Pets

Great news ... Brooke Hogan's missing dog, Molly, has been FOUND -- and she's alive and well and totally not eaten by coyotes!!!!

As we previously reported, Molly -- an 11-year-old Pomeranian -- went MIA on Monday night while Brook's friend was dog sitting.

The big fear ... Molly was lost in the San Fernando Valley which has an issue with coyotes hunting small pets. Jessica Simpson's dog was snatched a few years ago.

But Molly SURVIVED!!!

Brooke tells us a Good Samaritan found Molly after a 24 hour search and posted her photo on a lost dog website. The person who found Molly was several miles away from where she went missing.

Brooke sent us a thank you message once she got Molly home safely.

Brooke Hogan's missing dog, Molly, is out wandering the streets looking for her owner ... at least that's why Brooke thinks she bolted 24 hours ago.

Brooke tells us she left her 11-year-old Pomeranian in the care of a friend for the first time while she went out of town, and left some very specific instructions that weren't followed.

Brooke says she got the bad news while she was mid-flight and hurried home. She's back in Van Nuys, CA now ... searching for Molly. So far, no dice.

We're told Molly was last seen by a neighbor around 3 PM Monday, a few blocks from the dog sitter's home. As for a tracking chip ... Brooke explained why Molly doesn't have one.

Brooke's offering a "very nice reward" to anyone who helps get Molly home safely.

Dream Hotel founder Vikram Chatwal, formerly a close friend of Lindsay Lohan, has struck a plea deal in his bizarre animal cruelty case.

TMZ broke the story ... NYPD arrested Chatwal in October for walking up to 2 dogs and burning them with an aerosol can and lighter. He was booked for felony criminal mischief and 3 misdemeanors ... animal torture, reckless endangerment and arson.

He's now pleading guilty to 2 misdemeanors, including attempted aggravated animal cruelty ... according to the Manhattan D.A.'s Office. Under the deal, Chatwal must undergo extensive psychological and drug treatment, do 5 days community service and pay $1,039 in restitution to the ASPCA.

Brooke Hogan is sick with grief ... her pooch has gone missing so now her dad has mobilized his troops to hep find her.

Hulk put out a call for "HULKAMANIACS" in Van Nuys ... where Molly was last seen. Brooke posted the sad news on Instagram, saying Molly was last seen Monday afternoon. She's begging anyone in the area to keep their eyes open.

Brooke says, "She is my baby and my life."

Gary Fisher -- aka Gary the Dog, aka Carrie Fisher's beloved French Bulldog -- came in for a soft landing at LAX Saturday, under the watchful eye of his new owner.

Corby McCoin, Carrie's assistant, is now Gary's caretaker. As we reported, initially Carrie's family said Billie would care for Carey, but ultimately it made more sense for Corby to do the honors since the dog had more of a connection to her.

Gary was flying back from The Last Jedi panel in Orlando, where he was a big hit.

FYI ... Gary should have been on a leash at LAX per City ordinance, but he's been through a lot so everyone cut him a break.

Cops in Georgia are dealing with a doggone mess ... but cops are right on the suspect's tail.

FOX 5 Atlanta posted this photo that shows the aftermath inside a Roswell, GA police station ... the poor box never had a chance against the super smug K-9.

Gotta ask ... WHO LET THE DOG OUT?!

Richard Simmons can stay in hiding, but his new dog would still have to get out and do its biz, right?

Richard's longtime housekeeper, Teresa Reveles, was spotted outside his house walking a pooch. We don't know if it's her pet or Richard's ... but it would be awesome if it was his.

You'll recall Richard's beloved dalmatian, Hattie, died right around the time of his last public sighting 3 years ago. People close to him believed it was a big part of his depression.

If the new pup is Richard's, it could be a sign he's bouncing back. As we've reported ... police recently went to his house for a welfare check, and we're told he's just fine.

Mike Epps brought a kangaroo onstage that appeared to be in distress ... now many of Epps' fans are pissed, and some are even calling it animal abuse.

Epps performed Friday in Detroit at the Festival of Laughs comedy tour, when a man came out with a kangaroo on a leash. Epps egged on the handler to make the kangaroo partake in the show, and grabbed the leash, holding the animal for a photo.

The handler also carried the 'roo around as it appeared to attempt to run off the stage. Several ticket holders were infuriated, saying ... "They're trash for doing this," and describing the scene as "violence" and "animal abuse."

The handler is Javon Stacks, who went viral last week for walking around Detroit with a kangaroo on a leash. He told MLive.com it's part of a travelling exotic zoo, and claimed to have the proper licenses.

We checked, and it's illegal to own a kangaroo in Detroit, but a rep for city Animal Control tells TMZ ... because the animal appears to be from out of town, it would be up to state and federal authorities to decide if a crime had occurred.

Stacks told us the kangaroo was not harmed in any way Friday night, and the harness he used is not only legal -- but preferable to a collar which could hurt the animal.

After the show, Epps posted a backstage video of himself with a different kangaroo which makes it seem like he anticipated backlash. He captioned the clip, "Yeh look how nice Iam 2 him! Theses guys are license zoo keepers ! #iloveanimals." He later deleted the post.

We reached out to Epps' rep ... so far no word back.

Maine apparently loves dogs as much as lobsters because the state's governor issued a pardon for a dog that was sentenced to death.

The dog -- a Husky named Dakota -- will live after Gov. Paul LePage reportedly issued a full pardon to the pooch that was set to be euthanized for killing a small dog. The pooch had also shown violent behavior toward other dogs, according to Bangor Daily News.

Dakota had been sent to a shelter and later adopted ... with the family having no idea he had been sentenced to death. Dakota reportedly showed no aggression while in the shelter.

Steph Curry's got a brand new family member -- he's adorable, he's furry and he ain't cheap!

TMZ Sports has learned Steph and Ayesha just brought home a 10-week-old Goldendoodle puppy this week from a place called Murphy's Doodles ... a high-end breeder in Florida.

'Harry Potter' actor Jim Tavaré is slowly recovering from the car accident that sent him to ICU for 2 weeks, and this week he got a dose of love from his pooch.

For the first time since the accident, Jim was taken outside of the hospital in a wheelchair to be reunited with his dog, Mr Kippy, who was more than ecstatic to see his master.

Mr Kippy had been in the car during Jim's head-on collision. Both miraculously survived ... the dog more unscathed than Jim, who is still mending from a broken neck and several other broken bones, as well as collapsed lungs.

He already looks better than he did weeks ago.

Animal Planet's Jackson Galaxy is stepping up to solve Taylor Swift's cat troubles.

We got the unofficial cat whisperer and host of "My Cat from Hell" at LAX, and he said there's been a sea change -- cat ladies are in now, and that includes Ms. Swift ... who has two kitties.

Taylor's documented her feline issues -- the damn things won't let her sleep. It's an easy fix though, according to Jackson ... but she's gonna have to give him a call.

Demi Lovato is awesome ... she's celebrating her 5-years of sobriety by driving around L.A. and donating thousands of dollars to various charities ... TMZ has learned.

Demi delivered a $5,000 check Saturday to Kari Whitman, who runs Ace of Hearts animal rescue. She personally took the check to Kari's home and said she wanted to celebrate her sobriety by giving to worthy causes. She also said she was spending the day "giving back," so that was just her first stop.

The singer had not previously been involved in Ace of Hearts, so it looks like she checked on various animal charities in L.A. and then personally executed her plan.

Demi posted Thursday she was 5-years sober and counting, saying, "I'm so proud of myself but I couldn't have done it without my higher power (God), my family, friend and everyone else who supported me."

April the Giraffe's had millions of people waiting -- now impatiently -- for more than a month for her to give birth, but neither she nor her baby are in danger.

The Animal Adventure Park in upstate NY set up a live stream in early February ... anticipating she'd shortly give birth. No dice though, and the long wait has April's loyal viewers wondering what the hell's happening!

A rep for the park says they aren't worried about the lengthy delay ... in fact, it's natural. We're told April's not in full labor yet, but the fetus is active and there are biological signs (we'll spare you the gory details) she's close to popping.

We're told vets won't intervene until they see the positioning of the calf. Ideally, employees hope to see the baby's front hooves, knees, snout and neck first.

If that happens, they'll sit back and let April do her thing, but if there's any sign the calf is breech ... the vet team is ready to go.

Any day now, April.

"The Biggest Loser" host Bob Harper's looking good following his major heart attack, and says he's taking steps toward recovery ... small ones with his dog.

The fitness guru's been posting pics letting fans know he's getting better, but says the only exercise he's allowed to do right now is walk Karl around the city and in the park.

We broke the story ... Bob suffered the heart attack 2 weeks ago and was unconscious for 2 days and hospitalized for 8.

Normally, he'd be competing in the CrossFit Open this time of year. Strolling with Karl's gonna have to suffice for now.

Tom Hardy knows where he should place his allegiance for Super Bowl LI ... and he's got his dog to thank for the direction.

Tom was interviewing on Fox Sunday, where he was asked who he's got to win the big game.

Due to Woodstock -- the canine, not the friend -- being from Georgia, he seems to have his pick.

BTW ... he's really got a thing for dogs ...