Lady Gaga‘s mother, Cynthia Germanotta, spoke out about her famous daughter’s dognapping case on Thursday. Gaga’s French bulldogs Koji and Gustav were stolen in Los Angeles late last month when her close friend, Ryan Fischer, was walking them. Fischer was shot by the dognappers and is recovering from his injuries. The dogs were recovered days later after Gaga offered a $500,000 reward.
“Under the circumstances, everyone is doing as well as we can,” Germanotta told Fox 5’s Good Day New York, notes Entertainment Tonight. She said everyone involved is “on the path to healing.” Germanotta was on the show to talk about her Born This Way foundation, which is providing mental health assistance to those in need during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Fischer was walking Koji, Gustav, and a third dog, Asia, when two suspects jumped out of a Nissan Altima and ordered Fischer to give them the dogs at gunpoint. Fischer refused, and there was a struggle. Fischer was shot once, and the suspects made off with two of the dogs. Asia escaped and was later recovered by police. The first suspect was described as “a male black, 20-25 years of age, blond dreadlocks, wearing a black hoodie, and armed with a semi-automatic handgun,” while the second was described as “a male black, 20-25 years of age, wearing dark clothing.”
After Gaga made a plea on social media, TMZ reported Koji and Gustav were recovered by a woman who was not involved in the dognapping. Police sources told TMZ they believe the woman was a Good Samaritan who recognized the dogs from media coverage. Gaga’s team told TMZ they would “gladly” pay the woman the $500,000 reward.
Meanwhile, Fischer is expected to make a full recovery from his injuries. He shared photos from his hospital bed on March 1 on Instagram. “A lot of healing still needs to happen, but I look forward to the future and the moment when I get bombarded with kisses and licks (and maybe even an excitement pee?) from Asia, Koji, and Gustav,” Fischer wrote in one post.
Before the dogs were returned, Gaga’s father, Joe Germanotta, told Entertainment Tonight the family thanks God that Fischer is going to recover. “We hope that we get through this and everyone can put this behind them,” Joe said at the time. “It’s unfortunate that these guys are down on their luck and they needed money, but to shoot someone for dogs is really a disgusting act. The entire family is keeping in touch.” He also called Fischer a “hero” for his actions.
Gaga was not home at the time of the dognapping. She is still in Italy, where she is filming House of Gucci with Adam Driver and Al Pacino. The movie is being directed by Ridley Scott and is scheduled to hit theaters in November.
