By admin 
YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) — A Yuma family is searching for answers and demanding justice after their two dogs were found shot and killed near a neighborhood canal.
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The family says the dogs were discovered about a mile from their home.
“They were amazing dogs”
Rogelio Gonzalez says he is still struggling to process what happened to the family’s two dogs, Cabezón and Shapero.
With tears in his eyes, Gonzalez told us the dogs were a constant presence on the family ranch, running alongside cattle, chickens, and other animals.
“They used to run with my cattle, with the chickens and everything, they weren’t trouble makers,” he said.
Found dead near a canal
Gonzalez says he last saw both dogs Saturday night.
By Sunday morning, he says he received a call that still haunts him: Cabezón and Shapero had been found dead next to a canal, about a mile from the family’s home.
The family says the dogs were found roughly 50 feet away from each other, and each appeared to have suffered a single gunshot wound to the head.
“When I went to pick them up, I didn’t see any trauma on them, just a shot in the back of their ears on each of my dogs, and that is not right,” Gonzalez said.
Family believes dogs may have been dumped
Gonzalez says he believes the dogs may have left the ranch early Sunday morning and were found later that same day.
He also believes whoever shot them may have killed them elsewhere and dumped them near the canal.
“Because if they were running around and someone shot a dog, they need to be a very good shooter, a sniper, to have hit them in the same place,” Gonzalez said.
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Gonzalez took us to the location where the dogs were found. When we arrived, we could still see what appeared to be blood on the ground.
Across the street, we also found one of the dogs’ collars. It appeared broken — as if it had been yanked off.
“It was Cabezón’s. I think they just yanked it because it’s broken, so I don’t know,” Gonzalez said.
Case number issued; sheriff’s office contacted
The Gonzalez family says they reached out to the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office and were transferred to Animal Control, where they were given a case number.
We also reached out to the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, who said to call animal control, and are waiting to hear back.
For now, Cabezón and Shapero have been buried at the family ranch. The family says that at night, their other dogs can be heard crying and searching for them.
“If we can find who did it, killing an animal is not right,” Gonzalez said.
What’s next
The family says they are gathering video and other evidence that could help identify who killed their dogs — and why.
They say they still don’t know who is responsible.
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