Distraught Gaga’s movie no-show after dognapping
Superyacht training, canine spas and cut-throat rivalry for A-list clients. As Lady Gaga’s pet minder is shot in the street, the proof it’s a dog-eat-dog business
LADY Gaga was absent from the set of her latest movie yesterday after being left devastated at the dognapping of two of her French bulldogs.
The singer, 4, was said to be holed up in her hotel in Rome and was not seen on the set of the Ridley Scott film Gucci because she was so traumatised.
She has offered a $500,000 (£ 50,000) reward after two gunmen shot dog-walker Ryan Fischer, who was out with the pets in West Hollywood. Mr Fischer was so devoted to the animals he ‘would take a bullet for them’, friends of the 0-year-old said.
Dramatic door cam video of the incident on Wednesday shows a white sedan pulling up alongside Mr Fischer, who was walking French bulldogs Koji, Miss Asia and Gustav. One of the two men is heard cocking a pistol as he walks toward Mr Fischer and warns him to ‘give it up’.
Mr Fischer can be heard saying: ‘Help, please! Help me!’ and a gunshot rings out. The thieves stole Koji and Gustav who can be heard growling as they are put in the car. Miss Asia escaped and ran back to Mr Fischer who was lying on the ground.
A source told Entertainment Tonight: ‘Lady Gaga is beside herself about this situation. Ryan is not only her dog-walker, but also her friend.’
Mr Fischer is understood to be in a stable condition in hospital.
Ensuring their charges don’t jump up on the seats of their owners’ private planes, or do their business on the teak decks of their superyachts, is the usual line of work for the dog-walkers of the rich and famous.
But now, increasingly, as Lady gaga discovered this week, their jobs can be very dangerous.
The soaring popularity of cute French bulldogs with celebrities has made them a target for dog-snatching gangs who sell them via a lucrative black market.
When ryan Fischer, the singer’s dog-walker, was ambushed and shot by thieves outside his Hollywood home, it sent shockwaves through the celebrity dog-walking community.
The targets were Lady gaga’s three French bulldog pets: Koji, Miss Asia and gustav. Miss Asia has been found safe and well and the singer has offered a $500,000 (£354,000) reward for the safe return of the other two — ‘no questions asked’.
Colleen Jones, of Woof-Purr, a dog-walking company based in Los Angeles, says it is now common practice for staff to be trained in wrapping leashes around their hands to keep them safe from potential dog thieves.
‘if anyone did try to steal a dog, at least there’s a chance they can hold on to it and the attacker will run,’ she says. ‘i also tell them to be aware if someone is approaching them from behind or be wary if a vehicle slows down beside them.’
Dognapper gun nightmare in Hollywood as Lady Gaga’s dog-walker is shot by thieves
AMy JACoBs, who once looked after Charlie, the fluffy Australian labradoodle belonging to movie star Bradley Cooper, says: ‘i’m military trained, and know how to shoot a gun, but it’s not so easy to be armed in LA so i’m going to get a Taser. i treat every dog like it’s a celebrity’s dog and i want to protect them.’
she believes the client/walker relationship is incredibly important and built on trust.
When the clients are away, she will stay in their mansions, dogsitting their precious pets. ‘Celebrities are extremely sensitive about who they trust and let into their homes and dogs are like their children — nothing’s too good for them,’ she says.
it is 18 years since she established her business, Amy’s Ark inc, and the demands and eccentricities of dog owning A-listers no longer surprise her.
‘They trust us because they will give us keys or alarm codes so we can get into the house. i would never disclose any confidential information about a client. it’s a sacred trust,’ she says. ‘i’ll let celebrities know when there’s paparazzi outside and i’ve got pretty good instincts about some-one like a gardener or a house-keeper who’s acting a bit weird and might be selling information.’
Another celebrity dog-walker in the upper echelons of services to the rich and famous — who did not want to be named — says she earns a six-figure salary. Her celeb-rity charges have included film director steven spielberg’s golden retriever and dogs belonging to actress reese Witherspoon.
‘There are different rules for looking after a celebrity’s dog,’ she says. ‘you never tell whose dog you’re looking after because you don’t want to attract any atten-tion. you wouldn’t boast about it in the dog park, for example.
‘Many of the dogs have an assist-ant’s name and telephone number on their dog tag, rather than their real owner’s information.’
Her clients require far more than a walk in the park in return for the generous fee they pay her. she is expected to keep a log of their bowel movements and regularly text photos of the dogs: eating, rolling around on the grass and having their tummies tickled.
in return for her loyal service, she has received cashmere sweat-ers, diamond earrings, gift certifi-cates for spa massages and cash bonuses as Christmas presents.
speaking at the Barrington dog park in Brentwood, a ritzy suburb in Los Angeles where celebrities including gwyneth Paltrow, Arnold schwarzenegger and Ben Affleck live, celebrity dog-walker Ali isaacs
tells me: ‘I had one client who wanted her dog to be toilet-trained on her yacht to protect the teak decking and to stop it leaping up and potentially going overboard.’
‘Others want their animals to know how to behave on private planes or don’t want them relieving themselves all over their estates.
And I don’t have any advertisement on my car that says I’m a dog-walking service because I don’t want to be targeted and followed by dog snatchers.’
Colleen says she turns down many celebrity dog-owning clients and passes them on to other dog walkers. ‘They expect you to be there, no matter what,’ she says. ‘They — not the dogs — can be high-maintenance.’
Many celebrities have doggie spas in their homes with all the professional equipment of a top grooming salon. The average rate for a dog-walker in LA is $25 (£18) for a 30-minute walk. Celebrities pay many times that sum for a personal and exclusive service.
And it can be a cut-throat business, as Amy Jacobs discovered. She allocated Charlie, Bradley Cooper’s dog, to one of her employees who left a short time later to start her own business and took the famous pooch with her. Amy, who used to carry pepper spray on walks, says she will be taking new security precautions.
Concerned that Lady Gaga’s $500,000 reward might prompt other criminals to target the pets of other celebrities, she will be carrying that Taser now — along with the dog treats.