Haddam Woman Charged In Animal Cruelty Case: State Police

HADDAM, CT — A woman is facing allegations that a dog died while in her care last year, according to state police.

Josephine Ragland, 28, of Haddam, was charged with four counts of cruelty to animals.

Ragland operated a business called "Wagging Good." She would charge between $1,000 and $2,500 to pick up dogs from people's homes for training and bring them back to Jacqueline Witt's home in Haddam, where the dogs were left in crates, according to an arrest warrant.

Witt and Ragland had five dogs in their care when one of them, a French bulldog, died in September 2023.

Ragland did not notify the dog's owner of the death and continued to send updates about his progress in training, according to the warrant. The dog's body was stored in a trash bag in a sun room next to where the dogs were.

Once the dog's body began to bloat, Witt brought it to the Canterbury Turnpike in Norwichtown to dispose of it off the side of the road, according to the arrest warrant.

Ragland and Witt told police several different stories about how the dog died.

A necropsy performed on the animal found that it suffered from emaciation and there is "probable cause to believe that (the dog) was not fed while in the care of Ragland and Witt and that he may had heat stroke," according to the warrant.

The other dogs in Ragland and Witt's care were also in poor condition, police said.

Ragland was released on $50,000 bond and scheduled to appear in Middletown Superior Court on Sept. 30.

Witt was also charged earlier this month with four counts of animal cruelty and tampering with evidence, according to state police.