Pets

A Siberian Husky walked away with the top prize at this year's Beverly Hills Dog Show -- and with one look at him, it's easy to see why.

The doggo's name is Nick, and he took top honors at the 4th-annual pet competition that aired Sunday night on NBC -- this after being trotted out a handful of times by his owner, Michelle Scott. It marks his 60th dog show win in total, which has gotta make this pup a real G.O.A.T -- even Jordan and Brady can't touch those stats!!!

This year's contest featured celeb judges like Olivia Culpo and Bo Derek, but let's take a look at Nick's competition, 'cause there were lots of pups who could've also taken it. We had Piper the bloodhound, Joan the Chinese Shar-Pei, Luna the Cairn terrier, McConnaughey the English Springer Spaniel (no relation to Matt) and Conrad the Shetland sheepdog.

In the end, though, it was sturdy Nick who came out on top. BTW, not only that, but he also won the Working Group category in a field of 27 breeds. Very impressive!

Also of note .. this was actually shot back in late February (before the nationwide pandemic shutdowns). So, no -- there wasn't quite the proper social distancing happening ... but no harm, no foul.

Besides, cut a Nick a break. He's a really good boy.

Hope Solo claims some gun-toting maniac shot one of her dogs Wednesday night -- but the good news, the pooch survived the attack.

It all went down North Carolina, where the former Team USA soccer superstar lives with her husband, ex-NFL player Jerramy Stevens.

"Our magnificent dog Conan (brown, on the far left) is in critical condition after being shot last night," Hope says.

"It’s hard news to share, but harder to make sense of this heinous act."

"Jerramy and I are shocked and heartbroken, but we want to say thank you to Wilkes Veterinary Hospital and their staff for rushing Conan into emergency care, as well as their COVID-19 care practices."

We're reaching out to police to find out what the hell happened and if they've identified a suspect.

In the meantime, Hope is optimistic about Conan's chances -- saying, "We‘ve heard that there are developments in canine prosthetics and would love any information about getting Conan a new front leg!"

Get well, Conan!!!!

Tiny tuxedos are wandering the halls of an art museum in Missouri, but it ain't a black-tie affair -- just a group of penguins on a field trip from the zoo. Naturally.

Ya gotta see the video ... a family of penguins is soaking in all The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City has to offer, waddling through the empty halls and getting a taste of human culture.

The birds don't normally venture out of the Kansas City Zoo this way, but caretakers noticed they were going stir-crazy in quarantine -- so they surprised the penguins with the trip.

The museum is still closed to human visitors, but penguins have free reign ... apparently. They even practiced social distancing better than the average spring breaker.

Julián Zugazagoitia, the museum's executive director and CEO, says the penguins were moved by Carvaggio, but not so much by Monet. Every bird's a critic.

Remember ... biologist Jeff Corwin says captive animals and house pets in quarantine need active stimulation too.

"Hang on one second!"

That's how NFL stud Tyler Eifert bolted from his online press conference to deal with his loose dogs Thursday ... and the video of the canine commotion is hilarious!!!

The new Jacksonville Jaguars tight end was having a virtual meet-and-greet grill sesh with NFL reporters ... when suddenly, his pups began wreaking havoc.

You can see in video of the newser, the dogs were barking up a storm ... and later, a neighbor yelled into his home, "Your dog was in my yard!!!"

That's when Eifert had to get up from the sitdown with reporters to go chase down his dogs -- and when he got back, the guy was straight-up out of breath!!!

"They're back," Eifert said. "And, I got in a little conditioning too!"

HILARIOUS!!!

Normally, we'd suggest a little timeout and no-treat treatment for the bad-behaving doggos ... but look at these faces -- HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY PUNISH THESE GUYS!!!

Spain's Running of the Bulls event might have been axed over coronavirus -- but these goats kept the tradition alive here in the States ... with a wild scattering of their own.

Check out this video captured Tuesday night in a residential neighborhood near San Jose, CA -- where what looks like a couple hundred goats stampeded (eh, fiercely totted more like, actually) down a sleepy street as neighbors were trying to corral them.

It's certainly not as intimidating as what goes on in Europe -- goats to bulls are apples to oranges -- but still, it's crazy considering we don't see this all too often around these parts.

Now, as for how this got started in the first place -- apparently, there's a little hillside ranch of some sort that borders these homes here, and a gaggle of goats are brought in each year for a few days to eat and clear out the dead grass to avoid a wildfire breaking out. Neat!!

Somehow, the goats broke through their enclosure ... and they all made a run for it. Fortunately, they didn't cause too much damage -- other than some front yard flower munching and unrestrained defecating -- and eventually ... the townsfolk reined 'em in.

It also looks like one of the local hounds played impromptu sheep dog to get the herd back where they belonged. Good boy! Baaah-d goats 😅

A guy was caught on camera choking his ex-girlfriend's dog -- and now ... he's facing criminal charges for the sickeningly evil deed.

30-year-old Shane Mitchell allegedly took his ex's pup -- a Doberman named Rubyjean -- without permission, and when he showed up at the owner's front door with Rubyjean, the owner threatened him with a call to the cops. That set Mitchell off, and what happened next is disturbing.

While his ex remained behind her front door during the argument, her Ring doorbell cam recorded Mitchell angrily reaching down and yanking up the dog by its leash, suffocating it, and letting it dangle in front of the camera. The owner shrieks from inside, pleading for him to stop -- then, the video ends.

Cops in Slidell, Louisiana say Mitchell was eventually arrested and booked on animal cruelty charges after the clip made the rounds online, and even better news ... Rubyjean is okay.

She's back in her home and doesn't seem to have suffered any permanent damage as a result of the choking. The city's police chief issued a strong statement of the heinous act, saying ... "I was sick to my stomach watching that video." He added, "How someone can hurt a defenseless animal is beyond me."

"Mike the Tiger is not my favorite part of campus."

Heisman winner Joe Burrow says he's not a big fan of LSU having a live mascot ... saying he's against keeping wild animals in captivity.

The #1 overall pick made the revelation while discussing the super-popular Netflix doc, "Tiger King," on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" on Friday ... saying he probably won't tune in to the series due to the subject matter.

"Actually, I haven't watched it yet," Burrow says. "I'm anti animal in cage. So, I'm not gonna watch it, I don't think."

That's when co-host Big Cat brought up Mike VII -- LSU's beloved mascot that lives on campus -- and Burrow said he was against the idea.

FWIW -- Mike has a huge habitat on campus for students to check out the kitty in between classes ... and there's a vet on-site to make sure all is well.

There's even a live cam for people across the world to check in on Mike ... although the thing seems to be chilling most of the time.

As for "Tiger King," Big Cat and PFT Commenter say it's probably for the best he sits that one out ... and Burrow agrees.

"Very sad, yeah."

The good news?? Burrow's Cincinnati Bengals don't have a live mascot ... they just have a grown-ass dude dressed up as a tiger named "Who Dey" ... so, silver lining!!

One of the last reminders Dog the Bounty Hunter had of his late wife, Beth, is now gone too ... the African grey parrot she gifted him years ago has passed away.

We're told the parrot, a female dubbed Baby Bird, died Wednesday morning and just days after the bird started plucking its feathers ... a behavioral problem that can cause them physical harm like infections from open sores. We're told Dog believes the cold climate in Colorado may have possibly led to her death.

Our sources say Beth gave Dog Baby Bird a few years ago ... and in that short span Baby Bird, as most smart parrots often do, started mimicking how Beth said "hello" while also blurting out phrases like "Bail Bonds." Baby Bird also learned how to say "Francie" ... a nod to Dog's new fiancee.

We're told these are just some of the reasons why Dog -- an avid animal lover -- is devastated by Baby Bird's sudden passing. However, he feels comforted knowing Baby Bird is now by Beth's side.

Baby Bird was 3.

WHO'S A GOOD -- AND NOW VERY POPULAR -- BOY?!?!?

Bill Belichick's girlfriend says their dog, Nike, is!!!

Linda Holliday said on "The Adam Schefter Podcast" this week that the pup was so adorable during its viral moment at the NFL draft ... the dog's fan base has grown from a couple hundred to nearly 20,000!!!!

If you missed it ... Nike stole the show at the Patriots' draft last Friday -- when it took Belichick's seat just seconds before New England made its 2nd-round pick.

Cameras caught the pup staring at The Hoodie's monitors ... and the scene couldn't have been cuter.

Linda says within minutes of Nike's unexpected cameo -- her phone blew up ... with people hitting the follow button on the dog's IG like crazy!!!

"Nike went from 1,000 followers to about 10,000 followers," Holiday says, "and my phone was just blowing up."

Nike is now up to over 16,000 followers on his social media account since the draft ... this despite Linda saying she's only put a handful of pics on the page!!

As for how the dog did captaining Bill's ship during the weekend? The coach and Linda have got a lot of belly rubbing to do ... 'cause most pundits gave the Patriots' picks an A grade!!!

A Vallejo official has left his post after he was caught apparently drinking and chucking his cat across the room during a virtual meeting he was conducting with his colleagues.

The guy's name is Chris Platzer and he was one of the city planning commissioners before he tendered his resignation this week ... after a wild Zoom meeting that included shots of him seemingly taking swigs out of a beer, and then hurling his feline in jest.

Check it out ... over the course of the 2 hour-plus meeting -- which was a formal meeting being held to discuss city business on Monday -- you see Platzer taking lots of drinks from a mug he has throughout, and constantly getting up and leaving the meeting several times.

At one point, he picks up the laptop he's using and carries it over to what appears to be his kitchen, where it looks like he opens his fridge and pulls out a green bottle -- which has been reported locally as a beer. Perhaps Heineken -- seems to be that from our POV.

Anyway, at another moment in the meeting ... Platzer's up to talk, and you hear meowing going on in the background. He gets up, brings over his cat and introduces it to everyone ... then throws it off camera, after which you hear a thud. Some of his colleagues laughed.

Toward the end, when everyone had logged off, Platzer's heard calling someone a "bitch," and he supposedly hurled a racial epithet too ... according to the City of Vallejo.

Henry Golding's not giving up on fostering a pit bull named Stella ... even after she bit another dog ... but seems he's warier of where they take their walks.

The "Crazy Rich Asians" star took Stella for a stroll in the sun Thursday at a park in Santa Monica. No other dogs around, just Stella and her foster dad ... who's heeding lockdown guidelines and wearing a face covering.

Henry had Stella on a short leash this time, one week after she attacked a smaller dog.

We broke the story ... Golding took Stella to Pan Pacific Park in L.A. last week, where she bit a smaller pup that was not on a leash, by the way. We're told Henry's dog picked up the other dog by the neck, causing a large gash that required 6 staples.

The actor is offering to pay the vet bills for the smaller dog, which is expected to make a full recovery.

It's pretty commendable that Henry didn't take Stella back to the shelter after the incident -- and is instead choosing to continue giving her a foster home.