video
Peck is now in a facility near Bear Valley Springs but said she will likely leave Kern County.
"I'm shutting down the Dog Angels and Chihuahua Rescue immediately," Peck said. "I'm giving up my 501(c)3, and I'll look back on the last 15 years as a horrible time in my life."
As of Friday, Peck said she had more than 200 dogs at the facility.
Friday morning, a group visited the large home and warehouse off Bear Valley Road. Peck said they were from Humane Society of the United States, but they immediately left when Eyewitness News arrived.
Peck said they had toured the facility, and they're ready to help.
"They went through all the dogs, evaluated them, and they said they're in excellent condition," Peck said. "They're going to do everything they could to help me find other sanctuary for them."
Contacted by phone in Washington D.C., Humane Society spokeswoman Rachel Querry said she had no knowledge of a group from her organization being at Peck's place. Querry said she would check at the state level..." More & video
By Carol Ferguson
BEAR VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. -- An angry woman wants two puppies back from the animal rescue run by Kimi Peck.Julie Feiner went to Peck's facility near Bear Valley Springs this week, but Peck called police and refused to give up the dogs.Feiner said she turned over the tiny puppies to a Chihuahua rescue volunteer this spring.
She said the agreement was the rescue would let the puppies nurse with a mother dog, and she could have them back when they were weaned.Feiner said the rescue went back on that agreement.
Peck said she didn't know about this agreement.Feiner said she tried repeatedly to call the volunteer. At first, the volunteer said the puppies were fine, then when Feiner wanted them back, her calls were not returned.
She eventually got a call through to Peck. But she couldn't get the dogs back, so she went to the rescue. When Feiner got there Tuesday morning, several young workers were outside the house and warehouse on Bear Valley Road.
They were waiting for Peck to return and unlock the doors. One girl reached another worker by phone, and they apparently forwarded a message to Peck, who then called police.
Peck came back to the house, along with an officer from the Stallion Springs Police Department and Kern County Sheriff's Department. The officers got statements from Feiner but said the situation was a "civil matter."
Feiner insisted she had an agreement to get the puppies back, when she took them to a shopping center in Santa Clarita and handed them over to the volunteer."
I gave her two puppies from a litter that my mom had," Feiner said. "Under the agreement, I gave her $200 so that they could nurse off a lactating female dog."
Feiner said she'd call the volunteer every couple weeks and got details about the puppy and the foster mother dog. After a couple months, she thought it was time to get the puppies back, but the volunteer stopped returning her calls. Then she got a call through to Peck. "She said, 'If you give me $3,000, you can have the puppies, if you give me $3,000,'" Feiner said..." More & video
Editors note: We just received this plea, typically we don't post e-mails, but given the gravity of this situation and the current financial status of Kimi Peck we hope our readers can be of assistance:
From: Julie Feiner
Subject: HELP ME GET PUPPIES BACK FROM KIMI PECK!!
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2009, 9:02 PM
PLEASE HELP ME GET PUPPIES BACK FROM KIMI PECK AND CHIHUAHUA RESCUE!!
A DESPERATE PLEA FOR HELP TO ALL RESCUE GROUPS!!
My mother is an irresponsible pet owner and despite my constant pleas to have her dogs neutered, she allowed her tiny, nine-year old Chihuahua to get pregnant. The poor, sweet dog died shortly after giving birth. I took the puppies from my mother, and a friend and I bottle-fed two puppies, around the clock, for eleven days. I went online and found Chihuahua Rescue and remembered seeing a rescue event that they’d hosted years earlier. Their website was impressive and I thought it looked very reputable. I left a message on their hotline asking if they had a lactating female so the puppies could nurse from a real mother dog. Kim Maggio, who works with president Kimi Peck, called me back and told me yes, they had a lactating dog with only two puppies and they would take them. My friend had gotten attached to the puppies by this time and was considering keeping them, but we both desperately wanted them to have the experience of being loved and nurtured by a real mother dog. I told Kim Maggio I would only give them to her under the agreement that we would get them back sometime after they were weaned, if we decided we wanted them back. I told her I would donate $200 to Chihuahua Rescue for letting the puppies nurse from their mother dog, and if we decided not to take them back, Chihuahua Rescue could adopt them out to loving homes. She initially resisted giving them back to me, but when I told her that was the only way I would let her take them, she finally agreed. I never signed any contracts or documents relinquishing the puppies to Chihuahua Rescue, our agreement was completely verbal.
Kim Maggio had me meet her in a grocery store parking lot in Santa Clarita, refusing to allow me to see where the puppies were going to be living. She claimed the woman who was fostering the mother dog was in a private home and she couldn’t be bringing people there and disturbing her, but promised that she would email or text me photos of the puppies and possibly videos, so that we could see them with the mother dog and the environment they would be in. Every week or two I called and she assured me how great the puppies were doing, told me details of their progress with the mother dog, but kept "forgetting" to have the woman who was fostering them take photos because they were so busy with their rescue work. She promised to do it next week, then the next week, then the next. I kept in contact with her regularly, and sometimes she returned my phone calls and sometimes she didn’t. I trusted her and believed her, and felt the puppies were being well taken care of.
In September I finally got through to her again and asked her how the puppies were doing and she replied “Oh fine, they’re doing just fine.” I told her that they should have been weaned by now and that we decided we wanted them back. She suddenly got hostile and angry and yelled "Well, you’re not getting them back!" I reminded her that that was our agreement, and she refused to speak with me anymore, gave me Kimi Peck's name and phone number, then hung up on me.That's when I started getting scared and realized that I should have done my homework and thoroughly researched Chihuahua Rescue before handing the puppies over to them.
I went on-line and my research led me to Kimi Peck and Susan Marlowe, CPA (accountant for Chihuahua Rescue). I read horror stories of dog hoarding and neglect, saw the citations and court papers, and read how the Los Angeles' shelters refused to give dogs to Chihuahua Rescue, Kimi Peck, or anyone associated with her. I also read disturbing news stories about Chihuahua Rescue's accountant, Susan Marlowe, and her relationship with an accused animal hoarder named Cynthia Gudger. In one of the articles, Kim Maggio's name was also mentioned.
According to the news stories, Kimi Peck was also in severe financial hardship, operating an illegal kennel with over 200 animals, and was having trouble paying her mortgage. Even though many people referred to Ms. Peck as an animal hoarder, I still held hope that given her current situation, she would have no choice but to give the puppies back to me.
I spoke with Kimi Peck. She assured me that the puppies were healthy and fine, and told me not to believe what I read on the internet, it was all lies. She said she found good homes for the puppies and was just waiting for them to be big enough to be neutered. I told her I wanted them back, that was our agreement, and Ms. Peck told me that the (birth) mother dog had died (which I was somehow responsible for), and the puppies were alive, so obviously they were better off with her. This went back and forth until she finally said she’d give me the puppies if I gave her $3,000 to reimburse her for the puppies’ vet bills. I told Ms. Peck that not once during my many conversations with Ms. Maggio, did she ever mention the puppies being adopted out, or being so sick that they needed $3,000.00 in vet services.
I pleaded again and again with her to give me back the puppies. While I listened to her rant and rave endlessly about her accomplishments as an animal rescuer and how she's considered one of the top rescuers in the country, I realized she had no intentions of doing that.
I figured I had one last shot and that was to call Susan Marlowe. Susan Marlowe is not only Chihuahua Rescue's CPA, but she is also supporting Ms. Peck by allowing her to live on her property in Tehachapi. She claimed that she had seen my puppies and they were fine and healthy and that I had two very special little dogs! She told me not to believe what I read online, that it wasn’t true, and that Kimi Peck never allows dogs to live in cages. When I pleaded with Ms. Marlowe to help me get my puppies back, she then claimed that she wasn’t on speaking terms with Kimi Peck, and was trying to distance herself from her.
I am sick with worry about the puppies’ welfare and the suffering they may have endured under the care of Chihuahua Rescue. If they are still alive, they have most likely spent their entire lives in the little carrier we handed them over in, and the “lactating mother dog” story was all a scam to get the puppies from me to satisfy their “hoarding” sickness.
ALL I WANT IS TO GET MY PUPPIES BACK! I work as a dialogue editor in the film business and know nothing about the rescue world. I am begging for someone, anyone, to help me. If you know Kimi Peck or work with her, or volunteer for her, or know someone who does, PLEASE someone talk to her and persuade her to give them back to me. If you can help me to achieve this, I give you my word that those puppies will be loved, coddled, pampered and adored for the rest of their lives. Please forward this e-mail to anybody and everybody that could possibly help in getting them back to the safety of my home.
Sincerely,
Julie Feiner
email: juliefeiner@yahoo.com
Subject: HELP ME GET PUPPIES BACK FROM KIMI PECK!!
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2009, 9:02 PM
A DESPERATE PLEA FOR HELP TO ALL RESCUE GROUPS!!
My mother is an irresponsible pet owner and despite my constant pleas to have her dogs neutered, she allowed her tiny, nine-year old Chihuahua to get pregnant. The poor, sweet dog died shortly after giving birth. I took the puppies from my mother, and a friend and I bottle-fed two puppies, around the clock, for eleven days. I went online and found Chihuahua Rescue and remembered seeing a rescue event that they’d hosted years earlier. Their website was impressive and I thought it looked very reputable. I left a message on their hotline asking if they had a lactating female so the puppies could nurse from a real mother dog. Kim Maggio, who works with president Kimi Peck, called me back and told me yes, they had a lactating dog with only two puppies and they would take them. My friend had gotten attached to the puppies by this time and was considering keeping them, but we both desperately wanted them to have the experience of being loved and nurtured by a real mother dog. I told Kim Maggio I would only give them to her under the agreement that we would get them back sometime after they were weaned, if we decided we wanted them back. I told her I would donate $200 to Chihuahua Rescue for letting the puppies nurse from their mother dog, and if we decided not to take them back, Chihuahua Rescue could adopt them out to loving homes. She initially resisted giving them back to me, but when I told her that was the only way I would let her take them, she finally agreed. I never signed any contracts or documents relinquishing the puppies to Chihuahua Rescue, our agreement was completely verbal.
Kim Maggio had me meet her in a grocery store parking lot in Santa Clarita, refusing to allow me to see where the puppies were going to be living. She claimed the woman who was fostering the mother dog was in a private home and she couldn’t be bringing people there and disturbing her, but promised that she would email or text me photos of the puppies and possibly videos, so that we could see them with the mother dog and the environment they would be in. Every week or two I called and she assured me how great the puppies were doing, told me details of their progress with the mother dog, but kept "forgetting" to have the woman who was fostering them take photos because they were so busy with their rescue work. She promised to do it next week, then the next week, then the next. I kept in contact with her regularly, and sometimes she returned my phone calls and sometimes she didn’t. I trusted her and believed her, and felt the puppies were being well taken care of.
In September I finally got through to her again and asked her how the puppies were doing and she replied “Oh fine, they’re doing just fine.” I told her that they should have been weaned by now and that we decided we wanted them back. She suddenly got hostile and angry and yelled "Well, you’re not getting them back!" I reminded her that that was our agreement, and she refused to speak with me anymore, gave me Kimi Peck's name and phone number, then hung up on me.That's when I started getting scared and realized that I should have done my homework and thoroughly researched Chihuahua Rescue before handing the puppies over to them.
I went on-line and my research led me to Kimi Peck and Susan Marlowe, CPA (accountant for Chihuahua Rescue). I read horror stories of dog hoarding and neglect, saw the citations and court papers, and read how the Los Angeles' shelters refused to give dogs to Chihuahua Rescue, Kimi Peck, or anyone associated with her. I also read disturbing news stories about Chihuahua Rescue's accountant, Susan Marlowe, and her relationship with an accused animal hoarder named Cynthia Gudger. In one of the articles, Kim Maggio's name was also mentioned.
According to the news stories, Kimi Peck was also in severe financial hardship, operating an illegal kennel with over 200 animals, and was having trouble paying her mortgage. Even though many people referred to Ms. Peck as an animal hoarder, I still held hope that given her current situation, she would have no choice but to give the puppies back to me.
I spoke with Kimi Peck. She assured me that the puppies were healthy and fine, and told me not to believe what I read on the internet, it was all lies. She said she found good homes for the puppies and was just waiting for them to be big enough to be neutered. I told her I wanted them back, that was our agreement, and Ms. Peck told me that the (birth) mother dog had died (which I was somehow responsible for), and the puppies were alive, so obviously they were better off with her. This went back and forth until she finally said she’d give me the puppies if I gave her $3,000 to reimburse her for the puppies’ vet bills. I told Ms. Peck that not once during my many conversations with Ms. Maggio, did she ever mention the puppies being adopted out, or being so sick that they needed $3,000.00 in vet services.
I pleaded again and again with her to give me back the puppies. While I listened to her rant and rave endlessly about her accomplishments as an animal rescuer and how she's considered one of the top rescuers in the country, I realized she had no intentions of doing that.
I figured I had one last shot and that was to call Susan Marlowe. Susan Marlowe is not only Chihuahua Rescue's CPA, but she is also supporting Ms. Peck by allowing her to live on her property in Tehachapi. She claimed that she had seen my puppies and they were fine and healthy and that I had two very special little dogs! She told me not to believe what I read online, that it wasn’t true, and that Kimi Peck never allows dogs to live in cages. When I pleaded with Ms. Marlowe to help me get my puppies back, she then claimed that she wasn’t on speaking terms with Kimi Peck, and was trying to distance herself from her.
I am sick with worry about the puppies’ welfare and the suffering they may have endured under the care of Chihuahua Rescue. If they are still alive, they have most likely spent their entire lives in the little carrier we handed them over in, and the “lactating mother dog” story was all a scam to get the puppies from me to satisfy their “hoarding” sickness.
ALL I WANT IS TO GET MY PUPPIES BACK! I work as a dialogue editor in the film business and know nothing about the rescue world. I am begging for someone, anyone, to help me. If you know Kimi Peck or work with her, or volunteer for her, or know someone who does, PLEASE someone talk to her and persuade her to give them back to me. If you can help me to achieve this, I give you my word that those puppies will be loved, coddled, pampered and adored for the rest of their lives. Please forward this e-mail to anybody and everybody that could possibly help in getting them back to the safety of my home.
Sincerely,
Julie Feiner
email: juliefeiner@yahoo.com
Nov 3, 2009: Tehachapi woman, 200 dogs face foreclosure
A Tehachapi woman living with more than 200 dogs may be forced to move again.
Kimi Peck moved into a home on 20 acres in Cummings Valley, once occupied by accused animal hoarder Anita Gilbert. Now the property has fallen into foreclosure.
It was set to be auctioned Monday morning on the steps of Bakersfield City Hall....
...Peck's accountant, Susan Marlowe, bought the home years ago and Peck says she was supposed to move in before Gudger got there....
"The next thing I know she moves this woman, whose real name I don't know, with a lot of cats," Peck said. "So that eliminated the possibility of me moving over here."
Peck's trouble began while living on a nearby, 23-acre Tehachapi home where neighbors complained of wafting smells and loud barking.
Code compliance officers inspected the home and determined Peck needed a conditional use permit that would qualify her for running a kennel on the property.
Peck failed to meet a compliance deadline to obtain the permit and county supervisors fined her $5,000 in March..." More & video
June 25, 2009: Animal rescuer moves, but is she following land use rules?
BY JAMES BURGER
"If she takes care of her animals, and keeps it clean and there are no neighbor complaints, she may have found her place," Maben said.
According to Kern County mapping records, the Bear Valley Road property is zoned agricultural. County ordinances require operators of an animal shelter to obtain a conditional use permit to begin operating an animal shelter in an agricultural zone, said county Planning Department Director Ted James.
Supervisors ruled that Peck was running a shelter on Water Canyon Road, so it appears Peck is in violation of county zoning laws on the Bear Valley Road site as well.
"She knows better than that," James said..." More
June 25, 2009 UPDATE: Tehachapi Woman Relocates Hundreds Of Animals
Peck's New Home Previously Owned By Cynthia Gudger
TEHACHAPI, Calif. -- On Tuesday, Kimi Peck relocated her 200 some odd dogs to a new home just outside of Bear Valley Springs after her Tehachapi Water Canyon home was declard a public nuisance. But ABC23 has learned that Peck’s new home used to be occupied by accused animal hoarder Cynthia Gudger. Peck's Los Angeles based accountant Susan Marlowe owns the property on Bear Valley Road and while Peck said Gudger did live on the property, she said that is where the similarites stop..." More
June 24, 2009: Rescued dogs transferred just under county deadline
June 24, 2009: Tehachapi Woman Relocates Hundreds Of Animals
Apr 21, 2009: Dog rescuer ordered to move animals
Tehachapi dog rescuer Kimi Peck must move 200 dogs out of her home on Water Canyon Road by 5 p.m. June 23 or the county of Kern will seize her animals.
Supervisors have ruled Peck is in violation of zoning law and fined her at a previous hearing.
She promised to leave or apply for a conditional use permit. But by Tuesday's hearing she hadn't.
Neighbors spoke out against Peck at the hearing, saying she doesn't intend to leave and playing audio files of barking dogs.
Peck's lawyer, Matthew Hess, said Peck will leave.
"If she is not wanted in the community, and is not able to work it out informally with her neighbors or this board, then she will leave," he said.
But he fired a threat at the board if it imposed any further penalties against his client or seized any animals.
"I will take every step I can take to make sure that not one hair on the head of those animals are harmed," Hess said. "She will be out by June 23rd, unconditionally."
County Engineering and Survey Services Director Chuck Lackey fired back.
The board, he said, could take that promise at face value and then seize the dogs "by force" if Peck does not move out by her attorney's timeline.
Supervisor Don Maben jumped on that idea, making a motion to seize the dogs if they are not gone by 5 p.m. June 23. The motion passed unanimously... More
Blog your opinion about this story by James Burger: here
There are several sites associated with Kimi Peck listed below:
http://www.chihuahuarescue.com/
http://www.thedogangels.com/
http://www.kimipeck.org/
http://www.savethechihuahuas.org/
http://www.hoardingchihuahuas.com/
Mar 31, 2009: Neighbor files for restraining order against Tehachapi dog rescuer
A neighbor of a Tehachapi woman who lives with hundreds of dogs has filed for a temporary restraining order...
..Benedict cites "ongoing substantial emotional distress, both at home and at work, causing me to avoid going home out of fear, and fearing for my safety at work."..
In early March supervisors fined Peck $5,000 and ordered her to get a conditional use permit after determining she was running an animal shelter out of her home.
Peck has not filed for the permit, noting she intended to move, Engineering and Survey Services Director Charles Lackey said...
..."(Peck) said her plan was to move in 3 months and her house was up for sale. She still owns the property as far as I know," said Animal Control Director Guy Shaw. "I haven't heard her say that she left, so I assume she is still here."... More & Video
Mar 16, 2009: Peck, county agree on exit strategy
By: Tina Forde, Tehachapi News
"...Peck informed the county that she will be moving from the 23-acre property -– taking her 170 dogs with her -- and does not intend to apply for a Conditional Use Permit for a dog kennel...
...Peck said she told James and Lackey that she had planned to leave the Water Canyon location “six months ago.”...
They hit Peck with a $5,000 fine, but said they would delay an additional $500-a-day fine for more than 30 days if Peck agrees to start the process of getting a permit for her facility....
...Lackey pointed out a photo of the Tehachapi home is the main art element of the rescues' Web site and that dogs offered for adoption on the site seem to be sitting in front of a fence on the property.... More
Mar 2, 2009: Woman with 200 dogs set for Supervisors hearing
"...A Tehachapi woman accused of running an illegal dog shelter is backing off a promise to euthanize all her dogs. Kimi Peck will defend her 200-pet lifestyle before county supervisors Tuesday..." More
Tehachapi Woman Houses Over 170 Dogs
''...On Friday, Peck said if her home is declared a public nussiance on Tuesday, on Wednesday her dogs will be euthanized.
"They will be humanely euthanized Wednesday morning, and I want the media there to watch. I want the media to show the citizens of Kern County and people of the United States of America what you can do to 200 innocent dogs," Peck said..." More
Supervisors have ruled Peck is in violation of zoning law and fined her at a previous hearing.
She promised to leave or apply for a conditional use permit. But by Tuesday's hearing she hadn't.
Neighbors spoke out against Peck at the hearing, saying she doesn't intend to leave and playing audio files of barking dogs.
Peck's lawyer, Matthew Hess, said Peck will leave.
"If she is not wanted in the community, and is not able to work it out informally with her neighbors or this board, then she will leave," he said.
But he fired a threat at the board if it imposed any further penalties against his client or seized any animals.
"I will take every step I can take to make sure that not one hair on the head of those animals are harmed," Hess said. "She will be out by June 23rd, unconditionally."
County Engineering and Survey Services Director Chuck Lackey fired back.
The board, he said, could take that promise at face value and then seize the dogs "by force" if Peck does not move out by her attorney's timeline.
Supervisor Don Maben jumped on that idea, making a motion to seize the dogs if they are not gone by 5 p.m. June 23. The motion passed unanimously... More
Blog your opinion about this story by James Burger: here
There are several sites associated with Kimi Peck listed below:
http://www.chihuahuarescue.com/
http://www.thedogangels.com/
http://www.kimipeck.org/
http://www.savethechihuahuas.org/
http://www.hoardingchihuahuas.com/
Mar 31, 2009: Neighbor files for restraining order against Tehachapi dog rescuer
A neighbor of a Tehachapi woman who lives with hundreds of dogs has filed for a temporary restraining order...
..Benedict cites "ongoing substantial emotional distress, both at home and at work, causing me to avoid going home out of fear, and fearing for my safety at work."..
In early March supervisors fined Peck $5,000 and ordered her to get a conditional use permit after determining she was running an animal shelter out of her home.
Peck has not filed for the permit, noting she intended to move, Engineering and Survey Services Director Charles Lackey said...
..."(Peck) said her plan was to move in 3 months and her house was up for sale. She still owns the property as far as I know," said Animal Control Director Guy Shaw. "I haven't heard her say that she left, so I assume she is still here."... More & Video
Mar 16, 2009: Peck, county agree on exit strategy
By: Tina Forde, Tehachapi News
"...Peck informed the county that she will be moving from the 23-acre property -– taking her 170 dogs with her -- and does not intend to apply for a Conditional Use Permit for a dog kennel...
...Peck said she told James and Lackey that she had planned to leave the Water Canyon location “six months ago.”...
...The house where she lives with the dogs, she said, has depreciated from the $800,000 purchase price and that it is in foreclosure...
...Peck said she is in the process of adopting out a number of her current rescues...." More
Mar 3, 2009: Animal rescuer fined, ordered to get permit
"...Supervisors declared that Peck's property is in violation of county zoning law.They hit Peck with a $5,000 fine, but said they would delay an additional $500-a-day fine for more than 30 days if Peck agrees to start the process of getting a permit for her facility....
...Lackey pointed out a photo of the Tehachapi home is the main art element of the rescues' Web site and that dogs offered for adoption on the site seem to be sitting in front of a fence on the property.... More
Mar 2, 2009: Woman with 200 dogs set for Supervisors hearing
"...A Tehachapi woman accused of running an illegal dog shelter is backing off a promise to euthanize all her dogs. Kimi Peck will defend her 200-pet lifestyle before county supervisors Tuesday..." More
Tehachapi Woman Houses Over 170 Dogs
''...On Friday, Peck said if her home is declared a public nussiance on Tuesday, on Wednesday her dogs will be euthanized.
"They will be humanely euthanized Wednesday morning, and I want the media there to watch. I want the media to show the citizens of Kern County and people of the United States of America what you can do to 200 innocent dogs," Peck said..." More
Photos courtesy of Save the Chihuahuas
& Troy Harvey
1 comment:
I can't believe how much Kern County has given to Kimi Peck and Assc.(susan marlone etc.) There has to be a connection? because if it were you and I we would have gone to jail. Still this person is still violating the laws and nothing. Its abuse for the dogs and more so for anyone who is unlucky enough to be nieghbors with some one like her. I look forward to leaving Kern co. Im counting the days..:) I usw to love it until a sick person was allowed by Kern co officals to destroy my life, and my health with no recourse.
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