New Details Emerge About Gene Hackman’s Dogs

Yet, a new report from USA Today offers conflicting information about the Unforgiven star’s three pets. 

Joey Padilla, owner of the dog day care Santa Fe Tails, told the outlet he transported the two surviving dogs from Hackman’s home to his facility. Padilla told USA Today that the couple’s German shepherd, Bear, is alive and is in his care, along with another dog, Nikita, a 7-year-old Akita-shepherd mix.

Padilla said that the dog who died was Zinna, a 12-year-old reddish Australian Kelpie mix, who had once trained in agility skills to compete at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. He said that Zinna was found in her crate with the door closed. 

Padilla told Fox News on Monday that he trained the couple’s three dogs and frequently watched them for the couple over the past decade. He told the outlet that the three dogs “were very much attached to” Arakawa, and she’d often bring them along with her when running errands.