On February 24th 2021, Lady Gaga’s dog walker and close friend, Ryan Fischer, was violently attacked and shot at by two men in an attempt to steal Lady Gaga’s 3 French bulldogs. With the suspects having driven away with 2 of the 3, and leaving Fischer in serious condition, Lady Gaga called for help on Instagram asking for the return of her beloved animals:
“My beloved dogs Koji and Gustav were taken in Hollywood two nights ago. My heart is sick and I am praying my family will be whole again with an act of kindness. I will pay $500,000 for their safe return. Email KojiandGustav@gmail.com to contact us. Or, if you bought or found them unknowingly, the reward is the same. I continue to love you Ryan Fischer, you risked your life to fight for our family. You’re forever a hero.”
It was only a few days later that a woman returned the two French bulldogs to the LAPD, stating that she found them tied up in an alley, unharmed. However, it is now known that the woman was indeed connected to the attacks, and returned the animals in exchange for the cash prize that Gaga had promised.
The LAPD released a statement saying that they do not believe that the attacks were targeted at Lady Gaga directly, however the value of the specific breed was the true motivation of the robbery. The people involved panicked over the level of publicity the story received and decided to bail on the dogs and cash in on the reward.
Five people in total were arrested, with four of the five suspects being documented gang members. The woman who “found” the dogs was also arrested.
