RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) – After a Rio Rancho man is accused of shooting and killing his wife last week, loved ones are coming together to help the victim’s four dogs.
“To me, they represent Roberta, who was my heart girl,” said Mitzi Hobson, regent agent at Milagro Boston Terrier Rescue.
Mitzi Hobson works at the Milagro Boston Terrier Rescue in Rio Rancho. She was friends with Roberta Valdez and described her as a kind and caring person.
“No matter how busy she was, she always had time to go to the shelter to go pick up a dog, take a dog to the clinic. She had a heart to help animal welfare – that’s just who she was,” said Hobson.
However last week, Hobson received tragic news. According to police, 45-year-old John Vallejos was in an argument with his wife, Valdez, when he pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot himself. Police said he then turned the gun on his wife, where Vallejos told them it went off.
The murder has left Valdez’s four dogs without a home. Now, the Milagro Boston Terrier Rescue said they’re hoping to honor Valdez and her commitment to animals by finding a permanent home for the dogs that she loved so much.
“We just need people now to take that compassion and caring that she gave and put it into her dogs,” said Hobson.
Valdez’s four dogs, Buddy, Daisy, Copper, and Tigger are between the ages of three and eight. One of the dogs, Daisy, has already been rehomed, but the shelter said they’re hoping to keep the last three dogs together. The rescue will be helping cover the dogs’ medical expenses in her honor.
“So, when I see them, I see her, and it just means the world to me because she was an amazing, an amazing person,” said Hobson.
Vallejos was booked into the Sandoval County Detention Center and is facing an open count of murder. If you’re interested in adopting the dogs or helping out, you can contact Mitzi Hobson at mitzidhobson@gmail.com.
