Pets

Olympic gold medalist Tom Daley's knitted jumper is going to good use ... 'cause the uber-famous Instagram dog he made it for will be rocking it at the next fashion week!!

The British diver went viral earlier this week for stitching up the piece right after winning the 10-meter platform event ... saying he was making it for Izzy the Frenchie, a dog that has more than 1 MILLION followers on social media.

TMZ Sports spoke with Izzy about Daley's gift ... and she said, "bark, bark, bark."

Okay, just kidding ... we spoke with Izzy's papa, Rick Hendrix, in Washington D.C. Tuesday about Daley showing some serious love at the world's biggest stage ... and he's got some big plans in mind.

"I think we're gonna include it in her fashion week," Hendrix says. "Maybe walk in New York next time it's all safe and we can get out again!"

BTW -- Izzy is big in the industry ... and has been a guest at fashion weeks in the past.

So, how did the collab come to be? Hendrix said he was talking to Daley about his impressive crochet and knitting skills ... and Tom decided he wanted to make something for Izzy!!

But, Hendrix had no clue the 5-time European champ meant that he was gonna start workin' on it during the most important sporting events of his life!!

"Had no idea he was gonna make it during the Games," Hendrix tells us.

"Then all of a sudden he's going online saying, 'Hey, I'm making this for Izzy the Frenchie. Things just blew up, man!"

The 27-year-old has made jumpers for several dogs during his time in Tokyo -- saying, "learning to knit and crochet has helped me so much through these Olympics and we won GOLD yesterday."

Daley also makes them for humans and charity  ... last month, he raised over $8k by auctioning off a knitted sweater for the Brain Tumour Charity.

A dog sitter screwed up in a big way ... the dog she was caring for was killed, and the owners are crushed and don't believe the woman's story on what really happened.

Ashley Dingess and Nick Roa shared a Chihuahua/Yorkie mix named Gizmo ... they were going to Disneyland over the weekend and booked a dog sitter through Rover ... an app that pairs dog owners with dog sitters.

It went south fast ... Ashley and Nick say the sitter told them the dog ran away, which they say is B.S. because Gizmo is up there in years and had surgery recently on a bum leg, so she couldn't run fast.

The sitter finally fessed up and said she was running errands and the dog somehow escaped ... she may have jumped out the car window, but that's a hard one for Ashley and Nick to swallow. They just don't know and they say the dog sitter has been sketchy from the jump.

Gizmo ended up getting hit by a car and killed at the onramp of a nearby freeway -- and Ashley and Nick were notified of this by a Good Samaritan. Of course, they're devastated and furious ... and contacted Rover to complain.

We're told the company was apologetic and told them to submit their grievances in writing. In the meantime, they say Rover offered them $500 to cover cremations costs ... but to them, that's simply not enough to right this wrong. This is bigger than just money.

Ashley and Nick tell us they want this to serve as a cautionary tale for other pet owners looking to use Rover's services. Unclear if they're planning to take legal action.

A Rover rep tells us. "Our Trust and Safety team is investigating the incident and we are prepared to take appropriate actions, including removing the pet care provider from our community. Pending the outcome of the investigation, we've paused their account on our platform."

Britney Spears desperately wanted to say "Aloha" to a curly-tailed cutie she spotted on her tropical vacay -- and she excitedly did just that when the opportunity presented itself.

The singer was spotted practically jumping for joy Sunday when she came across a potbellied pig in Hawaii ... where she and her BF, Sam Asghari, have returned for vacation again.

With all her recent conservatorship drama playing out in court, it's been a while since we've seen Brit looking so genuinely giddy as she does here. She completely freaked when she saw someone's pet pig out for a walk on Maui.

Britney bent down to pet and stroke the little guy. Apparently, she's gotten the word ... domesticated pigs are super smart, and make a nice alternative to cats and dogs.

A 2-year-old emotional support dog is dead ... and the owner wants some answers from Hawaiian Airlines.

The dog, a pit bull named Louis, was apparently supposed to travel in the cargo hold from Kona to Honolulu and then on to Seattle, but the dog never made it. The dog's owner says the airline told him the dog died in Honolulu, but there was no explanation as to what happened.

The dog died July 21, and the owner has been waiting for a necropsy report and information on where the dog was when he died, but so far we're told Hawaiian has been radio silent. The owner, Dr. Randall Carpio, says the airline did indeed perform a necropsy but has not handed the report over to him, only telling him over the phone that the necropsy was inconclusive.

Dr. Carpio also says the airline has not given him the dog's remains.

Dr. Carpio had big plans for Louis. The doctor says the dog had an engaging temperament and demeanor and he was being groomed to provide emotional support to children and the elderly. Dr. Carpio says Louis was actually going to become a member of his medical team to provide support for his patients.

The dog owner's attorney Evan Oshan tells TMZ ... “We want to know how Louis died and if it is discovered that there was any animal neglect or cruelty. We call upon governmental officials to investigate and file necessary charges if appropriate. We are weighing all legal options and will take appropriate measures and seek all legal remedies available under the law to obtain justice for Louis"

The lawyer tells us they're considering all legal options.

We reached out to Hawaiian Airlines for comment ... so far, no word back.

Chrissy Teigen is welcoming a new family member into the fold ... and it's an adorable Basset Hound puppy named Pearl ... this after the death of her bulldog.

Chrissy says Pearl recently joined the family and is already taking a liking to her husband, John Legend.

As you can see, Pearl's quickly getting acquainted with her new home ... running around the house with her tail wagging, and napping on some furniture.

Chrissy says she grew up with Basset Hounds and she can't wait for John to see Pearl grow up right before their eyes, morphing from a "bouncy, no-bones, jello mold of skin" into "the stubborn logs of love I love so much."

As we reported ... the family's French bulldog, Pippa, died earlier this month ... so it looks like Chrissy and co. aren't wasting too much time bringing in a new pup.

Dog lovers will appreciate this ... New York Mets catcher Tomas Nido just showed major love to his adorable pup -- by getting a tattoo of the canine on his leg!

TMZ Sports has learned the baseball player wanted to get some ink to celebrate his beloved pet last week ... so he hit up artist Keith Hernandez from Bang Bang Tattoo in New York City.

We're told the 27-year-old handed over a portrait of his Yorkie, Louie, that he got 8 years ago ... and Hernandez then went to work.

The artist took a few hours to do the piece ... and it all ended up coming out pretty incredible!!

Check out the details ... the drawing of Louie -- which will now sit on the inside of Nido's shin forever -- looks SUPER real, right down to the fluffy hair and little dog outfit.

We're told Nido got one more tat while he was in the shop ... getting the letter "E" inked behind his ear -- a shoutout to his 8-month-old daughter, Eleni.

In total, Nido ended up sitting in the chair for about 3 or 4 hours ... and we're told he's planning to head back to the shop in the near future to get more ink done.

Devastating news from Shannon Sharpe ... the Hall of Famer just revealed his beloved dog, Tarzan, tragically passed away this week.

The FS1 host posted an incredibly emotional tribute to his 4-legged friend on Monday ... saying, "It's with tremendous sadness that I share with you my Tarzan (Tuggs, Tuggman) Sharpe has crossed over."

"What would I give, spend to have 1 more hour, day let alone a yr with the sweetest little boy ever?"

Sharpe adds his other pup, Taz, is going to miss his "big bro" ... but promises to take good care of him.

Just a few months ago, Sharpe experienced similar heartbreak -- his dog, Tonkaman, died in April after getting sick.

Sharpe reflects on all the other dogs he's lost over the years ... telling Tarzan to share his treats in doggy heaven with them.

"I will see you and all my boys again and when I do, I'll shower you all with love for the lost time."

"No more pain, suffering now go play and enjoy your new home."

Of course, Sharpe is a HUGE dog lover ... sharing moments with his pups non-stop on his social media -- from playing dress-up to taking selfies.

He also used his vacation time to cover the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2018.

Chrissy Teigen, John Legend and their entire family are mourning the loss of their beloved French bulldog.

Chrissy announced Pippa's passing Thursday night, saying her beloved little Pippa "just died in my arms, not long ago." She got sentimental in an emotional IG post ... remembering the day she picked her up from Florida and documented their trip home.

She said, "[Pippa] was a sassy broad - loved her pearl necklace and never took sh*t from ANY new dog we brought in. Our road dog with Sade, a tour dog for years. [W]e loved her so much. We love you sweet girl. I know you’re giving puddy hell up there. Thank you for giving us your whole life."

Puddy was Chrissy's 9-year-old English bulldog that died in 2018.

John also shared the devastating news ... posting a pic of Pippa "living her best life" because she's "on the road with her dad, wearing pearls." He called Pippa "smart, fancy" and a dog who "didn't take any sh*t."

Pippa was 10 years old.

The family's sad news comes on the heels of Chrissy saying how much it sucks to be part of the "cancel club" following her cyberbullying scandal.

Lisa Vanderpump's dog rescue organization -- Vanderpump Dog Foundation -- sold a puppy infested with worms to a woman who contracted the intestinal parasites herself ... so she claims in a stomach-churning new lawsuit.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the woman visited the Vanderpump Dogs location in L.A. in July 2019 to adopt a small puppy. She says she hit it off with a dachshund named Cassie after being assured by the staff it was perfectly safe to hold her and play with her, despite the dog not yet receiving deworming treatment.

She claims she spent several hours with the pup, then was asked if she wanted to adopt her and she did ... and the adoption was approved the very next day.

According to the docs ... the woman asked several questions about Cassie's health and was assured by Vanderpump Dogs employees she was getting a "puppy in healthy condition" with all needed treatments and shots.

However, the woman alleges that the dog rescue provided her with a false immunization record and a false certificate stating Cassie had been dewormed, and once she got the dog home ... she says things got REALLY gross (fair warning for the squeamish).

According to the docs ... Cassie's new owner immediately noticed she was acting odd, was less playful, and kept scooting across the floor. Then, the woman claims she discovered Cassie was "expelling large live worms while defecating."

The woman claims she contacted Vanderpump Dogs but got no immediate response, so she took the dog to a pet hospital, where it was treated for a serious worm infection.

It gets much worse -- the woman says she began feeling ill over the next few days, and then to her horror ... she began expelling "live worms and eggs from her mouth, vagina and anus."

She claims she was diagnosed with intestinal parasites and had to get a strong medication due to the seriousness of the infestation. She says, along with making her gravely ill, she's been traumatized and still suffers from emotional distress, disgust and nightmares.

Chace Crawford is NOT back together with Rebecca Rittenhouse ... despite several reports saying so after their recent Italian vacation, and some pretty hot pics together.

Sources close to the former couple tell TMZ ... the former "Gossip Girl" and current "The Boys" star took a trip to Capri at the end of June with his ex-girlfriend, but it wasn't just the 2 of them on a romantic getaway -- they were part of a group of 8 friends.

We're told Chace and Rebecca -- who met on the set of "Blood & Oil" and began dating in 2015 -- have remained close since their split in late 2018, but have both dated other people since then.

Our sources say they're "great friends," and add that headlines referring to "The Mindy Project" star as Crawford's girlfriend again are inaccurate.

A black cat from the 9th floor of the collapsed Miami condo apparently has 9 lives -- because it's been found alive and well ... and now, reunited with grateful family members.

Binx the cat belongs to the Gonazalez family, who reportedly lived in unit 904 of the doomed Champlain Towers South condo complex. The kitty was returned to the fam on Friday, complete with a news conference to announce the tiny sliver of good news amid the horrific tragedy.

As Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava put it, "I'm glad that this small miracle could bring some light into the lives of a hurting family today, and provide a bright spot for our whole community."

Officials say a volunteer found Binx near the destroyed building. Volunteers and animal control workers have been scouring to find any pets that might have escaped during and after the building collapse.

It's unclear if the Gonzalezes were home when the building shockingly came down early in the morning of June 24 -- but the great news is they're safe, and so is their beloved Binx.

Aly Raisman has something better than a gold medal to celebrate -- her beloved dog, Mylo, is safe and sound, a week after the terrified pup bolted during 4th of July fireworks.

The gold medal gymnast broke the good news Friday that 11-month-old Mylo, a rescue dog, had been found in the Boston area. She shared some smile-inducing pics of their reunion.

In her IG post, Aly thanked the "heroes" who helped get Mylo back to her safely.

She had revealed last Saturday that Mylo had gone missing, and asked her followers in the Boston area to be on the lookout.

She wrote, "Mylo was terrified of fireworks and ran off. He has a tag on and a leash. Please let me know if you see him. Thank you."

During the week, while still holding out hope Mylo was safe, Aly offered a reward for his return.

It's unclear if anyone's claimed the reward, or exactly where Mylo was found.

Kay Robertson's recovery's going so well following her recent dog attack, she might be back to her old self sooner than expected ... and without surgery.

The matriarch of the "Duck Dynasty" family tells TMZ ... she is looking and feeling much better after suffering the gnarly bite to the mouth from her own pup, Bobo, a few weeks ago.

As we told you ... Miss Kay's dog split her top lip and took a big chunk out of her bottom one when she snuck up on him for a goodnight kiss, startling him.

Her injuries required stitches and antibiotics, and Kay initially told us it would take about 4 weeks to heal ... and then she'd need plastic surgery for a full fix.

Kay tells us that's likely not the case now -- she's healing nicely and may only require some lip filler to be good as new.

We're told the only thing bothering her is having to eat differently because it's still painful to chew, but she hasn't let the injury slow her down. She went on a family vacation to the Alabama beaches shortly after she got bit.

As for Bobo ... Kay says he's been wonderful to everyone since the incident and isn't showing any aggression at all, almost like he knows he hurt her and is trying to make up for it.

Chris Brown's dog viciously mauled a woman on his property, and then he attempted to cover it up when 911 was called ... at least according to the former housekeeper who's suing him.

The housekeeper, suing as a Jane Doe, claims Chris is responsible for injuries she suffered when his Caucasian Shepherd Ovcharka, Hades, attacked her back in December while she was working at his Tarzana home.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the woman says she was emptying the trash somewhere outside, when out of nowhere ... the massive canine appeared and began tearing into her skin -- allegedly ripping chunks of flesh off her face, arms and body and leaving her a bloody mess.

It's a brutal account -- one her sister also detailed in a separate lawsuit she filed a few months ago -- but that's not even the weirdest part of her story. The alleged victim claims that even though Chris and co. were home, no one came out to help her -- despite her cries.

She alleges once the attack was over ... she was literally lying in a pool of her own blood -- when Chris came upon her, and then started directing his team to snatch up the pooches and scram before the cops and paramedics came.

Eventually, she says the 911 cavalry showed and rushed her off in an ambulance. She claims that later, the authorities attempted to get to the bottom of what happened, but she says Chris was evasive and misleading ... allegedly telling cops he didn't know what happened, or who took the dogs. In the suit, she claims Hades was euthanized, weeks later, by the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Animal Shelter after finding the dog to be dangerous.

It's unclear why the dog was in Humboldt ... a Northern California county, several hours away from Chris' home.

The anonymous housekeeper goes on to say she had to undergo extensive surgery to save her life -- and that the injuries she sustained have permanently scarred her. Her husband is also suing for loss of the ability to have the love and companionship of his wife.

Pet owners might be able to rest easy soon now that a COVID-19 vaccine seems to be making its way to the animal kingdom ... as it's getting a mass trial run at a California zoo.

Oakland Zoo officials announced this week that they had received a substantial shipment of the experimental 'rona jab manufactured by pharmaceutical company Zoetis ... which presumably cooked their recipe up specifically for wild creatures, across the board.

We say that because OZ says it's already administered the vaccine to a good portion of their furry friends ... including their lions, tigers, bears and ferrets. Oh my, indeed!

The zoo was one of the first recipients of 11,000 doses Zoetis made (and tested) ... and apparently, more are being rolled out to other animal facilities in the coming weeks. This is a donation, BTW -- for this time around at least -- so very generous on Zoetis' part.

The USDA has said this vaccine -- which was reportedly first tested out on minks -- can be used on a case-by-case basis ... but it clearly works to a high degree, because Oakland is straight-up inoculating their animals seemingly en masse. It's unclear if more animal types will be included at some point -- but ya gotta figure they will be if the trial run goes well.

This is big news ... not just because different animals at zoos have contracted the virus -- including tigers and primates at places like the SD Zoo (which got a small shipment of Zoetis earlier this year to test on the latter) -- but it could have ramifications for dogs/cats.

The matriarch of the "Duck Dynasty" family looks like she's been in a bar brawl following her recent dog attack ... but she assures us she's doing fine and will hopefully be back to normal in a few weeks.

Kay Robertson, AKA Miss Kay, tells TMZ ... her dog, Bobo, really did a number on her mouth when he snapped and bit her last week. As you can see in the photos we got ... the pooch split her top lip and took a big chunk out of her bottom one.

Kay says it was a bloody mess when she was rushed to the hospital, and it looks even worse now!!! That's due to all the stitches and bruising ... which she says she's covering up in public with a face mask.

She adds that her mouth is full of stitches and she can't open it to eat -- she's only drinking through a straw -- and she's on antibiotics and using skin cream to heal up.

The good news, according to Miss Kay, is the hospital staff in Monroe, Louisiana did a great job fixing her up and her doctor's been very helpful. She's now back home recovering nicely, and tells us it'll take about 4 weeks for her lips and bruises to heal.

After that, she'll need some plastic surgery to fully repair her lip ... but then her doc says she'll be back to her old self.

Miss Kay also reiterates that Bobo biting her face was just as much her fault as his ... because she accidentally snuck up on him for a goodnight kiss while he was sleeping and startled him.