A Connecticut woman faces animal cruelty charges after several dogs left in her care were allegedly neglected, including one that died and was buried on the side of the road in Norwich.
Jacqueline Witt, 64, of Haddam, was taken into custody Friday by state troopers and charged with four counts of cruelty to animals and a single count of tampering with physical evidence, according to Connecticut State Police.
According to the warrant affidavit supporting her arrest, a woman known to Witt ran a dog training and boarding business known as “Wagging Good” in which she would charge between $1,000 and $2,500 to take the animals for a week or two and train them. The woman would keep the dogs in crates at Witt’s residence and they would at times be left in the sole care of Witt, the warrant affidavit said.
State police wrote in the warrant affidavit that a French Bulldog belonging to a Massachusetts resident allegedly died on Sept. 4, 2023, while in Witt’s care. The owner allegedly was not notified about the death and continued receiving phony updates through text messages about its training regimen.
The owner of the dog contacted authorities in Massachusetts on Sept. 15, 2023, when the animal was not returned to him. The woman who ran Wagging Good allegedly told the man the animal either got loose or was stolen when her vehicle broke down, the warrant affidavit said.
Authorities with the North Reading Police Department contacted the Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s Animal Unit and were assisted in the investigation by an animal control officer.
According to the warrant affidavit, the owner of Wagging Good said she was not home the day the dog died and that she allegedly had left it in Witt’s care. She said Witt had told her the animal had gotten loose and was hit by a car, the warrant affidavit said. Police also received conflicting statements indicating that the dog was found dead in a crate one morning, authorities noted.
The dog was initially kept in a trash bag in the room where other dogs were boarded, the warrant affidavit said. The Wagging Good owner told police Witt allegedly convinced her they needed to bury the animal, then its body was taken to Canterbury Turnpike in Norwich and buried about 10 to 15 feet off the road, state police wrote in the document.
When authorities spoke to Witt, she conceded that she took care of the animals in her home because the other individual — who is not named in police documents — was not always there, the warrant affidavit said. She also initially allegedly said she buried the dog on her property and that its body was taken away by other animals, though police later were able to find the bulldog’s body in Norwich, state police wrote.
The Wagging Good owner allegedly admitted to authorities that she continued sending updates about the dog’s training progress after it died and that she mostly left the animals with Witt and would only “train them a little bit,” the warrant affidavit said.
When police recovered the bulldog’s body, they suspected that it had been frozen before being dumped, the warrant affidavit said.
A necropsy later conducted by the UConn Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory showed that the animal was emaciated and suffered from multi-organ congestion, investigators wrote in the affidavit.The necropsy also indicated the dog allegedly was likely not fed while at Witt’s residence and may have suffered from heat stroke, the warrant affidavit said.
After recovering the bulldog’s body on Sept. 19, 2023, authorities went to Witt’s home and she agreed to turn over four other dogs that were being cared for, according to the warrant affidavit.
Authorities took custody of an 8-year-old American Eskimo Pomeranian mix, a 7-year-old Golden Retriever, a 7-year-old black Lab and an 8-year-old Cocker Spaniel, the warrant affidavit said.
One of the animals had “little to no fur” and scabs on his legs, stomach and tail. He also had “gooey” and “wet” hairless rings around his eyes and nose, the warrant affidavit said.
The owners of the other dogs allegedly told authorities they appeared thinner upon picking them up and would later tell investigators that they suffered from physical ailments and psychological issues from suspected neglect.
The owner of the Golden Retriever told police the animal was thinner when she got him back and that he “could not control the amount of water he drank,” the warrant affidavit said. The animal would drink water until he would throw up as if he “thought he would never get water again,” the owner told authorities.
The retriever also ate his food fast the first few weeks being back and, though he appeared afraid of his owner he also would cry when she would leave the room, the warrant affidavit said. The dog also had to be retrained on basic commands and would hyperventilate anytime he was put in a crate, according to the warrant affidavit.
When the retriever was taken to a vet, he was found to have Giardia parasites and an ear infection, state police wrote.
The owner of the American Eskimo Pomeranian mix told police the dog lost more than 3 pounds in the two weeks he was away, which equated to about 7% of his total body weight, the warrant affidavit said. The dog also could not sleep upon returning home and would pace back and forth, the owner said.
The dog suffered from separation anxiety, not allowing the owner to leave the room and insisting on sleeping in the same bed, the warrant affidavit said. The animal also suffered from frequent nightmares in which it would whimper and shake intensely, the owner told authorities.
According to the warrant affidavit, the owner of the black Labrador told police he looked sick and had no fur on his legs or stomach. His eyes had rings around them and he suffered from a reverse sneeze with green mucus running from his nose, the warrant affidavit said. He also had a persistent cough that did not respond to antibiotics and appeared to have been lying in “something caustic,” as he was covered in scabs, the document said.
Authorities last Tuesday obtained a warrant for Witt’s arrest when it was signed by a judge. In it, investigators wrote that Witt “at the minimum” had the responsibility to report that the dogs were being neglected. Authorities also said they believe she allegedly ditched the bulldog’s body in an attempt to dispose of evidence and dug a hole on her property to mislead investigators into believing animals had taken the dog’s remains.
Following her arrest last week, Witt was released on $50,000 bond. She is expected to be arraigned in Middletown Superior Court next Thursday.
The warrant affidavit did not indicate whether the owner of Wagging Good has been charged. State police said their investigation remains ongoing.
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