CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Lady Gaga's dog walker and Cincinnati-area native Ryan Fischer says that he is still suffering medical issues, more than six months after the violent attack targeting the dogs.
They were later returned after Gaga offered a reward.
Five people have been arrested and charged in connection with the crime, and are awaiting trial. Three were in court on Friday.
"Some days are great. Some weeks are not. And-- that's been-- that's been the big up and down the last couple months," said Fischer.
Ryan Fischer walked Lady Gaga's three french bulldogs for six years. But during an evening outing in February, a routine walk turned into a violent encounter.
Last week, CBS and Fischer went back to that Hollywood neighborhood, and Fischer described what happened.
- RYAN FISCHER: It happened here, the car came and screeched, and it happened, like, right-- I think I was walking right here. And I-- the car came just-- basically, like, in, like,-- at an angle. Like, there was no-- there was no doubt in my head that they were stopping for me.
- GAYLE KING: that night-- watching the video, your screams were so agonizing to hear.
- RYAN FISHER: Yeah. I was scared. I was in pain. I had a feeling when they came up, pulled the gun on me, that I was gonna end up being shot. 'Cause I-- in my mind I was like, "There's no way that I'm not going to fight for these dogs."
- GAYLE KING: Even with a gun, you knew you were gonna fight--?
- RYAN FISHER: Yeah.
- GAYLE KING: exactly how many times were you shot? Where-- what was the extent of your actual injuries?
- RYAN FISHER: I was shot once. // And because I was reaching forward, it went through right here, just next to my neck-- above my clavicle, and went out below my shoulder blade, 'cause I was basically horizontal reaching. And it went through my-- it pierced my lung.
- RYAN FISHER: I'm on the-- was on the operating table--and they-- they're all working fur-- as a team of probably eight-- eight or nine people all around the table, working on me. Trying to get the chest tube in. And when they put the chest tube in, all of a sudden all this blood just spurted out on the doctor next-- like, next to me. And everyone's faces just dropped. And I heard my blood pressure drop. I looked at the machine. The people in the ER who I'd seen that night told me that they didn't think I was gonna survive that night.
- GAYLE KING: With the surgery did they-- did they remove part of your lung?
- RYAN FISHER: They removed the-- the top third of my lung, and then a portion of the bottom of my lung.
Fischer's injuries are life-long.
Nationwide, dog thefts are becoming more common.Ffrench bulldogs are one of the most popular breeds in the U.S., making them a top target. Their small size makes them easy to grab.