Gaga's Hero Dog Walker's Account of Scuffle with Dognappers Unsealed

The testimony of Ryan Fischer, the heroic dog walker shot in February of 2021 as he tried to prevent Lady Gaga's dogs from being stolen, has been unsealed, UK newspaper the Daily Mail reported.

Fischer, 41, "was shot through the lung on February 24, 2021 when three men stole two of his famous boss's French Bulldogs, Koji and Gustav," the Mail recalled. "During the scuffle, Ryan was choked and then hit the gunman – alleged to be 19-year-old James Jackson – with a bottle of champagne he had just purchased at a nearby store."

The Mail referred to an article published last September in Rolling Stone, which quoted Fischer saying that he had just had a date after an extended time in COVID isolation.

"I had a very good time with this guy," he said. "I go back and see the dogs and I'm like, 'Guess what?! I'm so proud of myself – I got lucky tonight!'"

But later that same evening, as he was walking Gaga's three French bulldogs and carrying the bottle of champagne, Fischer was accosted by two men who jumped out of a white Nissan and ordered Fischer to hand over the dogs' leashes. In the struggle that followed, Fischer had the presence of mind to use hand signals to tell one dog to stay hidden under shrubbery where she had retreated.

"He held tight to the other two leashes, even as one of the men grabbed him by the neck, choking him and muffling his screams," the Rolling Stone article detailed. That's when Fischer was shot in the chest, the bullet piercing one of his lungs. The assailants took the other two dogs and sped off in the car, leaving Fischer lying wounded on the ground. The third dog remained with him.

Even as he was bleeding out, Fischer told Rolling Stone, "My mind started working really quickly. I really had to weigh my options – do I say who the dogs belong to? Because if I do, it adds more media attention," possibly increasing the chances that the dognappers, upon realizing they'd snatched the pets of such a famous celebrity, would panic and kill the dogs.

Even as he tried to work out the best way to address the situation, Fischer was in urgent need of medical attention.

"I immediately tried to call for help but realized I was bleeding out of my lung and that I was losing more and more air quickly," Fischer recounted in his testimony, a more recent Rolling Stone article detailed. Added Fischer: "I tried to project as much as possible in a calm manner to get people out of their houses to ask for help."

At the hospital, Fischer's account said, "I consented to part of my lung being removed. The top third of my lung being removed as well as the bottom portion as well." He required two surgeries, returning to the hospital after his injured lung collapsed.

The Mail recounted that Fischer "still suffers from breathing issues, numbness, and nerve damage."

Lady Gaga praised Fischer, calling him a hero and paying his hospital bills. But Fischer was left without employment and faced homelessness. He was able to get back on his feet through a GoFundMe campaign.

Fischer commented on the unsealing of his testimony on his Instagram account (which he has said he named after "a gay saint"), posting, "This week, after I learned that Grand Jury Testimony for the trial of my attackers would finally be released to the public, a wave of feelings came over me" after he'd spent the past year feeling numb in the aftermath of the attack.

Fischer offered his thanks to those who have helped him during his recovery process.

"To the phone calls and check ins, to opening up your homes and land to help me on this journey, to my brother's daily check ins that help me understand and complete basic administrative tasks for me to survive... thank you," his Instagram post read.