Pets

A bird brought new meaning to "deuce" at a tennis competition in Australia this week ... by crapping all over Reilly Opelka during a match!!!

It all went down at the Melbourne Summer Set ... when a bird decided to do its business right on the (ironically enough) #2 seed's hat during the second set against Maxime Cressy.

Opelka -- the #26 player in the world -- was immediately ticked off by becoming a human toilet ... walking over to the chair umpire in hopes of switching out his hat.

"Sorry, I just got s*** on," Opelka told the umpire as his sweaty locks draped over his eyes. "I can't see, a bird s*** on me. What do you want me to do?"

What unfolded over the next few minutes was nothing short of a movie -- Opelka tried wearing a different hat, but was told the logo on it was too big.

Next, the judge suggested wearing his coach's hat -- but Opelka refused to wear a different brand.

Even a ball boy tried to come to the rescue -- offering his Australian Open lid to the player, but it wouldn't fit his head.

Eventually, a match official brought out a tournament-approved hat for him to wear and asked if he wanted it swapped with a different hat in his locker room ... which Opelka accepted.

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello are either back together, or they're just really good co-parents to their furry son ... cuz the trio were just spotted walking in Miami.

The (seemingly) former couple were spotted with the pup Thursday, all smiles and heading through a local park. Their Golden Retriever, Tarzan, led the way while Shawn held the leash.

Of course, Shawn and Camila announced their split a couple months ago, but in a statement released by the two, they said, "Hey guys, we've decided to end our romantic relationship but our love for one another as humans is stronger than ever."

The statement continued, "We started our relationship as best friends and will continue to be best friends." So, it would appear they're doing just that.

It was in November 2020 when Shawn introduced the world to Tarzan, posting a series of cute puppy pics. The former couple spent a lot of the pandemic together in Florida with the pooch.

Lassie lives!!! Or at least the spirit of Lassie lives on in a German shepherd named Tinsley -- the pup not only survived a car accident but helped flag down first responders to rescue his hooman!

Cops in New Hampshire say they got a call around 10 PM Tuesday for a loose German shepherd on a highway near the NH/VT border. When officers responded, the dog refused to come close to them, and it ran away. Cops followed the dog, who led them to the scene of a nasty crash.

It turns out Tinsley and his owner had been in a terrible truck accident. Tinsley was able to escape, but police realized 2 other people had been ejected from the truck and were seriously injured.

Cops called for an ambulance, and all involved were taken to the hospital for further treatment.

A golfer in Australia is now in the market for a new driver ... 'cause a giant crab destroyed his on the course.

For real.

The crazy scene happened Down Under recently ... when a golfer stepped away from his bag for just a few moments and returned to find a massive robber crab hugging his clubs.

Video of the scene is wild -- you can see in the footage, the guys were stunned as the crab had its pinchers all over the golfer's TaylorMades.

"Hello, buddy!" One of the golfers said to the tiny beast. "What're you stealing?! What're you stealing?!"

Eventually, the men tried to shake the thing off the clubs ... but check out the clip, the crab wouldn't let go!

The crab ended up holding on so tightly, it snapped the shaft of the guy's driver. And, because nobody wanted to lose a digit, it also ended up stealing one of the club's headcovers too!!

"Just let him have it, mate," one of the golfer's said. "He's beaten us."

A Southwest passenger says the airline is at fault after her dog wasn't able to breathe in his carrier and suffered a tragic death during a flight.

The 3-year-old French bulldog, named Charlie, was a comfort pet and a paying passenger that had been flying in a dog carrier on a SW flight last month to Pennsylvania.

Charlie's companion Courtney tells us the dog started having breathing problems during a connecting flight of their Dec. 21 journey. She claims when she tried to open the carrier or take Charlie out, an airline attendant refused to allow it and threatened to turn the plane around, or Courtney would face other consequences.

Courtney says it was "brutal," and claims Charlie had been otherwise healthy. She believes he overheated and suffered heatstroke and seizure due to the temperature on her first flight -- although, we're told a necropsy has not been done to confirm that.

She claims she had asked an attendant on that first flight to turn up the AC to cool down Charlie. During the connecting flight, she claims she tried explaining he would die if he continued to have trouble breathing ... but wasn't allowed to help him as he moaned for air.

As a result, she's alleging the Southwest staff "let him die." Courtney is an X-ray technician who says she'd been traveling around the U.S. to help Covid patients, and Charlie was her support animal.

Courtney's lawyer Evan Oshan tells TMZ his client was only offered a ticket refund, but now wants to sue for the loss of Charlie and for pain and suffering. She also wants the flight attendant fired.

With the tragedy at the Naples Zoo, it's heartening to know one of the rarest tigers in the world was born at the London Zoo, and to celebrate, the zoo has started a naming contest.

The baby is a Sumatran tiger ... they are few and far between ... an endangered species.

The cub came into the world on December 12 ... and the birth was recorded on a "cubcam" in the enclosure.

You gotta watch ... the cub's mom, 10-year-old Gaysha, is seen cleaning her baby and then watching it take first steps.

There are only around 300 Sumatran tigers in the world, so this birth is a big deal.

The ZSL London Zoo wants people to throw a proposed name in the hat -- from regulars at the zoo to strangers, all suggestions are welcome.

The birth announcement comes just a day after a horrific event at a zoo in Naples, Florida, where a custodian went rogue and apparently stuck his hand in a tiger's cage, either to feed or pet the animal. The tiger, Eko, clamped onto his arm, police were called and they ended up shooting and killing the tiger.

As we reported, police in Naples, Florida shot and killed a Malayan tiger named Eko Wednesday night, after a custodian allegedly went into an unauthorized area and, according to cops, either tried petting or feeding the animal. Eko clamped onto the guy's hand, and you hear him wailing in pain as cops approached.

This video is hard to watch, but it shows the consequences when someone goes rogue and gets way too close to a wild animal.

Police are unable to free the custodian, and then they shoot the tiger in the head at point-blank range, killing him.

It's a terrible tragedy that has been repeated many times before ... where someone put himself/herself and the animal in danger by getting way too close.

A tiger was shot and killed Wednesday at the Naples Zoo after a zoo cleaner violated the rules by entering an area near the tiger he should never have been.

The man appeared to either be petting or feeding the tiger ... sticking his hand through the fence. The tiger grabbed the man's arm and attempted to pull him into the enclosure.

According to the Collier County Sheriff's Dept., deputies tried kicking the enclosure in an effort to get the tiger to release the man's arm ... but it didn't work.

A deputy then shot and killed the animal ... a Malayan tiger named Eko.

The man was a member of a cleaning crew at the zoo -- the crew was a third party, not an employee of the zoo -- and he was supposed to be cleaning restrooms and the gift shop, but decided to pet or feed the tiger instead.

Frodo -- the final surviving dog from the infamous Michael Vick dogfighting ring -- has died ... officials at the BADRAP animal rescue org. confirmed on Monday.

The pup was estimated to be 15 years old.

According to BADRAP, Frodo was one of 48 dogs that were saved after Vick's dogfighting ring was broken up by law enforcement back in 2007.

The org. says Frodo found a new home following the former NFL star's arrest, and spent the last 14 years "being pampered like a prince with his new family."

But, sadly, the org. says he died on Saturday ... though they did note the dog had one final steak before he passed away.

Officials at the org. say two other known surviving dogs from the Vick case died recently as well.

As we previously reported, Vick was released from the Atlanta Falcons and also spent time behind bars over his role in the case.

The ex-quarterback did apologize for it all ... and he later went on to start for the Philadelphia Eagles following his release from prison.

He's since fought tirelessly against animal abuse ... even advocating at the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2015 to pass a bill to allow cops to rescue pets from hot cars.

It's very much out with the old and in with the new, as President Biden's dog Major is getting the boot from the White House ... and several biting incidents followed by failed training attempts to fix the pup seem to be the catalyst.

The White House just announced POTUS' German Shepherd will "live in a quieter environment with family friends" ... with the Bidens making the move after consulting with dog trainers, animal behaviorists and veterinarians.

You'll recall ... Major was involved in 2 biting incidents at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. ... with the first one in March getting him and his late pal, Champ, sent back to Delaware.

Major eventually returned from the dog house, but there was another biting incident at the White House only days after his return ... resulting in a new trainer and some extra dog handlers.

As we reported ... Joe and Jill have a new puppy at The White House, a new German Shepherd puppy named Commander, arrived as an early Christmas present.

Christmas came early for President Biden -- the guy has a new four-legged addition to his family ... and he's showing off his present at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

First Lady Jill Biden's press secretary confirmed Monday ... yes, the Bidens have a new dog in their midst, a German Shepherd puppy named Commander. Shortly after the news broke, the Prez took to Twitter himself and gave official word with a sweet shot.

He tagged his pic with "Welcome to the White House, Commander" ... showing off the cute little guy running through some grass with a ball in his mouth.

Joe posted a video, too, that featured Commander ... and he seems to be making himself at home already.

Word of a new pooch in the Biden brood started percolating when folks saw Commander here running across the South Lawn. According to reports ... he's a gift to the Prez from his own family, one they apparently couldn't keep hidden until this weekend.

The dog is a welcome sight, we're sure, for 46 and Dr. Biden ... who just lost their first beloved Shepherd, Champ, back in June at the age of 13. They have another GS, Major, that's still kicking -- but he's been a bit of a bad boy lately with his chompers.

Here's hoping Commander is better behaved. Oh, and BTW, the pets could well keep rolling into the front doors of the WH in the near future. The First Lady said earlier this year they'd be getting a cat soon.

Another Amazon worker has been caught saving the day! This time, a driver jumped in front of a pit bull to stop it from attacking a young woman and her dog ... all while delivering holiday packages in Las Vegas.

Stephanie Lontz came to the rescue earlier this month for 19-year-old Lauren. As you can see in the Ring Camera video ... Lauren began screaming for help with her dog in her arms,  as the larger dog was biting and lunging at them.

After several terrifying seconds, they were only able to escape safely into the house, thanks to Stephanie, who ran from her delivery van and got in between Lauren and the pit bull.

The Amazon driver says she was just doing the right thing ... "The screams made me think of my own child. I would only hope someone would jump in and help her if she was in a similar situation," She told the local NBC TV station, "I wouldn't even think it's motherly, it's just the human thing to do."

Though Lontz saved Lauren's day, she says Amazon workers go through so much on a normal basis that this sort of thing was not unusual for her. In fact, she says she herself was bitten by a dog 2 days prior to this incident.

Steve Harvey committed another gaffe during a Miss Universe show -- this one wasn't as bad as what he'd done before ... but it was still pretty dang cringeworthy.

The comedian was tapped yet again to host the beauty pageant during Sunday night's broadcast, which was being televised all the way from Israel. While talking to the finalists, he got around to the eventual winner, Harnaaz Sandhu of India, and asked a strange question.

Watch ... the guy reads from his card and notes she supposedly has an interesting talent -- impersonating animals ... and he asked her to do just that right on the spot.

You could tell she wasn't prepared for that, let alone having to actually do it. And yet, Sandhu toughed it out anyway like a champ, telling Steve she would, since she had no other option on live TV. And then ... she did a cat impression, and it was actually really good.

Sandhu belted out a handful of loud meows, and went on to say that a particular skill -- such as this one -- could lead to bigger and better things ... so dream big, kids!

Now, while this might seem relatively harmless -- SH is actually catching some backlash for the ask here ... because, apparently, he didn't pull this same stunt with other contestants he interviewed in the moment. Instead, he asked about their legit accomplishments.

Of course, this brings back memories of him mistakenly announcing the wrong Miss Universe winner in 2015 ... and while this isn't nearly as big a blunder, it's still not great.

Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are finally back from Mexico after celebrating her big 4-0 birthday for nearly a week in Cabo ... and turns out their festivities included a third and fourth party!

Brit and her fiancé's private jet touched down Tuesday morning in Los Angeles, and they had quite the disem-barkment. Yes, the singer was holding one of her dogs, while an assistant carried the other off the plane ... and Sam trailed behind.

We didn't realize Lacey, a Maltese, and Hannah, the Yorkie, were with the couple during the birthday celebration. Good to see Brit kept the whole family together during the vacay.

As we previously reported ... the pop star's dogs were taken away from her briefly during the summer, because her housekeeper believed the pups were being neglected.

The Philadelphia Flyers' season just got a whole lot crappier ... 'cause on the day they fired their head coach amid a losing skid, a police K-9 defecated all over their center-ice logo.

Just hours after the team canned Alain Vigneault, several dogs from the Philadelphia Police Dept. took a trip to Wells Fargo Center ... and you can see in video of their visit, things got messy quickly.

One of the dogs walked all the way out to the red line ... popped a squat and then let its bowels go.

The dog pooped for several seconds -- and then appeared to unleash even more on the logo!!

Of course, we're pretty sure it'll all get cleaned up in time for the Flyers' Monday evening game against the Colorado Avalanche ... but it's yet another reminder of how badly Philly's season has gone so far.

The team is currently in the midst of an 8-game losing streak ... and they've played so poorly recently, there's not a whole lot of optimism in the City Of Brotherly Love at the moment.

Things could have ended much worse for a family's dog had it not been for a pane of glass stopping a hungry mountain lion from making it dinner.

The video, taken by a woman in Colorado, shows her dog named Dash frozen in fear as the mountain lion spots it from outside. The mountain lion seems puzzled by the barrier, trying different ways to get in, even tapping on the glass with its paw.

You can hear the fear in the woman's voice as she records and tries to get Dash away from the door, without any luck. The dog is clearly terrified, not moving.