Nicholas Tan

February 28, 2025 at 7:42 PM

Many are concerned about Gene Hackman’s dogs and what happened to them. The 95-year-old Oscar-winning actor and his 64-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead on Wednesday, February 26, as reported by Newsweek. One of the couple’s dogs was also found dead in their Santa Fe home. Their two other dogs were found alive on the premises. Here’s what we know so far about Gene Hackman’s dogs and what kind of dogs they are.

What is the latest update on Gene Hackman’s dogs?

[Update, 2/28/2025] The two surviving dogs are healthy, and the Santa Fe County Animal Control Division is “working with family” to ensure that they are safe, according to a police statement.

[Original] Gene Hackman and his wife had three dogs at their home when they were found by police, with one dog found dead and two dogs still surviving.

According to ABC News, the dog that passed away was a German shepherd and was found 10 to 15 feet from Arakawa, who was found lying on her side on the bathroom floor. The dog was found dead in its crate or kennel, as noted by Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, and this kennel was found in a closet of the bathroom, according to the search warrant.

Not much is known about Hackman’s two surviving dogs, including details about their ages and breeds. One of the dogs was also near Arakawa and is described as being “healthy,” while the other surviving dog was located outside. We will update this article if we learn more about their welfare.

It’s still unclear how Hackman, Arakawa, and their pet died. The search warrant affidavit said that their deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.” The sheriff’s office said that no foul play is suspected.

Hackman has been known to be a dog lover. As revealed by Animal Rescue, Inc., while the ator was filming “The Replacements” in 1999, two stray German shepherds wandered onto the set and both were transported to Animal Rescue, Inc. The Hackmans eventually adopted one of them and named him Gene. The animal shelter recently posted a tribute to Hackman, calling him his “most famous adopter.”

The post What Happened to Gene Hackman’s Dogs? 1 Dead, 2 Surviving appeared first on DogTime.

Scott Fallon

NorthJersey.com

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• Two cats tested positive for bird flu in Hunterdon County, New Jersey
• One cat was feral, the other was indoor-outdoor
• The feral cat was euthanized after developing “severe disease”
• Humans who came into contact with the cats have not developed any symptoms

Two cats tested positive for avian influenza in New Jersey, but the likelihood of feline-to-human transmission remains low, health officials said Friday.

The two cats — one feral, the other an indoor-outdoor cat — were found on the same property in Hunterdon County with other cats who also appeared to be sick, state Health Department officials said. Tests on the other cats are pending.

The feral cat “developed severe disease” including neurologic impairments. It was euthanized. Health officials did not say how sick the indoor-outdoor cat became or whether it was euthanized.

It is not known how the cats became infected. They had not come into contact with infected poultry or livestock, but they roamed outdoors and could have come into contact with infected birds or other animals, health officials said.

Humans who came into contact with the cats have not developed any symptoms. No human cases have been reported in New Jersey.

It is not unusual for cats to become infected with bird flu and develop severe illness. While cats in other states have become infected during the national outbreak, there have been no reports of transmission to humans, health officials said. Most of the infected humans had close contact with infected chickens and cows.

The news comes a week after officials reported the first case of bird flu in poultry in New Jersey. The bird was found during testing at a live poultry market in Union County that was subsequently shut down temporarily to sanitize the facility.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza or H5N1 has already been confirmed in wild birds in Warren and Salem Counties and presumed in birds found in Bergen, Morris, Sussex, Atlantic, Burlington, Cumberland, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

The outbreak has prompted millions of chickens to be killed, causing a nationwide egg shortage that has caused prices to skyrocket to more than $8 a dozen.