Gene and Betsy Hackman. Photo:
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Gene and Betsy Hackman‘s deceased dog was misidentified by police after the discovery on their bodies, according to reports.
Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy, 64, were discovered dead in their Santa Fe home on Feb. 26. Police also had said their German Shepherd was found 15 to 20 feet away from Betsy, while two other dogs were found alive.
But according to reports from the Associated Press and USA Today, the dog found deceased was not the couple’s German Shepherd, Bear, but instead was their kelpie mix, named Zinna.
The outlets both cited Joey Padilla, who owns a facility that has been caring for the surviving dogs since their owners’ deaths.
“[Zinna] was always attached to Betsy at the hip and it was a beautiful relationship,” Padilla told the AP in a statement. “Zinna went from being a returned shelter dog to this incredible companion under Betsy’s hand.”
The AP, citing police, reported that Zinna died in a crate in the closet of the bathroom where Arakawa was found alongside a bottle of pills and a space heater.
Sherry Gaber, an animal chiropractor who was friends with the Hackmans, told USA Today that Betsy had rescued both Zinna and Bear, the former from a shelter and the latter from the side of a highway.
Gaber reportedly said that Zinna used to do agility training with the goal of entering the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
“They wanted to do all the right things for their animals because they loved them so deeply,” Gaber reportedly said of Gene and Betsy.
Padilla told the paper that he would take care of the dogs until wills are sorted out and that the animals would not be taken to a shelter.
Gene and Betsy Hackman had been married since 1991.
