(LEX 18) — Reagan Lonneman said she was scrolling through Facebook and kept seeing photos and posts about a severely emaciated dog "reportedly" found dumped in the bitter cold last week in Harrison County. Then, it hit her. It was Bleu, her once goofy, 100 pound-plus cane corso she owned for nearly a year before reluctantly having to re-home it last September.
"I turned to my fiancé and I broke down. I was bawling my eyes out telling him he's going to a better situation," Lonneman said, who lives in Elizabethtown.
More than four months later, Lonneman said she feels tremendous guilt realizing the one-and-a-half-year-old dog died from starvation, according to the director of the Harrison County Animal Shelter.
Lonneman said along with the dog's picture, she immediately recognized the name, Chesney Taylor. That's the woman cited for second-degree animal cruelty; the woman Lonneman said promised to give Bleu a good home last fall.
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"She told me she had land, that he would be running," recalled Lonneman as she held back tears during a Zoom interview with LEX 18 Wednesday.
Instead, shelter officials said it appeared the dog lived in a small crate and weighed only 48 pounds when he died early Saturday.
Lonneman said she feels so much guilt thinking about the nights she was out with friends, sleeping comfortably, and out to dinner.
"What he was going through while I was enjoying my life, not knowing because I thought he would be going to a really good living situation - that has been something that will haunt me forever," said Lonneman.
Kentucky State Police cited Taylor of Georgetown with second-degree animal cruelty, a misdemeanor. Lonneman said she contacted Scott County Attorney Cam Culbertson, hoping the charge is upgraded to a class d felony.
According to the citation, Taylor indicated to police she only had the dog a couple of days. But Lonneman said she has the receipts to show otherwise and them to the Scott County Attorney's Office.
"I ended up letting him know I have vet records and text messages," Lennoman said. "I just can't imagine what he went through, those pictures are daunting."
She can't change what has happened, but Lonneman is now encouraging others to advocate for Bleu. She believes the accused should be charged with a felony under Ethan's Law.
