EXCLUSIVEGene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa's vet reveals how their deaths have taken a toll on their surviving dogs
Gene Hackman's surviving dogs were emotionally damaged by witnessing the deaths of the Oscar-winning actor, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and the couple's third dog at their New Mexico mansion, according to the family vet.
In the wake of the tragedy, certified animal chiropractor Dr. Sherry Gaber visited her longtime patients, Bear and Nikita, in Santa Fe, and could immediately sense a change in demeanor, she told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.
'Bear put his head on my chest. He put his head down and kept it there for the longest time, like he was saying, "You have no idea of what I've been through. It's so good to see you",' Gaber said.
'Then he rolled on his back and let me rub his tummy,' she said of the German Shepherd that Arakawa, her client and friend for almost 20 years, rescued from a freeway.
'Of course I cried my eyes out.'
Seven-year-old Bear and Nikita, an Akita-shepherd mix believed to be five or six in age, were both taken in by Santa Fe Tails, a local doggie daycare, after their owners were found dead in late February.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's surviving dogs are emotionally scarred by the deaths of their owner and fellow doggie companion. Pictured above is Betsy with Zin, who tragically died with its owners, and surviving German Shepherd, Bear in 2014
The couple, who died within days of each other in February, had developed a love for German Shepherds that saw the couple adopt several dogs over the years
One of the caretakers at the facility looked on in amazement, confessing it was the first time he had seen Bear let anyone rub his belly.
Gaber, who previously had a practice in Santa Fe, made the trip from Central California to Hackman's home to check on her two longtime patients just days before the dogs were sent to their new homes.
DailyMail.com last month revealed that the two orphaned dogs have since been split up following their ordeal. One has been fostered in the New Mexican capital while the other has gone out of state.
The pair were found roaming the property when police discovered the bodies of Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, on February 26. They are believed to have died several days earlier.
A medical examiner's report says Arakawa, 65, died of hantavirus about a week before Hackman, 95, who was suffering from Alzheimer's, succumbed to heart complications.
Their Australian kelpie mix, Zin — short for Zinfandel — died from dehydration and starvation in the home.
Betsy is pictured above with Nikita, who was found roaming the property with Bear when police discovered the couple's bodies
Recently released police bodycam footage briefly showed Nikita on the hillside of the Hackman property before escaping
Officers were seen surveying the home and looking into the windows on the day the actor and his wife were found dead at their home
Nikita, who was affectionately called 'Nikki' by Betsy, was also relieved to see a familiar face after the human she most loved disappeared from her life.
'Nikki is just a shy girl. Even when Betsy would bring her in for a treatment, Nikki would lean against her. She would never leave her side,' Gaber said.
'When Betsy would bring the other dogs in, I would hug Nikki, but she would always be looking at the door like when's mom coming back?'
'You know, missing Betsy, it's a tremendous loss,' she added. 'I just prayed to her to find the dogs the right home.'
The right home for Bear and Nikita will actually be two different homes.
Acknowledging the sadness in separating them, Gaber explained why rehoming them individually is probably the best thing.
Certified animal chiropractor Dr. Sherry Gaber, who previously had a practice in Santa Fe, had continued treating her longtime patients when she moved to Central California, after Betsy went above and beyond to retain her services, she said
The couple's dog trainer and friend Joey Padilla, 42, was the one who set the dogs up with a new home. He said the actor provided financial support to Padilla's daycare Santa Fe Tails and invested in his bowling center, The Alley, that he owned with his late wife Hannah
The two orphaned dogs were taken in by Padilla's doggie daycare center, Santa Fe Tails, before being placed in new homes
'I have known these dogs for years and years, and what I can tell you is that they are very independent of each other. They both have very distinct personalities,' she said.
'They were both loved hugely, spoiled hugely by both Gene and Betsy, and the fact that they will be in separate homes means they will each be receiving 100% attention.'
Kathy Gonsey, co-founder of the German Shepherd Dog Rescue of Central New Mexico, agreed about the benefits of placing the dogs in different environments.
'Instead of relying on each other at their new home, they will rely on their new people,' she explained.
'This helps them make the bond more quickly. They will quickly adapt.
'Remember they are not people. They have a different outlook on life. They will make new pack members.'
News of Gene and Betsy's deaths had left friends, fans, and the local community baffled after it was revealed they were found dead in separate rooms along with one of their German Shepherds at their home
Their bodies were discovered in a state of partial mummification at their $3.3million home (pictured)
Padilla got called to the house on February 26 after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found in their home, along with Zinna, a 12-year-old Australian Kelpie mixed breed
German Shepherds and Akitas are all about their people, explained Gonsey who has 30 years experience in dog rescue.
'If you have a German Shepherd, you never take a shower by yourself or go to the bathroom by yourself.
As Gonsey tells it, Leslie Hackman, Gene's daughter from an earlier marriage, reached out to her nonprofit upon learning of his death and asked if she could help.
'She was very concerned. She didn't know what was going on, but wanted to make sure the dogs had somewhere safe to go.'
In the meantime, Santa Fe Tails owner Joey Padilla, who had trained, boarded, and cared for the couple's three dogs for a decade, was among the first to arrive on the scene and took Bear and Nikita back to his facility.
Gaber has also worked adjusting the dogs' alignment for years, and continued doing so after she moved from New Mexico to Central California when she says Arakawa went above and beyond to retain her services.
The couple previously adopted German Shepherds Maisie and Roscoe from the SW German Shepherd Rescue in 2005 and 2007 (pictured meeting for the first time)
Santa Fe County deputies were seen outside of Betsy and Gene's home in Santa Fe after their bodies were discovered
'Betsy was extremely generous and thoughtful,' she says. 'For the first year, (she) gave me first class tickets to fly back and forth to treat her dogs and the other animals in the community.
'That's the kind of person she was. A first-class person all around.'
Gaber said she last saw Arakawa in October of last year when she gave Bear and Zin adjustments in their hind legs to keep them strong.
Gaber knew that Arakawa would have wanted her to fly back to treat and visit the surviving dogs after her passing.
'Both of them were out of alignment, especially Bear who has had two hip surgeries,' she said, noting she could feel her friend's presence around him and Nikita.
'I was considering taking Bear, if he hadn't already been placed with another person.
'I was even crying on the plane when I left because I was missing him so much,' she added.
But she is convinced that Padilla found the best homes possible for both dogs.
'Joey would only put Bear and Nikki in very good hands,' she said.
'He would only give them to very competent, caring people, people that he trusted 100%.'
