The Mass family dog. dies while caring for a woman accused of a training program
A Massachusetts family is mourning the loss of their dog, which police say died in the care of a woman who promised training for the puppy, officials said. Bart and Jessie Hanson of North Reading said they hired the woman to train their puppy. One-year-old French bulldog Charlie on the Thumbtack app for an agreed fee of $2,250 her name,” said Bart Hanson. “I spoke to her on the phone and she had a program called Board-and-Train where she took Charlie and lived with her for two weeks.” The trainer was identified in a police report as 27-year-old Josephine Ragland of Haddam, Connecticut, told the Hanson family that Charlie disappeared after the two-week training program was supposed to be completed. Bart Hanson became suspicious and reported to North Reading police on September 16 that Charlie had not been returned by the trainer. North Reading Police said an initial investigation determined that Charlie died on or about September 4, but that Ragland Hanson sent photos of what she claimed was the training after the date of the dog’s death training was the first four or five days after she got him, Bart Hanson said. According to police, a necropsy conducted by the University of Connecticut confirmed that Charlie was emaciated at the time of his death. The police report identifying Ragland said she admitted that while she had Charlie and other dogs at her family’s home in Connecticut, she was not there to care for them and instead spent most of her time gambling in the Mohegan Sun, a casino and resort in Uncasville that is about 35 minutes from her home in Haddam. According to the police report, Ragland’s parents dumped Charlie’s body on the Canterbury Turnpike in Norwichtown, Connecticut, which is about a 37-minute drive from Haddam’s home. “How can people do this to him?” Jessie Hanson said. North Reading Police concluded that Ragland made numerous false or misleading statements to officers during interviews in an attempt to impede their investigation. North Reading Police then issued a citation for Ragland, who is charged with: felony theft over $1,200 by false pretenses and felony obstructing/deceiving a police officer. The police report states that the Hanson family is one of several who fell victim to Ragland’s scheme, which they had previously carried out in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and California under various names. “We want something good to come out of this so his death isn’t in vain,” Bart Hanson said. “You really have to look very carefully at who you’re dealing with.” In a statement, a Thumbtack spokesperson said the company is actively investigating the situation surrounding Ragland and the Hanson family. “We take the integrity of our platform seriously and will continue to take action in the best interests of our community,” the spokesperson’s statement read in part. As part of the investigation and working with law enforcement partners in Connecticut, North Reading police said four additional dogs were recovered from Ragland’s home and returned to their owners in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut. North Reading police said they contacted the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals regarding this case. If you have Josephine Ragland or “Lily” listed under the “Wagging Good” or “Everything Animals” listing on Thumbtack, the Hanson family would like to know. Email Frenchiecharliecase@gmail.com
A Massachusetts family is mourning the loss of their dog, which police say died in the care of a woman who promised training for the puppy, officials said.
Bart and Jessie Hanson of North Reading say they hired the woman for an agreed fee of $2,250 to train their three-year-old French bulldog, Charlie, using the Thumbtack app.
“In her entry, which was called Wagging Good, she used the name ‘Lilly,’ and I say ‘Lilly’ in quotes because that wasn’t her name,” Bart Hanson said. “I spoke to her on the phone and she had a program called Board-and-Train where she would take Charlie and live with her for two weeks.”
The trainer, identified in a police report as 27-year-old Josephine Ragland of Haddam, Connecticut, told the Hanson family that Charlie had disappeared after the two-week training program was supposed to be completed.
Bart Hanson became suspicious and reported to North Reading police on September 16 that Charlie had not been returned by the trainer.
North Reading police said an initial investigation determined Charlie died on or about Sept. 4, but Ragland sent Hanson photos of what she claimed was training after the dog’s death date.
“He died within the first four or five days of her birth,” Bart Hanson said.
According to police, a necropsy conducted by the University of Connecticut confirmed that Charlie was emaciated at the time of his death.
The police report identifying Ragland said she admitted that during the time she had Charlie and other dogs at her family’s Connecticut home, she was not there to care for them and instead was there most of the time Her day was spent gambling at Mohegan Sun, a casino and resort in Uncasville, about 35 minutes from her home in Haddam.
According to the police report, Ragland’s parents dumped Charlie’s body on the Canterbury Turnpike in Norwichtown, Connecticut, which is about a 37-minute drive from the Haddams’ home.
“How can people do this to him?” Jessie Hanson said.
North Reading Police determined that Ragland made numerous false or misleading statements to officers during interviews in an attempt to hinder their investigation.
The North Reading Police Department then obtained a citation for Ragland, who is charged with theft by false pretenses over $1,200 and obstructing/deceiving a police officer.
According to the police report, the Hanson family is one of several who fell victim to Ragland’s scheme, which they previously operated under various names in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and California.
“We want something good to come out of this so his death isn’t in vain,” Bart Hanson said. “You really, really have to look at who you’re dealing with.”
In a statement, a Thumbtack spokesperson said the company is actively investigating the situation surrounding Ragland and the Hanson family.
“We take the integrity of our platform seriously and will continue to take actions in the best interests of our community,” the spokesperson’s statement read in part.
Through the investigation and working with law enforcement partners in Connecticut, North Reading police said four additional dogs were recovered from Ragland’s home and returned to their owners in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut.
North Reading police said they contacted the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals about this case.
If you have hired Josephine Ragland or “Lily” under the “Wagging Good” or “Everything Animals” listing on Thumbtack, the Hanson family would like to know. Email Frenchiecharliecase@gmail.com
