Pets

A horse is being hailed a hero after it ran into a treacherous situation to save his/her fellow horses from being burned up in one of the SoCal fires.

The dramatic footage was shot Wednesday morning as Good Samaritans worked to corral horses to safety as they tried to escape the fast-approaching Easy Fire in Simi Valley.

You can see one of the horses all but ready to get loaded onto a trailer when it busted a 180 and ran back to the foothills to save 2 confused horses caught in the chaos.

According to CBS News ... multiple horses and small animals were led to safety. Unfortunately, a 28-year-old mare needed to be euthanized on scene after breaking her two front legs from running away from the fire.

Nearby ranchers were also swiftly moving to evacuate their horses ... and the scene's pretty heartbreaking. As we reported ... the Easy Fire was triggered around 6 AM and, in just a few hours, it torched nearly 1,000 acres.

President Donald Trump is introducing to the world the K9 hero that risked life and limbs to hunt down ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

POTUS declassified this picture to reveal the four paws that had a major hand in taking down al-Baghdadi during a stealthy operation over the weekend in Syria. The pooch was, reportedly, "slightly wounded" after chasing down the ISIS leader, who killed himself and 3 children by detonating a suicide vest.

President Trump said the military dog was chasing al-Baghdadi when he resorted to setting off the bomb.

While the dog is being hailed for its heroism, there are still limits to what we're allowed to know. It's still on the job, and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says they won't release the dog's name for security reasons.

So, while the feds ain't saying if it's a good boy or a good girl -- we're gonna take a shot in the dark based on the pic they've released. Atta girl, Daisy!

We know you're wondering -- the dog's reportedly German Shepherd or a Belgian Malinois. The latter is the breed of choice for sensitive military missions. In fact, a Belgian Malinois tagged along with the Navy SEALs who killed Osama bin Laden.

This should go without saying, but ... dog treats for life!!!

The famous Gentle Barn went under evacuation because of California's devastating Tick Fire ... but some of the older animals are still in harm's way.

While a majority of the creatures who call The Gentle Barn home have made it to safety ... founder Ellie Laks tells us staff members are staying behind with several animals who were unable to escape.

We're told Zeus, a famous 12-year-old pig, and Forgiveness, a 3,000-pound cow, couldn't climb a ladder to safety ... so they were forced to stay back with staffers, who are keeping them contained in a safety fence.

Check out the video ... you see Zoe the horse blanching when handlers tried to get her in the trailer. We're told Zoe was just too terrified.

11 animals remained on property at The Gentle Barn in Santa Clarita ... including a bunch of potbelly pigs. Several workers spent the night with the critters who couldn't make it out.

Even some of the evacuated animals are not in the clear ... goats and sheep were taken to an "unsafe zone" where coyotes and bobcats roam. Gentle Barn workers are watching over them, and we're told they're searching for a safer area to hold the animals.

The good news ... the Tick Fire is moving away from The Gentle Barn ... but we're told staff remains on high alert and they've got their hands full assisting animals at various locations. The fire is only 5 percent contained and 50,000 residents have been evacuated.

The Gentle Barn is super popular with famous folk ... Moby and Daisy Fuentes tried to help in the evacuation, however, we're told Moby was stopped from entering the property by firefighters.

The man in this video is NOT the lion king, but for a few intense, near-death moments ... he thought he was while sitting nose-to-nose with a big cat in its zoo enclosure.

This insanity went down Thursday at a zoo in Delhi, India where a 28-year-old man hopped a fence and plopped himself down inches away from a male lion that seemed totally puzzled by the guy's presence.

It's impossible to look away from the scene -- the guy stood in front of the lion, then crouched down in front of it. Simba was almost motionless for several seconds, then suddenly lunged toward the guy and it looked like ... dinner was served!

What happened next is baffling -- for some reason the lion backs down! Moments later, zoo officials fired a tranquilizer at the animal, and managed to get the man out alive.

The showdown was even closer than the one that went down in the Bronx Zoo a few weeks back when a woman who was allegedly high on something taunted a lion. At least she had a moat between her and the cat.

The late great Grumpy Cat still has one of her 9 lives left ... to fire off a lawsuit at Internet stores allegedly selling counterfeit merchandise.

The late feline's company -- Grumpy Cat Limited -- is suing to stop corporations and all other entities from producing and selling rip-off gear featuring GC's famous name and furry mug.

According to the legal docs ... the official site for Grumpy Cat t-shirts, hats, coffee mugs and more is grumpycats.com, so it wants the court to help shut down all other Internet shops hawking copycat items.

The temperature is starting to drop and these celebs are having a ruff time tackling this season solo ... So they recruited their furry friends along to warm 'em up!

Stars such as Paris Jackson, Emma Kenny, Ryan Lochte, Aidy Bryant and plenty others have all posted their precious pooches and are proud to show off their puppy love.

Take a page out of their book and start snuggling up to a four-legged friend ... Get inspired by scrolling through our gallery of celebs cuddling dogs. See all the sweet stuff you're missing out on!

Justin Bieber's not playing with PETA -- he's firing back hard at the animal rights org after it slammed him for dropping $35k on 2 exotic cats ... telling them to suck it.

JB adopted a pair of Savannah kittens a little more than a month ago -- which he named Sushi and Tuna -- and revealed the brother and sister felines on Instagram as "my children" ... much to the dismay of PETA.

It released a statement chastising his exotic pets purchase, grousing he should have adopted cats from a local shelter. Justin caught wind of the criticism ... and went off.

In a series of IG Stories, Bieber first posted a screenshot of an article about the backlash but added his own caption -- "PETA can suck it."

WNBA star Jonquel Jones is the first player in WNBA history to record a 30-15 game in the Finals ... and she's revealing her secret weapon after her dominant performance -- her adorable dog!!

The Connecticut Sun forward was an absolute beast in Game 2 of the Finals on Tuesday ... posting 32 points and 18 rebounds to single-handedly take down the Washington Mystics and tie up the series.

TMZ Sports spoke with JJ on Thursday at Reagan National Airport ... and she just so happened to have her INCREDIBLY CUTE doggy, Rylo, with her.

So, of course ... we had to chop it up with Jonquel about her 4-legged friend ... and she says she's able to take Rylo with her everywhere she goes!!

"He's my son, so I'd want to take him anywhere I can take him," Jones tells us.

Naturally, after a dominant game like she just had, we had to ask if young Rylo brings her some additional good luck on road trips ... and she says "most definitely!!"

We take it we're gonna see Rylo around a LOT during the rest of the series.

Air Force's beloved falcon mascot, Aurora, took her last flight on Wednesday ... the school announced the iconic bird has died. She was 23.

Aurora -- a rare white phase gyrfalcon -- played a huge role at Air Force sporting events over the years and was touted as "an ambassador for all falcons."

"We are deeply saddened to announce that Aurora passed away earlier today," the Academy said in a statement. "Aurora was the Academy’s longest-serving live mascot. In her 23 years at USAFA, she interacted with tens of thousands of people at sporting venues and military and community events."

USAFA credits Aurora for "helping us educate the public on the importance of these majestic birds."

The leaks coming from the White House are now crossing into the animal kingdom ... because a mouse fell out of a ceiling, sending reporters into a frenzy!!!

The wild scene went down Tuesday morning at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, when a mouse plunged through the ceiling in the press booth and landed in a journo's lap.

Members of the media were obviously shocked by the rodent's rude entrance, with reporters scurrying out of their seats.

A mouse hunt ensued ... and video shows the furry critter darting behind tables and equipment, eluding capture. One reporter even busted out a broom, but the mouse got away.

By all accounts, the mouse is still on the loose after escaping the office area ... and it was last seen running wild in the White House press briefing room.

George Clooney's just sittin' around on his ass -- alongside Brie Larson -- and getting paid for it ... good work if you can get it!

The movie stars were riding through the streets of Madrid Wednesday -- Clooney on a beautiful white donkey, and Larson on what looks like a white horse, of course. Although it could be a mule. Forgive us ... we're no equine experts.

Either way, they seemed to vibe well with the animals, and at one point, George even shared a moment with a chicken that wandered onto set. The actors were shooting a new ad for Nespresso. George has been its main spokesman since 2006.

Over the years actors like Matt Damon, John Malkovich, Danny DeVito and Natalie Dormer have joined him for the spots ... and now you can add Captain Marvel to that list.

Y'know what they say -- work hard, bray hard.

Phoenix Suns stud Kelly Oubre Jr. claims his ex-girlfriend stole his two dogs after they broke up in May ... and now, he's suing her.

It's all in a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports, in which the NBA player claims he's having a miserable time breaking things off with his ex, Makena Spooner LeDuff.

Oubre says the two began dating back in mid-2017 when he was a member of the Washington Wizards ... and things were going so well, they stayed together when he was traded to Phoenix in 2018.

In fact, Oubre claims when he rented a place in Beverly Hills shortly after the deal with the Suns ... he allowed her to live there with him.

But, Oubre says things took a terrible turn when the two broke things off in May ... alleging 27-year-old Makena has been a nightmare.

In the lawsuit, Oubre claims she's refused to leave his Bev Hills spot, slashed the tires on his car, stolen some of his stuff ... and worst of all, taken his two beloved dogs.

Oubre says he got the pups -- Saint and Soul -- before he met Makena ... and claims she is now "holding them hostage" in an effort to try to get money from the NBA player.

Oubre says he tried like hell to get them back from her -- even getting the LAPD involved in August -- but says she's successfully avoided returning them to him.

Now, Oubre -- who's in the middle of a 2-year, $30 MILLION contract -- is suing her for damages.

David Eason is finally admitting what we've all known -- he killed their family dog, but he's also justifying it ... and claiming he's distraught over having fatally shot the animal.

Jenelle Evans and her husband explained the notorious dog-killing incident, and David says it was really pretty simple, for him anyway. He told People his daughter's safety was in danger after Nugget bit their 2-year-old daughter, Ensley, multiple times, and he didn't want to give it up for adoption because it might have bitten another kid.

David said the law mandates an aggressive dog be euthanized ... so he decided to handle it himself. He at least appeared to get emotional talking about the act of killing the dog, and claimed he thinks about Nugget daily.

For her part, Jenelle claims the whole ordeal was supposed to be a private family matter, but word somehow got out. Truth is ... the word got out mostly because Jenelle posted it.

She also goes to bat for David, saying he's learned a valuable lesson from all of this, and didn't mean to hurt so many people. Truth is ... she's got a new cosmetics line, and they need a PR comeback.

Jennifer Lopez got an earful at the Toronto International Film Festival Saturday night, when a group of animal rights protesters launched on her over her penchant for wearing fur, saying she hates animals.

J Lo was there for her movie, "Hustlers," and as she posed on the red carpet, members of Vegan anti-fur protestors went on the attack.

She tries to ignore the protesters, but she clearly heard them ... it was impossible not to. Organizations have been aggressive for years over the torture animals endure when they are often skinned alive and suffer a horrible death in order to manufacturer fur.

J Lo is known for wearing fur, and there's a scene in the trailer for her new movie in which fur is front and center ... it's unclear if the fur is real or fake.

She had another incident Saturday night. Check out the video of J Lo almost falling from a balcony ... as she watched her movie premiere at the festival. It was close call, but she was okay.

There was a buzz she might be getting married to A-Rod next weekend, but our sources say that's not the case. They haven't announced a date yet, although they may have one up their sleeve.

YouTuber Brooke Houts -- who was seen beating, shoving and spitting on her dog in footage she accidentally uploaded -- won't face criminal charges for her actions ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the LAPD's Animal Cruelty Task Force is wrapping up its animal abuse investigation and has determined the evidence doesn't support criminal charges.

As one source put it ... while the video isn't easy to watch, Houts' interaction with her dog doesn't rise to the level of criminal abuse. We're told Houts will keep her Doberman, Sphinx.

As we told you ... Houts kept custody of Sphinx as the task force investigated after the video surfaced, because it determined the pooch was not in immediate danger.

We're told although the case will soon be closed, the LAPD can reopen it if new evidence is presented.

Houts understandably took serious heat for how she treated her dog, and issued a long-winded apology afterward ... explaining how expensive dog trainers are and claiming she's not an animal abuser.

Another dog has died aboard a KLM flight ... a tragedy that's becoming far too common.

The tragic incident went down on July 26 after 9-month-old French Bulldog boarded flight KL617 from Amsterdam to Boston. The family's attorney, Evan Oshan, tells TMZ ... the family's father was shipping his 6-year-old son's dog to their home in the states. Oshan says when the boy's grandmother went to pick up the dog at the airport, officials broke the tragic news to her.

The family had a necropsy performed on Roger and according to the docs provided by Oshan, Roger died of heat exhaustion and dehydration. The cause of death is listed as respiratory distress/heat stroke. The report also says "limited panting in a stressful, hot or humid environment, combined with a lack of water, would have placed Roger at high risk for heat stroke."

The family now wants answers and has hired Oshan, who has sadly dealt with similar cases. As we first reported ... a Central Asian Shepherd was found dead back in in March in the cargo hold of a KLM flight from Amsterdam to L.A.

Oshan confronted airline officials at LAX demanding answers. At the time he got none ... but vowed to get to the bottom of it.