First her cat, now her dog

By Helen Davis
Cibola County Bureau

SAN RAFAEL — A San Rafael woman whose cat was killed by a loose German Shepherd a week and a half ago reported her dog dead last week.

Lt. Harry Hall of the Cibola County Sheriff’s Department said when he responded to the call, he found that the dog had a hole in the back of its head, compatible with a .22 caliber bullet wound.

Marian Hamilton, an animal control officer for the Grants Animal Shelter, was also on the scene and took possession of the dog’s body. Hamilton said she believed the animal could have been shot, but that because of the cost, a necropsy — the animal equivalent of an autopsy — would not be performed. Authorities cannot say definitely what killed the dog.

The dog’s owner, Joanna Saavadra, of Ice Caves Road, said that when she went to the store on a midweek morning, her dog was in the yard. When she returned an hour later, the dog was dead beside the road.

Hamilton said the shelter felt so bad for Saavadra and her children that they gave the family a heeler puppy, reminding them to keep it in the yard.

Saavadra named the pup Roxie. She said the younger children love the new dog but do not seem to understand what happened to their familiar pet. She added that her oldest child is so thrilled with the new puppy that he sleeps with it.

Saavedra expressed concern about the Shepherd that killed the family cat, saying it had not been trapped and had not been seen in the area for approximately a week. She stated that a neighbor’s dog also appeared to be missing.

Authorities are assuming Saavadra’s dog was shot. Anyone with any information should contact the shelter at 285-4012 or the sheriff’s office at 287-9476.

Hamilton reminds everyone to keep their dogs on their property, even if they live in the country.

“We cannot guarantee they’ll be safe. It is not just shotguns, but cars, coyotes, poisoned mice,” she said.