Hana Ikramuddin
The Middletown Press, Conn.
(TNS)
Sep. 10—HADDAM — A local woman was arrested Friday and charged with animal cruelty tied in part to the death of a French bulldog in her care last year, police said.
Jacqueline Witt, 64, was charged with four counts of cruelty to animals and tampering with physical evidence, according to a news release from state police.
As part of her “Wagging Good” business, Witt was caring for a French bulldog on Sept. 4, 2023 when the dog died, according to a warrant for her arrest. Witt, according to the warrant, didn’t tell the dog’s owners about its death and continued to send updates about its progress in training.
Witt, according to the warrant, kept the dead dog’s body in a trash bag in the sun room of her home, next to another dog she was caring for. Once the dog began to bloat, according to the warrant, Witt “disposed of his body” 10 to 15 feet off the the side of the road on the Canterbury Turnpike in Norwich.
A necropsy performed on the dog later showed, according to the warrant, that the dog was likely not fed while under Witt’s care and may have had a heat stroke.
Owners of other dogs in Witt’s care also made complaints, according to the warrant, including an American Eskimo Pomeranian mix whose owner told police her dog had lost 7 percent of its body weight between drop off and pic up.
Witt was released on a $50,000 cash/surety bond, police said. One condition of her release is that she cannot possess or care for animals belonging to others, according to the warrant.
Witt is scheduled to be arraigned in Middletown Superior Court Sept. 19, police said.
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