Contra Costa County Animal Services is caring for five cats, two dogs, three cockatiels, a pigeon and a mouse confiscated from the home where kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard spent the past 18 years.
In addition, a parakeet taken from the home is in foster care as animal care officials await word on when they can reunite the pets with Dugard and her two daughters, Animal Services Lt. Nancy Anderson said.
Anderson said Dugard and her daughters, through a liaison, have made clear they are interested in getting their pets back, although there is no time frame yet for when that might happen.
"We're just hoping that we can arrange to get them back to Jaycee and the kids as soon as possible," she said.
The home on Walnut Avenue and a network of tents in the backyard have been searched by numerous law enforcement agencies.
Anderson said the dogs were confiscated from the yard and that other animals were taken from the outbuildings. She said they are in good health.
"They are doing really well, really friendly and well taken care of," she said.
One of the dogs is a Rottweiler mix and the other is a Labrador mix, Anderson said. The pigeon was caged, as was the mouse.
"The cats are really sweet," she said.
Investigators believe Dugard has lived in the backyard of Nancy and Phillip Garrido's home on Walnut Avenue in an unincorporated area outside of Antioch since she was abducted in June 1991 from near her South Lake Tahoe home.
The Garridos were arrested on Aug. 26 and are now facing 29 felony counts in El Dorado County, including kidnapping, forcible rape and false imprisonment. Authorities believe Phillip Garrido fathered Dugard's two daughters.
Bay City News
