Animals

Pete Davidson getting his new dog from a pet store and not from an animal shelter comes as a disappointment to the folks over at PETA.

Daphna Nachminovitch, the Senior VP of Cruelty Investigations over at PETA, tells TMZ ... "It's tragic that Pete didn’t seek out a borough-born mutt from a city animal shelter, because a scrappy New Yorker with charm, personality, and unconventional handsomeness could have been his perfect match."

As we reported ... Pete and his actress girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders picked up a cavapoo puppy last month from Citipups in Manhattan, and the dog is from a breeder.

PETA is urging Pete to consider adopting the next time he needs a four-legged friend, with Daphna telling us ... "Since shelters in New York and across the country are overflowing with homeless animals, PETA urges Pete to show some big heart energy by adopting, not shopping, in the future."

Remember ... Pete picked out the pup after seeing a photo of him on Citipups' website.

Of course, the whole reason Pete was looking for a puppy in the first place was because his dog Henry recently died at just 2 years old.

We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Instagram model Liziane Gutierrez and her 10-lb pooch fell victim to some nasty crooks who not only broke into her home but decided they also needed to mace the pup in the process.

Check out the video, obtained by TMZ, showing 3 men break into Liziane's Vegas home Thursday night through a back door. You see her maltese, Duchess, approach the intruders in a friendly manner only to be blasted with pepper spray.

From there, the men rush upstairs and into Liziane's bedroom, ransacking her closet and making away with Gucci bags, a Rolex, a gold chain and designer sneakers.

Thankfully, Liziane was at the gym at the time of the incident ... but she tells us the men made away with over $50K in luxury goods. She called the cops as soon as she got home.

As for Duchess, she was taken to the vet -- given a bunch of baths and some medication for her lungs and eyes -- we're told she's still having a tough time recovering and isn't yet back to 100% ... though things are looking good.

MMA fighter Mike Dragich is used to squaring up against proverbial beasts inside of a cage, but last month, he got to go up against a literal one -- wrestling a 10-foot alligator away from onlookers ... and the wild scene was all captured on video!!!

The crazy matchup happened outside of an elementary school in Jacksonville ... when Dragich -- a 33-year-old amateur fighter and licensed gator trapper -- was summoned to help Florida fire and rescue officials wrangle a giant reptile away from a campus full of students.

You can see in footage that Dragich posted to his social media page, he didn't look nervous about the upcoming fight at all ... strolling up to the gator in a cut-sleeve shirt and tight pants.

Video shows Dragich tried to grab the alligator by its tail multiple times ... but the animal wasn't budging.

Finally, Dragich was able to hook its head with a catch pole ... but the alligator didn't go down easily, causing a group of spectators nearby to scream with fear.

It rolled multiple times in an effort to break free from Dragich ... though, eventually, the man was able to corral it with the help of JFRD responders.

After the battle, the gator wrangler told Fox 35 Orlando, "I felt like Batman, for real."

"A lot of fighters will understand that uh, when you go to the cage, you're nervous but once that cage door closes, you gotta be focused and honestly that's what I remembered from that night," Dragich said.

The mixed martial artist is no stranger to these kinds of situations, in addition to taking multiple fights in his career ... he's also taken down a bunch of gators over the years too, showcasing many of his conquests in videos on his IG page.

Of course, he's far from the first notable figure to get in brawls with scary creatures -- UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov gained fame for wrestling bears regularly. And, who could forget Chuck Norris' own tilt with a bear?!?

Begs the question, what's crazier ... fighting a gator, or a bear???

Pete Davidson has a new best friend, a super cute pup ... and he was all smiles as he picked up his new buddy with girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders.

They picked up the pooch in New York City, going to Citipups in Manhattan to get their furry friend ... the pet store just posted footage of Pete and Chase at the counter.

Folks who work at Citipups tell TMZ ... Pete and Chase came through May 21 and left with a cavapoo puppy. We're told the pup, a boy, was only 2.5 months old ... and he didn't have a name, so Pete and Chase have a big decision to make.

The puppy's not a rescue or anything ... we're told it was from a breeder.

Leading up to Pete's in-store visit, we're told Pete was in contact with Citipups and told them he fell in love with the cavapoo after seeing a photo of the pup.

Pete brought Chase along with him ... and we're told they loved the dog and bought it on the spot. Naturally, we're told Pete and Chase are super excited with their new pup ... though it's unclear if it's Pete's dog or if they got it together.

Pittsburgh Pirates minor leaguer Travis Swaggerty is asking his fans for prayers ... revealing on Wednesday his wife is dealing with a rare blood disease after she was attacked by a raccoon.

Swaggerty -- the No. 10 overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft -- said his partner, Peyton Swaggerty, was bitten by the rabid animal over a year ago ... and her life has been hell ever since.

In a statement posted on his social media page, the outfielder said Peyton has been "riddled" with "unresolved pain and problems" that have "completely taken her quality of life away from her."

Travis said in his note that she was headed for an appointment at the Mayo Clinic later Wednesday to try to find solutions to the issues.

"I wanted to share this to ask for support and prayers for her," he wrote, "along with reminding everyone to not take anything for granted in this life, especially the little things."

Travis said in a separate tweet that Peyton, despite all of the medical issues, has remained a stellar mom to their baby daughter.

"She fights through everything she’s feeling to be the best mom she can be," Travis said.

Peyton thanked her husband and his fans for their support in a tweet of her own on Wednesday morning ... adding, "We're on our way to the Mayo Clinic right now."

"I'm trusting God and the doctors!"

Jay Cutler has gone from playing for the Bears ... to slaying them -- the ex-Chicago quarterback just revealed he shot and killed a wild one while out on a hunt in Montana.

The 40-year-old has been in Big Sky Country for the last few days enjoying the state's spring bear hunt ... and on Tuesday morning, he came away with a big trophy.

According to Outsider, Cutler shot a cinnamon black bear with a scoped bolt action rifle ... and it wasn't hard to see the former NFL star was thrilled with his catch.

Cutler posted a pic with the dead animal on his social media page ... writing, "MT bear hunt in the books" -- and saying he was off to go enjoy a beer now.

Cutler also had a memorable moment on the hunt over the weekend, he found a huge elk rack and skull that was nearly as big as him.

Cutler's become quite the outdoorsman in his retirement from football -- he posts about his hunts regularly. In fact, just last summer, he said he hunted down a deer that he had been stalking for some two years.

Several Yankees fans nearly got a lapful of peanuts, Cracker Jacks and squirrel out at the old ballgame Tuesday night -- and the Pinstripes supporters couldn't have been more mortified by it!!!

The Animal Planet-like scene all went down during New York's tilt against the Baltimore Orioles ... when, somehow, a squirrel broke into Yankee Stadium and took an in-game jaunt around the outfield.

First, it was seen posted up near the Yanks' bullpen ... then it was spotted in the center field grass. But, when it made its way near the stands, that's when all hell broke loose.

Check out video of rodent's run across an outfield wall -- fans were absolutely terrified to be so close to the creature!!

You can see most of the guys in the area had alarmed looks on their faces -- which is not too surprising ... considering New York is, after all, known as a concrete jungle.

Don't worry, no one was bit by the creature -- and as far we know, no squirrels were harmed during the game. Plus, the Yanks seemed to get some good mojo by it all ... going on to beat the O's, 6-5, in a walk-off thriller.

A man in Florida lost an arm after being attacked by an alligator outside a local watering hole.

The victim, a 23-year-old man, was attacked early Sunday morning at a pond behind Banditos Bar in Port Charlotte, FL ... according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

It sounds the like the incident could have been a lot worse ... because a bar patron told local news outlet The Daily Sun he heard a man screaming in the darkness and rushed outside to look for him near the pond area, helping him to safety.

The Good Samaritan, local resident Manny Hidalgo, told the outlet ... "He was yelling and swimming toward the shoreline. I ran and dragged him up onto the sand. I was scared to get close to the water because it was dark out."

Florida officials say the victim suffered "significant injuries" in the attack ... and the Associated Press reports the man was airlifted to a hospital in Fort Myers, where his arm was amputated.

Wildlife officials say a nuisance alligator trapper was called and removed the 10.5-foot gator from the property .. the gator was then "humanely killed."

Gators are known to attack in the sunshine state, where they are a dime a dozen. As we reported, an alligator at a retirement community in Fort Pierce killed an 85-year-old woman in February as she was walking her dog by the water's edge.

A toddler was also killed under similar circumstances in 2016 at Disney World.

Paris Hilton is sharing some sad news ... her Chihuahua, Harajuku Bitch, has died.

The reality star/entrepreneur revealed the loss Monday morning, saying ... "Today, my heart breaks as I say goodbye to my precious chihuahua, Harajuku Bitch.💔🐶"

Harajuku got a pretty complete eulogy, as Paris added, "For an incredible 23 years, she filled my life with so much love, loyalty, and unforgettable moments.🥰 She lived a long, beautiful and iconic life, surrounded by love until her final peaceful slumber."

Paris says HB was "more than just a pet; she was family to me, a loyal friend who was always by my side through every twist and turn life brought my way."

She ended her post by thanking HB for blessing her life with unconditional love -- "You will forever be my little angel, forever missed, and forever loved. 😇 You may be physically gone, but the imprint of your pawprints on my life will never fade.🐾"

It's been a tough year for Paris as a dog mama.

You'll recall, her dog Diamond Baby went missing last year ... and still has not been found, despite PH offering a "big reward" for her return.

Ariana Madix is not keeping quiet about how ugly the cheating scandal with her ex-Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss went down -- revealing the cheaters first had sex in the car, while she was mourning the death of her dog.

In a preview clip of the season 10 finale of "Vanderpump Rules," Ariana opens up about how she found out about the whole 'Scandoval' for the very first time ... and how the call went when she first confronted Raquel.

If you already thought things were bad, the story gets worse.

Ariana says, she first found a screen recording of them on FaceTime, and, "That's when I called Raquel and I started, like, making her, like, f***ing tell me, 'What the f***? When did this start?'"

To her surprise, Raquel explained it had all started after a girls' trip to Vegas last August -- a trip Ariana left early because her dog Charlotte died.

To make matters worse, Ariana says Raquel still didn't tell the whole truth -- only confessing to kissing -- but later Tom Schwartz revealed Sandoval and Raquel banged in the car.

She adds, "And he didn't have a key to get in so he had to ring the doorbell and I had to let him in" ... yikes!

As you know, it's been a whole lot of drama involving the entire cast after TMZ broke the news Ariana had discovered the cheating was going on ... blowing up her 10-year relationship with Sandoval.

A fisherman in Hawaii just had a real-life "Jaws" moment ... after a massive shark attacked him while kayaking in the ocean, and the entire death-defying encounter was caught on video!

It all happened on Friday, May 12 ... Scott Haraguchi was out fishing near the Kualoa shore in Honolulu, Hawaii. After catching a fish, he forgot to turn off his GoPro ... and it's a good thing he did.

Just a few minutes later, everything seems normal until all of a sudden, a tiger shark attacked his kayak, biting the boat for about 2 seconds, as Haraguchi screamed in fear.

Thankfully, Scott was able to kick the shark off.

Haraguchi, of course, was freaked out, and went on to warn nearby fishermen ... telling KITV he initially thought it was a turtle.

"I heard a whooshing sound that sounded like a boat heading towards me without the motor and I looked up and I saw this big brown thing," Haraguchi said.

"My brain thought it was a turtle but then I got slammed by it and realized that it was a tiger shark."

Haraguchi also said he's lucky to be alive and is concerned about the several shark sightings in the area, including a 20-foot shark the day after his incident.

"I realize that life is short, time is short on Earth, so make the most of it."

Stay safe!! 🦈

The Navy veteran who claims Rep. George Santos cheated him out of cash intended for his dying dog's cancer treatment is happy to see Santos facing criminal charges ... he says George had it coming and karma's a bitch.

Richard Osthoff tells TMZ ... Santos deserves to spend time behind bars and he hopes the judge throws the book at him.

The vet says he's not the only one glad the feds busted Santos, running off a list of groups he claims have been wronged by George. While he's surprised at the timeline, Richard says he's glad Santos finally has to face the music ... and he believes more charges could be coming.

As we reported ... the FBI arrested Santos Wednesday for a variety of alleged misdeeds, including lying. He was charged with 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to the House of Representatives.

For his part, Santos insists he's innocent, calling the indictment against him a "witch hunt" and refusing to resign.

Osthoff, you might recall, claims Santos created a GoFundMe campaign to pay for a lifesaving surgery for his cancer-stricken dog Sapphire ... only to see Santos make off with thousands of dollars in donations, leaving Sapphire for dead.

Someone's about to live like a champion -- a very wealthy World Series champion -- 'cause Braves legend Chipper Jones just unloaded his gigantic mansion in Georgia for $11 MILLION!!

The estate was built in 2013 and sits on 37 wooded acres in Canton, only 13 miles northeast of Atlanta ... where the Braves star was one of the greatest players of his generation.

The gated estate has eight bedrooms, nine baths, a nine-car garage, and entertainment for days including a home theater, game room, dirt bike track, and a 4-stall horse barn.

BTW, the stable has a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment inside, as well.

But, perhaps the best perk is the heated Olympic-sized pool on the mansion grounds!

The interior features floor-to-ceiling windows, hardwood floors, natural stone, and high ceilings.

The Jones property was listed by Katie McGuirk of Ansley Real Estate for $15 million in 2022, but after months on the market, the crib finally sold this week for $11M. Jones bought the property in 2018 for $9.25M.

Now, why would Jones let this beautiful place go? We're told he's simply downsizing.

Of course, Jones has been a beloved Atlanta resident since the Braves selected the third baseman as the first overall pick in the 1990 MLB Draft ... and during his 19 seasons, he became an 8-time All-Star, a 2-time Silver Slugger winner, an MLB batting champ, NL MVP, and a World Series champ.

The Braves retired his No. 10 jersey and he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018. He's currently the Braves' assistant hitting consultant.

A Detroit TSA worker has been benched after a video of him yanking his dog around went viral ... and yeah, it's as bad as it sounds.

The unidentified canine handler can be seen walking back and forth at Detroit Metro Airport as people shuffle past him and his dog ... which he has on a tight leash, quite literally. This dude is doing what a lot of TSA people do in this situation with dogs on the job -- attempting to sniff out and detect drugs, explosives or anything else that shouldn't be at a federal facility.

Of course, the problem here is that the guy is jerking his partner around to the point it feels jarring and aggressive -- and you feel for the pup.

People saw this clip and were outraged -- demanding the guy be taken to task and removed from his gig. Well, that's exactly what's happened ... however, he's not been fired, at least not yet. The airport's TSA brass says they're suspending him for now.

Jared Leto has just made his arrival at the Met Gala, confusing many to his identity at first ... that is until he removed the giant cat head he was wearing.

Check out Jared's wild getup for this year's fashion Super Bowl, if you will -- a tribute to the life and work of Karl Lagerfeld.

What's unique about the actor's furry 'fit is it's more of an homage to Lagerfeld's beloved pet,  Choupette, than the man himself.

Of course, there was plenty of confusion between photographers when Jared first hit the carpet -- as no one could possibly tell who it was, but everyone got super excited once he made his big reveal.

Leto's is likely the most bizarre look we've seen so far ... though Doja Cat also dressed like a feline, but less furry and far easier to identify.

Rihanna wore quite the getup in New York last night -- one that was all fur and all high fashion ... from head to toe.

The singer was photographed out and about in the Big Apple Saturday, where we're told she was grabbing dinner ... although there's no sign of her partner, A$AP Rocky. What we can see, though, is RiRi wearing this wacky ensemble ... which all starts with a big hat.

Of course, her eyewear gives away what she's rocking here ... it's Chanel, and it seems she was feeling a little Cruella de Vil-ish with the black-and-white theme.

Speaking of that, it's unclear if this is real fur or not. We know PETA recently reached out to her and tried sending her some faux fur stuff -- but we have no idea if she entertained it. In any case, Rihanna was feeling herself ... which probably translates for her new kiddo too.