SANTA FE, Texas – Santa Fe police are trying to figure out who shot and killed a family's two dogs.
The incident happened Sunday in the 11600 block of Anders Lane.
Paul McLemore and his family are devastated over the loss of Bella and Remi, who they say didn't die of natural causes, but were gunned down in their own backyard.
"It was disbelief that this could even happen," McLemore said.
McLemore said he let the dogs go out in the backyard Sunday morning.
He thinks some neighborhood teenagers may have sneaked into his backyard and shot the dogs with a pellet gun.
McLemore's 4-year-old daughter took the news especially hard.
"She just doesn't understand why anybody would do anything like this to her puppies," he said.
Remi, a miniature pinscher, died in the family's backyard. The McLemores rushed Bella to the vet, where she underwent emergency surgery.
"After surgery, she had an internal bleed that was just too bad to stop and we had to end up euthanizing her," McLemore said.
The family says catching those responsible will not bring their dogs back, but can hopefully teach the attackers a lesson.
McLemore is offering a $1,000 reward to anybody with information that could lead to an arrest. Police are also investigating.