TACOMA -- Two brothers accused of firing dozens of arrows at a goat made their court appearance Tuesday morning, and animal rights activists made sure to be there.

The young suspects came to the Pierce County Juvenile Court with their parents, and sat before the judge one at a time.

Both entered a plea of not guilty to one count of animal cruelty. The judge ordered them booked into detention, but released them right away to their parents.

The brothers are accused of killing a goat last summer after unsuccessfully trying to sell the animal.

Members of the animal rights group Pasado's Safe Haven showed up at court, as it was a Pasado investigator who gathered the evidence that led to the charges.

"They took a goat, tied it to a tree and fired arrows at it over and over again," said Brendan Brannen with Pasado's Safe Haven. "And I believe that they may have even taken arrows out of the goat and refired them."

The investigator recovered arrows at the scene of the alleged abuse, and a police officer interviewed a witness who said the boys talked about firing 50 arrows at the goat and watching it cry out in pain.

Officials with Pasado say they want to make sure the boys get treatment.

A third person charged in the incident, a 19-year-old man, will make his court appearance later this month.