A 27-year-old woman has been charged with animal neglect after a dog in her care died while she was “on a casino bender.” [Image: Shutterstock.com]
“She looked normal”
A 27-year-old Connecticut woman was arrested after a dog died in her care after she admitted she was “at the Bandar Casino” at the time of the dog’s death.
The Hanson family from Massachusetts needed a dog trainer after becoming concerned about the way Charlie, their three-year-old French bulldog, was behaving with their toddler. While searching for a dog trainer, the family discovered Josephine Ragland and her dog training company, Everything Animals, on the home services directory app Thumbtack.
“She was a young lady who seemed to love animals.”
After the Hanson family contacted Ragland, she showed up at their house using Lily as a fake name. Accepting $2,000 from the family, Ragland chose Charlie for a two-week boarding program. “She seemed normal, a young lady who seemed to love animals,” Bart Hanson said of Ragland.
North Reading Police in Connecticut charged Ragland with felony theft and misleading a police officer.
Skinny dog
Over the two weeks that Charlie was away from his family, Ragland provided the Hansons with regular updates, including photos and short videos of their dog.
It is believed that Charlie died three to five days after his stay with Ragland, although of course she did not tell the Hanson family. An autopsy performed by the University of Connecticut found that Charlie was emaciated and had nothing in his stomach. The dog is believed to have died around September 4th.
She continued to send photos and videos to his family
Despite knowing that she was the cause of Charlie’s death, Ragland failed to inform his owners. Even after his death, she continued to send photos and videos to his family. On the day Charlie was supposed to come home, Ragland sent a text message to the Hansons saying her car had broken down and Charlie had run away and collided with another vehicle. Ragland said she buried Charlie in her backyard.
On September 16, Charlie’s owners contacted police, informing them that their dog had not been returned after an “agreed upon training period.”
Police found his body in Norwich, Connecticut, 115 miles from Hanson’s home and about 45 minutes from Ragland’s home.
Four other dogs were recovered and returned safely to their owners in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut.
Problems with gambling
Police interviewed Ragland for more than three hours. According to their 15-page report, she changed her story several times during interrogation. At some point, she claims Charlie collapsed. She also admitted that she had “gambling problems” and was “having sex in the casino every day before and after work.”
However, this appears to not be the first case of animal neglect in Ragland’s care.
Carolina Brucellari from California said the same thing happened to her. I also found Ragland through Thumbtack and paid her $2,000 to coach Scott German Shephard. When the dog was returned, it was a different dog, Brucellari said.
“Scott disappeared in January 2023, and we have not seen him again since then,” Brucellari said.
