Lady Gaga's Dog Walker Opens Up About His Current Condition

On the evening of Feb. 24, 2021, Ryan Fischer was taking three of Lady Gaga's French bulldogs — Koji, Asia, and Gustav — for a walk in Los Angeles. What started as a normal evening quickly turned into a nightmare for Fischer, as he was approached and shot by two men, per AP News. The gunmen also stole two of Gaga's dogs, Koji and Gustav, while Asia managed to escape and huddled close to Fischer. 

In the aftermath of the event, Fischer was taken to a nearby hospital to treat the gunshot wound to his chest. Gaga, meanwhile, was in Rome filming a new movie throughout the ordeal, but issued a statement asking for the safe return of her dogs. "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," Gaga explained in an Instagram post on Feb. 27, 2021.

That same day, the dogs were safely found in Los Angeles, per TMZ. The dogs were tied to a pole in an alleyway, just miles from the kidnapping site, and police do not believe that the woman who returned the dogs had anything to do with the crime. While fans were overjoyed that Gaga's beloved dogs were returned safely, many remained worried about Fischer's condition. Now, Gaga's dog walker is speaking out for the first time about that harrowing night. Keep scrolling to learn what he said.

On Feb. 28, 2021, Ryan Fischer released his first statement about the armed robbery via Instagram. "4 days ago, while a car sped away and blood poured from my gun shot wound, an angel trotted over and laid next to me," Fischer recounted, while referring to Lady Gaga's dog Asia, who managed to escape the kidnapping. "I cradled Asia as best I could, thanked her for all the incredible adventures we'd been on together, apologized that I couldn't defend her brothers, and then resolved that I would still try to save them... and myself," the dog walker continued.

"I am still in recovery from a very close call with death and have kept myself (for the most part, I mean I am human) from the growing media story," Fischer continued in his second post. "I will write and say more later, but the gratitude for all the love I feel from around this planet is immense and intense. I felt your healing support! Thank you." Fischer also thanked Gaga for her "support throughout this whole crisis" and relished in the fact that Koji and Gustav have been returned safely. 

Fischer still has a long journey of healing ahead, but fans are relieved that he is going to make a full recovery after this harrowing event.