Pets

While the East Coast is dealing with the cicada plague, some L.A. towns are dealing with their own shrieking nightmare ... hundreds of peacocks running amok!!!

The beautiful-until-they're-in-your-backyard birds are delivering sleepless nights for folks in the L.A. County cities of Arcadia, Pasadena and San Marino. If you haven't had the pleasure ... peacocks reliably sound off at dawn with a noise so piercing, some neighbors described it as babies being tortured ... next to a very large microphone.

The birds -- which often travel in packs -- are everywhere, from sidewalks and streets to yards and roofs ... and they're damaging cars and yards.

They've been roaming the towns since a pair were brought back from India in the 19th century by a wealthy man named Lucky Baldwin. It's unclear exactly how many birds are in the area now, but their numbers have grown exponentially during the pandemic.

Things are so out of control, neighbors have reportedly gotten into heated arguments over how to deal with the birds.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors is trying to get a handle on this ... beginning with drafting an ordinance that would prohibit feeding the peacocks.

Ezekiel Elliott's Rottweiler has been accused of being a very bad boy yet again ... TMZ Sports has learned another person is claiming the NFL star's dog violently attacked them.

It's all spelled out in a new lawsuit ... in which a pet resort employee says Elliott's Rottweiler viciously bit him on March 25, 2021.

Brandon Williams says he was working for Bliss Pet Resort in Prosper, Texas ... when he encountered the three dogs Elliott had boarded.

Williams claims he was taking the Cowboys running back's Rottweiler and two bulldogs out to relieve themselves -- when all of a sudden, Elliott's Rottweiler attacked.

Williams says the dog seized his right arm, clamped down, and threw him to the ground. Williams claims the bite was so ferocious, he needed stitches and was "seriously injured."

Williams is now suing Elliott and Bliss Pet Resort ... seeking more than $250,000, but less than $1 million.

Of course, this is FAR from the first time Elliott's dogs have been accused of attacks ... he was already battling a separate lawsuit in which a pool cleaner claimed she was bitten by his dogs in March 2020.

In that case, a woman says she went to clean Elliott's pool in Frisco, TX ... when Zeke's Rottweiler and two bulldogs severely mangled her arm.

As we previously reported, Elliott is also currently under police investigation after cops say his dogs, including his Rottweiler, escaped his Frisco, Texas home last month and bit neighbors.

WWE superstar Alexa Bliss is still mourning the death of her beloved pet pig -- but will honor his memory by making sure no other animal suffers the way he did.

As we previously reported, Alexa's pig, Larry-Steve, suffered a medical emergency last week -- but she could not find a veterinarian in her area who would treat the animal.

Due to the lack of medical care, Larry-Steve died ... one day before his 4th birthday.

Alexa tells TMZ Sports she's still very shaken up by the whole situation -- but now feels motivated to save other animals in similar situations.

"We just know that, unfortunately, there's not enough vets that are able to treat pigs or any tools to be able to help larger animals," Bliss told us at LAX.

Bliss says she's been contacted by a bunch of animal owners who experienced similar issues with their larger non-traditional pets and she feels compelled to help.

So far, Bliss says she's raised more than $16,000 for a pig rescue in Florida and will name it after her late pet.

"They're building an insulated pig house for the winter and it's gonna be called The House Larry-Steve Built."

Alexa says she's not sure if she'll get another pet pig -- she's still in a lot of emotional pain -- but will stay deeply involved in the animal community.

"I would love to keep rescuing animals and pigs specifically because they are so emotionally smart. They have the learning capability and understanding of a 3-year-old child. They can feel grief and they can cry real tears."

A California teenager rushed to defend her dogs from a family of bears, shoving the biggest bear off a wall and scaring it away ... and it's all on video.

The incredible scene played out Monday afternoon in the San Gabriel Valley, and you see a huge bear and two bear cubs walking along a backyard wall when four pet dogs scurry over and nearly get swiped by a huge bear paw.

With her dogs barking like crazy, a 17-year-old named Hailey rushed over to see what was the matter, springing into action when she realized there were bears on the prowl.

Ya gotta see the video ... the teen runs straight for the big bear, shoving it back into a neighbor's yard with both hands and rushing her dogs back to safety.

The bear gets back on the cement wall, but doesn't want any more of Hailey ... hightailing it off the property.

Cruella de Vil is painted as being traumatized by Dalmatians in Disney's latest offering ... supposedly, because these "mongrels" killed her ma, which is getting a lot of head scratches.

The villain from "101 Dalmatians" gets her own backstory in the new "Cruella" flick, which is headed up by Emma Stone ... and word on the street is that part of why Cruella has it out for this breed is that they were sicced on her mom ... in a release-the-hounds fashion.

Different clips and stills have surfaced showing the flashback scene, which shows kid Cruella having to watch the woman who raised her, Catherine, get pushed over a balcony ledge by three seemingly rabid Dalmatians, who go after her on Baroness von Hellman's command.

She plummets to her death ... and the implication is that Cruella's left scarred for life -- and partially explains her obsession with the pooches going forward. In case you forgot, the OG Cruella was notorious for literally skinning Dalmatians and using them as furs.

Disney apparently doesn't quite go that far in the movie -- although different reviews say they allude to Stone's Cruella having that idea on her mind. We should also note that the character has a voice-over moment where she explicitly says she doesn't blame Dalmatians, but a lot of folks just aren't buying that ... and are calling Disney's origin rationale lame.

What the studio heads/writers did here (according to PO'd viewers) is make Dalmatians the fall dog -- when, in reality, they're actually super friendly pooches ... and don't have a rep for attacking like the movie portrays. Folks say it's a cop-out explainer that's lazy and inaccurate.

Harambe the gorilla has been dead for exactly 5 years, and the interest in his life and death has not subsided a bit.

A photo of the beloved ape is being auctioned off as an NFT as a way of memorializing his passing.

Harambe was killed after a child entered his enclosure and he began dragging the child around. The Cincinnati Zoo's Dangerous Animal Response Team decided there was a life-threatening situation they had to abate and shot him dead.

There was considerable controversy over the decision to shoot Harambe, particularly since Harambe did what apes do ... he was the true victim.

Social media has not forgotten Harambe, who was 17 when he was killed. He had celebrated his birthday the day before his death.

Amy Cooper -- who was branded Central Park "Karen" after calling cops on a Black man -- is taking her former employer to court, saying they painted her with a broad, racist brush.

Cooper is suing investment firm Franklin Templeton, where she worked before this whole mess, alleging defamation, negligence, infliction of emotional distress and racial discrimination.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Cooper claims FT fired her prematurely and without having all the facts. She goes on to say the honchos jumped on the bandwagon that was spreading across the country ... to portray her as another "privileged white female 'Karen.'"

She says they painted her as a racist when they announced they were cutting her loose in the days that followed ... saying they did not "tolerate racism of any kind," which Cooper believes wrongly labeled her, and helped ruin her life and future prospects.

Not just that, but Cooper says Franklin Templeton's claim of doing a full investigation -- which only lasted a couple days or so before they canned her -- wasn't up to snuff, and she claims they failed to review the entirety of her 911 calls for context.

Adding insult to injury ... Cooper claims FT didn't bother pulling notes from the New York City Park Board Meetings -- which she claims would've shed light on unproven allegations Christian Cooper, the guy with whom she had beef, had been noted as a pest in the park.

AC claims what was really going on that day is that Christian targeted her in a supposed ongoing feud between himself -- an avid bird watcher -- and dog owners in Central Park. She says she didn't call 911 out of racism, but out of genuine fear.

Something smells funky ... at least to the company behind those Little Tree car air fresheners, which is suing popular pet food company Chewy for allegedly ripping off its famous product.

Car Freshener Corporation claims Chewy is pimping a dog toy it describes as a “Frisco Retro Tree Freshener Plush Squeaky Dog Toy."

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the Little Tree company says the dog toy is suspiciously similar in shape, color and overall appearance to its distinctively abstract Tree design.

In the suit, Car Freshener says for over 60 years it has built up its Little Tree air freshener brand ... slapping the tree on t-shirts, hats, socks, stickers and luggage tags, among other products.

What's more, Car Freshener says it's sold third parties like Buffalo Wild Wings, Purina PetCare, Kia and Capital One licenses to use the trees ... but NOT Chewy.

Car Freshener claims Chewy's dog toy copies the shape and basic dimensions of its Little Trees air freshener, while also featuring the white diagonal and horizontal banners emblazoned across the middle and bottom of the Little Trees air fresheners.

Car Freshener's pissed consumers will think it's in bed with Chewy ... although, it's unclear why that would be a bad thing.

WWE superstar Alexa Bliss is mourning the death of her pet pig, Larry-Steve -- claiming the animal died in severe pain after multiple veterinarians turned them away because he was just too big.

Bliss had raised Larry-Steve since birth back in 2017 -- and loved him like a member of the family at her home in the Orlando area. He evolved into a social media star who racked up nearly 90,000 followers on Instagram.

But, tragedy struck on Monday -- when Bliss says she noticed Larry had become extremely ill and it was clear he was suffering.

"Larry is very ill, can’t move or walk. In a lot of pain," Bliss said ... "His usual pig vet said she is not comfortable treating him in his current condition."

Bliss added, "Most vets are not comfortable treating pigs. If anyone knows of a pig vet please let me know."

Bliss says she ended up reaching out to 13 different animal doctors but couldn't find anyone close to care for Larry.

"Unfortunately in the state that Larry’s in right now there’s absolutely no way we are going to be able to transport him. He is in too much pain and weak."

Bliss says some vets hung up on claiming they only treat pigs "up to a certain weight" ... and Larry was just too big.

Later that day, Alexa had to leave for work to shoot "Monday Night Raw" -- but left him in the care of her family while she spoke with him on speakerphone.

"It is heartbreaking that all I can do is just listen to him squeal in pain and no one will come help. No one will even just come and give him pain meds to help take care of his pain."

Sadly, Larry ultimately passed away early Tuesday morning.

Alexa posted a message on IG noting he died on the day before his 4th birthday.

"This morning Larry-Steve gained his Angel wings," Bliss said ... "I’m so sorry we couldn’t find you the help you needed in time."

"Some people didn’t agree to help you. But I want you to know Larry, YOUR LIFE MATTERED. We are completely heartbroken."

Lady Gaga's dog walker says he's constantly reminded of that horrifying moment he was shot, because strangers constantly want to talk to him about it ... and he's tired of it.

Ryan Fischer poured his heart out Monday, saying over the last few weeks -- ever since Gaga's dognappers were arrested -- he's had to relive the trauma of being shot and nearly killed ... making his recovery and healing that much more difficult.

He says people come up to him and say, "You're Ryan! You got shot. You were shot! Where were you shot? Where'd they shoot you?" In the emotional IG post, Ryan added it's strange being known as the Gaga guy who got shot, but even worse ... he says those conversations bring him right back to the moment he got shot in the chest at point-blank range.

Ryan says, "It's not intentional; it comes from kindness and compassion that I welcome ... It just hasn't always been easy to navigate as I continue to find myself."

He also says he feels like he doesn't have a purpose "because I'm not yet in the proper headspace to care for dogs." Our Gaga sources say Ryan was back at work as recently as last week, but it's unclear when he decided he couldn't do it anymore.

TMZ broke the story ... Ryan was shot in February and thieves ultimately made off with Koji and Gustav ... leaving him bleeding and yelling for help on the sidewalk.

The man who claims to have found and returned Daniel Sturridge's stolen dog in 2019 is now suing the soccer star ... alleging the athlete has STILL not paid him the reward money he promised.

Foster Washington spelled it all out in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports ... saying Sturridge owes him reward money -- which was reported to be around $37,000 -- for helping him get his Pomeranian, Lucci, back nearly 2 years ago.

Washington says after Sturridge claimed the dog had been stolen in a July 2019 burglary in Los Angeles ... Washington found Lucci on the street.

Washington says because Sturridge reportedly offered a reward, he reached out.

In the suit, Washington says he got in touch with Sturridge and ultimately returned the dog expecting the reward money in exchange.

The problem? Washington claims Sturridge -- who's reportedly made over $40 million in his soccer career -- never paid him a dime ... so now he's suing him over it, claiming Sturridge breached a contract by not living up to the reward offer.

Lisa Vanderpump's barking up the RIGHT tree when it comes to raising money for her dog foundation ... 'cause she's using Cameo vids to raise big bank for the pups!!!

So, get this ... Lisa usually hosts a huge in-person gala for her Vanderpump Dogs Foundation but when the pandemic hit last year, those plans went kaput -- and that's when Lisa made a brilliant pivot.

The ex-'Real Housewives' star turned to Cameo to raise the money, and so far, after recording more than 1,100 Cameo shout-outs, we're told she's hauled in $215k ... with more to come.

All proceeds from her $275-per-video fee go straight to her non-profit dog rescue org to fund all kinds of necessities -- housing hundreds of dogs and getting them medical treatments.

We're told the foundation's executive director, Dr. John Sessa, and Lisa's daughter, Pandora, have also been instrumental in raising funds for the org outside of Lisa's Cameo gig.

Just to give you an idea of how much time LV's putting into this ... we're told, at one point, she recorded roughly 50 videos in one sitting. #GoodHooman.

And, those who are still new to her work with dogs will soon get a closer look.

Peacock, NBC's streaming service, just announced Lisa's new show, "Vanderpump Dogs" ... which will follow the stories and adoptions that go down at her foundation in WeHo.

Ezekiel Elliott's dogs have gotten the running back in legal trouble once again ... this time, cops say the NFL star's animals -- including a Rottweiler -- got loose and bit two neighbors.

Police say three of the Dallas Cowboy's dogs escaped Elliott's Frisco, Texas home just before 9:30 AM on Thursday and attacked bystanders.

Cops say when they arrived on the scene, they were able to secure the dogs ... and put Elliott's Rottweiler into a mandatory 10-day quarantine after they determined it had done the biting.

Police say Elliott was issued three citations for "Dog at Large" (one for each dog) ... and added the two people who were bitten were treated at local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.

Cops say they've launched an investigation into the incident, and charges could be coming depending on the findings of the probe.

You'll recall, this is not the first time Elliott's dogs have allegedly attacked people ... remember, Elliott is currently being sued by a pool cleaner who claims Zeke's dogs bit her in March 2020.

In that case, the woman said Elliott's Rottweiler bit her arm and dragged her ... before the 25-year-old's two bulldogs began attacking her legs.

The woman claimed she had to have surgery over the incident ... and in pictures TMZ Sports obtained of her alleged injuries, you can see it all looked VERY painful.

The woman is asking for over $200,000 from the Cowboys superstar in the suit.

Elliott's attorney, Frank Salzano, had adamantly denied wrongdoing in that case -- which is still playing out in the court system.

As we previously reported, Elliott is SUPER fond of his pups ... his Rottweiler is tattooed on his forearm -- and he even introduced all of them to his followers on a Twitch stream last year.

Nearly 70 cats from Jeff Lowe's "Tiger King" Park alleged to be endangered and abused have been seized by the feds.

The massive operation corralled 68 animals, including lions, tigers, lion-tiger hybrids and a jaguar from Jeff's zoo in Thackerville, Oklahoma. The feds say the seizure was part of an ongoing probe for Endangered Species Act violations.

According to the feds ... the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service conducted 3 inspections of the park since mid-December 2020, and during those inspections, the Lowes "received citations for failing to provide the animals with adequate or timely veterinary care, appropriate nutrition" and shelter that allows for normal behavior and protects them from bad weather.

What's more ... the feds say Lowe was supposed to employ a qualified veterinarian and establish a program of veterinary care that meets the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act, but Lowe's been found in contempt after months of non-compliance with court orders requiring him to do so.

The feds say they'll work "to ensure that [the animals] go to responsible animal preserves where they can be safely maintained rather than exploited."

TMZ broke the story ... the feds descended on Jeff's park earlier this week with a search warrant. During the raid ... Jeff was told to stay inside his house or he'd be arrested.

An out-of-control boat with a dog on board is not something any animal lover wants to see, but fortunately ... this wild story has a paws-itively happy ending.

The unmanned Zodiac boat was spotted circling in the ocean Monday, about 300 meters off the coast of Almunecar, Spain with no one at the helm except a dog. Photographer, Huw Evans, knew something was up, and captured the ordeal that unfolded.

Evans says he feared the boat's actual skipper had fallen overboard so his crew went to investigate, and that's when they noticed the poor solo doggy tied up on board.

The Coast Guard arrived soon after, and first tried to corral the boat by snagging its propeller but that didn't work. So, then someone tried to jump on board, but also failed and fell in the water.

Evans said, "It was quite a wild ride, when [the rescuer] fell off I was worried he might be hurt by the propeller but luckily it missed him." Thankfully, a much bigger Coast Guard boat showed up and managed to snag the boat.

Lady Gaga's dog walker is getting back in the saddle after his near-death experience ... he's walking her French Bulldogs again after putting his life on the line for them.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Gaga's dog walker, Ryan Fischer, is back on the job less than 3 months after nearly losing his life while taking her pups for a late-night stroll.

He stopped by her home Friday afternoon in L.A. -- bearing gifts and looking pretty healthy in the wake of his lengthy hospital stay after the shooting and dognapping incident

Although they weren't spotted with him on Friday, we're told he's walking the dogs during the day now ... a departure from the nighttime walk that ended in gunfire and the suspects making off with Koji and Gustav.

The only measure of comfort Ryan can take is that cops say the suspects were not targeting the dogs because they were Gaga's.

TMZ broke the story ... 3 alleged dognappers are charged with attempted murder and robbery and 2 others have been hit with accessory charges.

Remember ... Gaga put out a $500,000 reward after the February 24 dognapping, which cops believe was carried out by a dog-stealing ring, and she eventually got her dogs back safely after they were left tied up in an alley and a woman called the number Gaga posted.

The woman who "found" the pups was also arrested, according to law enforcement sources, because police were suspicious of her from the start.

Ryan, meanwhile, was hospitalized for several weeks and even had part of a lung removed ... but he's looking great now.