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Crime News

Lady Gaga's Dog Walker Seeks Funding To Finish Self Care Road Trip After Shooting

Just two months into a planned sabbatical to help strengthen his emotional and mental health, Ryan Fischer's car broke down, leaving him stranded.

By Megan Carpentier
Lady Gaga's Dog Walker Is Reportedly Shot, Dogs Stolen

The man who was shot trying to protect Lady Gaga's dogs from two armed and determined dognappers in February is seeking the public's assistance in continuing his healing journey.

Ryan Fischer, 40, was shot in the chest while walking the pop star's three dogs earlier this year in Beverly Hills. He was hospitalized for nearly a month and his injury eventually required the partial removal of one of his lungs, according to the New York Post.

James Jackson, 18; Jaylin White, 19; and Lafayette Whaley, 27, were arrested in May on suspicion of attempted murder and robbery. Jackson is also accused of shooting Fischer. Five people were charged in the case — the three men and two alleged accomplices; all have pleaded not guilty. 

After Fischer's release from the hospital, he admitted in a series of Instagram posts in May that his overall recovery was still ongoing and difficult as the shooting had left him too traumatized to care for other dogs. He added that when people recognized him, they often asked him to describe the near-fatal shooting.

“So what do I do now during this necessary limbo?” he wrote at the time. “Do I sit and do nothing, or do I choose to cultivate another aspect of self that gives purpose? Would he get a van and explore this country, write about prison reform and healing, and comment about a late-stage capitalistic society through performance? Who knows, but I’m dying to find out."

Fischer soon commenced on a road trip that he documented via Instagram, highlighting stops in New Mexico, Illinois, Ohio, Kansas and Hudson, New York, where he attended a wedding. He said that it was here that he was hit with depression. 

Fisher's GoFundMe had raised nearly $10,000 or a $40,000 goal as of Tuesday evening. 

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