Gene Hackman and wife Betsy
Gene Hackman and wife Betsy were big fans of German Shepherd dogs

Gene Hackman and his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico – and the future of their surviving dogs, Bear and Nikita, remains unclear

Actor Gene Hackman and his wife’s surviving dogs are in “limbo” after the death of their owners, it’s emerged.

Bear, a German Shepherd and Nikita, an Akita-shepherd mix, can’t be rehomed until the couple’s wills are read. They are currently at a dog boarding facility, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after being rescued from the couple’s house.

They are staying there indefinitely until it transpires what provisions – if any – Hackman made for the dogs in the wake of his death. It remains to be seen if any of Hackman’s family will take the dogs on board, or if they will be rehomed with a new family.

It comes as new heartbreaking details have emerged of the condition the dogs were found in. Cops have previously described the pair of dogs as “healthy”, while the remains of a third “mummified” dog was found in a closet in the bathroom near Betsy’s body.

Betsy Arakawa and Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman and wife Betsy were massive dog lovers ( 
Image:
2003 AP)

It’s since emerged that the dog that died was Zinna, a 12-year-old Australian Kelpie mixed-breed, and not a German Shepherd that was originally reported. The dogs -who had been left free to roam for at least 10 days – were found by cops, who called in animal control.

While Bear, who was found near Betsy’s body, was captured easily, Nikita was running around and “skittish because of all the commotion,” according to USA Today.

They tried to coax Nikita into Betsy’s car by opening and closing the door, and also by using treats, but the dog refused. In the end they had to set up a door trap for her overnight in the backyard. They were then both taken to a boarding facility. The investigation into the couple’s death has stalled since cops are awaiting the results of the couple’s toxicology results.

Hackman and classical pianist Betsy, 65, were found dead in separate rooms of their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, last Wednesday. The actor was likely to have died about nine days before his body was discovered by authorities.