Lady Gaga's dog walker recalls "close call with death" days after being shot
Lady Gaga's dog walker, who was shot while walking the singer's dogs in Los Angeles last week, has spoken for the first time since the attack. The French bulldogs were kidnapped at the time, but have since returned home safely, after Gaga offered a $500,000 reward, no questions asked.
In two emotional Instagram posts Monday, Ryan Fischer recounted the terrifying shooting and dognapping, and thanked his family and online community. He said that his "life has taken a very sudden and unexpected turn."
"[Four] days ago, while a car sped away and blood poured from my gun shot wound, an angel trotted over and laid next to me. My panicked screams calmed as I looked at her, even though it registered that the blood pooling around her tiny body was my own," Fisher wrote, referring to Gaga's dog Miss Asia, who escaped the dognapping. "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."
A video of the attack showed a white sedan pulling up and two men jumping out. They struggled with the dog walker before one pulled a gun and fired a single shot before fleeing with two of the dogs.
"Hopeful that my calm(ish) and forceful pleas for the urgency of my care as well as the focused descriptions of the dogs would be enough to help me and get enough police and media attention to find the boys, I looked backed at my guardian angel," Fischer wrote. "I smiled at her shaking form, thankful that at least she would be okay."
Over the weekend, a woman brought the dogs, Koji and Gustav, to the LAPD's Olympic Community Police Station. The woman who dropped off the dogs appeared to be "uninvolved and unassociated" with Wednesday night's attack, but it wasn't immediately clear how she obtained the dogs.
Fisher shared two photos of himself recovering in the hospital. One showed him using a breathing tube. He wrote that his mother and brother flew to California to see him in the hospital.
"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," Fisher wrote. "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. I am humbled and grateful that attention and focus from the police were enough to get Koji and Gustav back to safety, and I know they are committed to bringing these criminals and attempted murderers to justice."
He concluded with emotional thank yous to family, friends and strangers online — especially those who sent him dog videos while he has been recovering.
"All the dog videos and photos from my clients to keep my spirits up worked miracles," he wrote. "Seeing their faces light up when you said my name motivates me to keep pushing so I can play with them and see you again soon."
Fischer also thanked Gaga for her support following the incident.
"Your support as a friend, despite your own traumatic loss from your kids, was unwavering," he wrote. "I love you and thank you."
