ABBEVILLE, La. (KLFY) — UPDATE: Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s office says a man has confessed to shooting the two dead dogs.

A deputy’s preliminary investigation showed the dogs had possibly died of gunshot wounds. Authorities then made contact with a man who told them that he was in fact the one who shot both dogs. Authorities say the suspect told the officers that the dogs were on his property in his chicken cages  (which was confirmed by an independent witness) attacking his chickens. When he exited his house and approached the dogs he noticed they had already killed several of his chickens. He went on to explain that he shot the dogs to stop their aggression toward his chickens and that’s when they became aggressive toward him forcing him to shoot again. He stated that when the dogs were shot they were both still on his property, and after shooting the dogs he discarded them in another area.

  The case is being sent to the District Attorney’s Office for review and consideration of possible charges being filed.

UPDATE: An animal control group in Vermilion Parish asked for the help of hundreds when they responded to two dead dogs shot and dumped outside Abbeville. We’re now learning more about those dogs and what may have led to their deaths.

The two pets were found near the corner of Grosse Isle and Chiasson Roads. The dogs’ names were Azalea and Snoopy. Azalea was shot on her left side in the stomach and Snoopy was between the eyes.

“They’re so innocent,” said Debbie Garrot who leads the Vermilion Parish Rabies Animal Control. “These dogs or cats are innocent and they’re voiceless. For people to just kill them. There are alternatives today.”

Every day Garrot’s group helps animals transition to a new phase in life, but Wednesday they prepared two for the grave.

“They were right here,” Tristen Bodin said as he returned to the spot he picked Azalea and Snoopy up. He snapped many photos then and posted one on Facebook, and the tips started pouring in.

“(I’m) Hoping that we catch whoever’s responsible,” Bodin said.

Soon the owner recognized his pets.

Garrot told News 10, “We’ve learned that they’ve been missing since Sunday evening from the owner he had been looking for them. He called our office Tuesday.”

Caller records showed the owner had reached out the day before about his dog Snoopy who escaped and Snoopy’s mate Azalea who chased after him.

While interviewing Garrot, a Vermilion Parish patrol vehicle arrived to speak with her. According to Garrot, it was then she learned someone had confessed to shooting and dumping the dogs. The story being the dogs had got too close to the shooter’s chicken coop, he opened fire, and dumped them in his panic.

Garrot said a little patience could have prevented a tragedy, “All they had to do was pick a telephone and either call the sheriff’s office or rabies animal control. We’re on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We have no free day. That’s a simple as it gets. You just pick up the phone and call.”

News 10 called the sheriff’s office to confirm what Garrot said they told her. They said to wait until their investigation is concluded. Neither the identity of the owner or the shooter has been released.

ORIGINAL STORY: Vermilion Parish Animal Control and Sheriff’s Office officials are looking for a suspect or suspects who shot two dogs and dumped their bodies near Abbeville.

A male dog was shot in the head and a female dog was shot in the abdomen, according to a Facebook post on the Vermilion Parish Rabies Animal Control page. The bodies of the dogs were dumped along Grosse Isle Rd. in Abbeville. A veterinarian’s examination indicates they were shot within the last 24 hours of their discovery this morning.

Anyone with information is urged to either call the Vermilion Parish Animal Control office at (337) 643-3160 or the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office at (337) 893-0871, using the case number 21-0000891.

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