How The Lady Gaga Dognapping Saga Finally Ended

It started on the evening of February 24. Ryan Fischer, Lady Gaga’s dogwalker, was walking Asia, Koji, and Gustav, Lady Gaga’s three French bulldogs, and things took a tragic turn when Fischer was attacked and shot four times, and Koji and Gustav were stolen. The horrifying incident was caught on film thanks to a nearby home surveillance camera; before he was shot, Fischer tried to fight off his attackers, who were focused on getting the dogs — French bulldogs are worth thousands of dollars — not even knowing they belonged to the famous pop star.

Two days later, Lady Gaga, who was in Italy filming “House of Gucci,” posted to Instagram about the $500,000 award for the return of her dogs, and a woman turned in the two dogs at the LAPD Olympic Community Police Station. It would be easy to assume that would be the end of the story, but it turns out that Jennifer McBride, the woman who turned the dogs in, was a part of the scheme to steal them in the first place.

Lady Gaga’s dog thieves faced serious charges, and five people were arrested in the shooting and dog theft in April 2021, including McBride. James Howard Jackson, who actually pulled the trigger, Lafayette Haley, and Jaylin White were charged with robbery and attempted murder, and McBride and Harold White — who was father to Jaylin White and in a relationship with McBride — were also taken into custody.