Pets

The hero who helped free the alligator handler from the reptile's jaws says he knew he needed to jump in the tank and save her ... and her mom says it's divine intervention.

Donnie Wiseman, the hero from the scary incident at Scales and Tails Utah, tells TMZ ... he felt even better about jumping in the tank to wrestle the gator after getting an emotional message from Lindsay Bull's mother.

He says she told him it was a godsend for him to be on Lindsay's tour, because he was the only one there who was willing to sacrifice his life to save her. Donnie says he cried when he got the message and it made everything worthwhile.

As we reported ... the alligator attacked Lindsay in front of a tour full of paying customers, and Donnie rushed in to save her ... putting his life on the line.

Donnie says he knew it was now or never after seeing the terrified look on Lindsay's face ... and while he's got lots of experience with reptiles, he had never dealt with an alligator before.

As we first told you ... Lindsay escaped with some broken bones and tendon damage, and somehow she's gonna be alright.

Britney Spears' dogs fell seriously ill with one close to death, and her housekeeper believed the only way to save the animals was an emergency trip to the vet, which turned into the dogs being kept away from Britney entirely ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... one of Britney's two dogs has serious digestive issues and both dogs were supposed to be fed a special type of food. We're told the housekeeper became alarmed when she saw the dogs regularly being fed table scraps ... causing the pets to become very sick, especially the one with digestive issues.

The housekeeper also said both dogs were dehydrated from a lack of water ... which ultimately caused her to take them to the vet.

Our sources say after examining the dogs, the vet was alarmed, and Britney's dog sitter decided it would be best if she cared for the dogs instead of Britney.

As we reported ... Britney's dogs never came home after the vet visit, and she suspected her dad, Jamie Spears, had something to do with their disappearance. She called the cops August 10 and was prepared to file a theft report over the pooches, but changed her mind.

TMZ broke the story, the dogs' whereabouts triggered a heated argument Monday between Britney and the housekeeper ... during which we're told the housekeeper showed Britney cell phone photos she'd taken of the sick dogs.

Our sources said Britney became enraged, believing the housekeeper was sending the pics to Jamie Spears. She allegedly grabbed for the phone and, according to the housekeeper, struck her arm in the process. The housekeeper filed a police report for battery. We're told Britney denies touching the housekeeper ... and that all she did was grab the phone.

As of Friday afternoon, the dogs were still not back at Britney's home and the police investigation had not wrapped. The police findings will eventually be sent to the district attorney's office to review the matter for possible misdemeanor battery charges.

Celebrity chef Jet Tila let his dangerous dog bite a young child on the nose and now she's scarred for life ... at least that's how the kid's parents see it, according to a new lawsuit.

The famed chef and Food Network regular is being sued by the young girl's folks, who claim his dog, Halo, viciously attacked their daughter when she went up to say hello to the pooch.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Jet rented out a playground at the preschool his kid and the girl attend for an event the day after Christmas, and had his dog leashed to a table.

The docs say Jet's wife "chose to relinquish personal control" of Halo and that's when the girl "gently went up" to the Belgian Malinois and the dog started barking and attacked, biting her and leaving a gash on her nose.

The child's family says she was rushed to the ER, and they claim her injuries will permanently disfigure her face.

In the suit, the parents also claim Jet knew his dog was capable of being "aggressive, vicious, and excessively dangerous."

Britney Spears' dogs were taken from her earlier this month -- this after her dog sitter and housekeeper believe the pets were being neglected -- and that's what triggered the confrontation between Britney and her housekeeper that led to a criminal investigation.

Sources directly connected to Britney tell TMZ ... around 2 weeks ago one of her dogs became sick and the housekeeper took that dog and Britney's other dog to the vet. The dogs never came home, and our sources say Britney's dog sitter -- who is also a nurse -- kept and took care of the dogs because she believed they weren't safe at Britney's home.

We're told on August 10 Britney called the Ventura County Sheriff's Dept. to report a theft, but when cops arrived at her home she backed off and sent them away -- this was first reported by Page Six. Our sources say she was prepared to file a theft report over the dogs but apparently had a change of heart.

Fast-forward to this past Monday morning. Britney still did not have her dogs and didn't know where they were, but suspected her dad had something to do with their disappearance.

Britney confronted her housekeeper and demanded to know where her dogs were and why they were taken away. Our Britney sources say the housekeeper expressed concern that the dogs had been neglected and showed Britney photos she had taken on her cellphone of one of the dogs that had just thrown up.

Britney believes the housekeeper -- who gets paid by Jamie -- sent Jamie the photos and he then called the dog sitter and told her to take the dogs away. Sources with direct knowledge say Jamie is "totally in the dark on what goes on in her home," adding, "He's been shut out."

In any event, we're told Britney became extremely upset and told the housekeeper she was not allowed to take photos in her house. Then we're told a struggle ensued and Britney knocked the phone out of the housekeeper's hands. Our Britney sources say she merely hit the phone, but law enforcement sources say the housekeeper alleged Britney struck her arm, which then caused her to lose her grip over the phone.

As of Thursday afternoon, Britney still did not get her dogs back, but she was hopeful that was about to happen.

TMZ broke the story ... the housekeeper filed a battery report with the Ventura County Sheriff's Dept. and the agency is investigating. A Sheriff's Dept. official tells TMZ when the investigation is complete the file will be sent to the D.A. to review for a possible misdemeanor battery charge.

Chris Brown's daughter is living the dream -- that's exactly how Royalty's describing the trip she and her mother, Nia Guzman, took to hang at a 'Tiger King' star's wild animal park.

Royalty and Nia hit up the Myrtle Beach Safari Wednesday, and got pretty cozy with the baby animals at Doc Antle's facility during a day and night safari.

Chris' 7-year-old little girl was pretty chill while petting a couple tiger cubs -- she even jumped in a pool with 'em, and was eventually joined by a baby hyena too.

Royalty and Nia both posted a bunch of photos and videos from their adventure, which included encounters with a chimp, some monkeys and an elephant. Royalty captioned one of her videos ... "Living the dream! #SaveTheTigersSaveTheWorld."

The post also gave a shout-out to Doc Antle saying, "We love what you are doing @docantle thank you for these memories!"

Doc, of course, is the same guy who was indicted in Virginia for animal cruelty and wildlife trafficking in October 2020. He called the charges bogus. Most recently ... PETA wanted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate Doc for alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

This isn't Royalty's first rodeo with exotic pets. We doubt she remembers -- she was only 3 -- but her dad got into hot water back in 2018 after he posted video of Royalty hanging with a baby Capuchin monkey he owned.

The alligator handler who got mauled by the creature she's paid to control suffered a damaged tendon and multiple fractures -- and while the pics of her injuries are gnarly, she's already smiling.

Lindsay Bull tells TMZ ... she was discharged from a Utah hospital Tuesday after she was admitted following Saturday's incident. The gator's powerful jaws broke her thumb and wrist ... in addition to the tendon damage.

As you can see, Lindsay's gashed hand was bleeding heavily while she lay in her hospital bed Saturday -- but now she has it wrapped in a big cast, and she says she's going to be alright.

As we reported ... the alligator attacked Lindsay in front of paying customers who rushed in to help, with visitor Donnie Wiseman heroically jumping on the gator's back to prevent it from drowning her, or ripping off her arm, with a terrifying death roll maneuver.

Lindsay says she's planning to talk to Donnie soon and she's already spoken with some of the folks who were on the tour when she was attacked, and made some dinner plans.

Despite the vicious attack, Lindsay tells us she has no hard feelings toward Darth Gator -- yes, that's his name -- and adds it's like her firstborn son.

Shane Richins, the owner of Scales and Tails Utah, tells TMZ ... Lindsay's training helped preserve her limbs, because she went into the enclosure after the animal chomped down on her hand and let her body go limp as the gator went into the roll.

Lady Gaga's dog walker is trekking across the country to try and heal his emotional wounds from the horrifying shooting ... and he says he's fallen on hard times.

Ryan Fischer says he's 2 months into a 6-month journey across America, which he's calling a sabbatical, but now he's crowdfunding ... because he says his van broke down and he needs money for travel expenses.

He says he's been relying on donations after blowing through his savings, and he's not just looking for money ... he's also asking folks to recommend retreats for trauma, plus queer spiritual leaders and healers.

Ryan says he's felt scared, lonely, abandoned and unsupported during his first 2 months on the road ... adding that he's had long bouts of depression, doubt and self-pity.

TMZ broke the story ... Ryan was shot back in February as robbers made off with Lady Gaga's French bulldogs, Koji and Gustav ... leaving Ryan bleeding on the sidewalk and screaming for help.

The dogs were ultimately found unharmed, and the LAPD later arrested 5 suspects for the attempted murder and dog heist.

Ryan says he had to get out of Hollywood, where he "fought for my life and mobility" after getting shot, and now he's devoted to strengthening his emotional and mental health.

An alligator handler got wrangled in by the creature she was hired to control -- but before things turned deadly ... some on-the-spot heroics by zoo guests saved the day.

An unidentified employee of Scales and Tails Utah -- who was in charge of showing off one of the facility's gators to paying customers -- got ensnared in the animal's teeth as it clamped down on her hand, and barrel-rolled her!!!

It was a freaky scene ... the woman looked like she was about to become alligator food Saturday, right there in front of horrified zoo goers -- that is, until a guy named Donnie Wiseman literally threw himself into the mix ... jumping on the gator's back.

He was, fortunately, able to get it to stop rolling, and then the handler instructed him on what to do next -- sounds like she was taking steps to prevent herself from having a panic attack ... and, finally, the gator loosened its grip, and another guest pulled her to safety.

That left Wiseman on top of the gator by himself, and the handler stuck around to walk him through how to get out of the sitch. Eventually, he escaped unscathed.

Kaley Cuoco is enraged at the trainer in the Olympics who hit her horse with her fist, calling the move "classless" and "abusive."

Kaley launched hard on Annika Schleu and Kim Raisner from Germany, who tried in vain to get Saint Boy to jump during the event. The coach, Kim Raisner, is also seen in video slapping the horse. She was disqualified for her misconduct.

Kaley said, "I feel it's my duty and heart to comment on this disgrace. This is not Olympic show jumping. This is a disgusting, classless, abusive representation of our sport in so many ways.  this team should be ashamed of themselves." She punctuated her comments with a photo of Schleu.

Kaley, who's an accomplished rider, is married to horse trainer Karl Cook.

And, Kaley wasn't done ... "You and your team did not do your country proud or this sport. You make us look bad. Shame on you and godspeed to any animal that comes in contact with you."

And, there's more ... "Pure classless behavior right here. Disgusting on all levels. This is not our sport. This does not represent our sport, This rider and her 'trainer' are a disgrace."

Kaley ended this way ... "I'll buy that horse outright and show it the life it should have. Name your price."

Move over, Air Bud ... there's a new 4-legged athlete in town -- Olympics superstar Caeleb Dressel's incredibly talented black lab, Jane ... who might be the fastest dog on the planet!!!

Just days after returning from the Tokyo Games, the 7-time gold medalist was back in the pool working out at the University of Florida this week ... bringing Jane along for the ride.

But, it wasn't just Caeleb putting in some work -- his adorable doggo also showed off her speed ... and we're not kidding when we say this puppy is fast as lightning!!

"Someone check the time to 25, she’s built to float not for speed," Dressel said while bragging about his beloved pet.

But, we aren't the only ones freaking out about this wild highlight -- Bobby Finke, who won gold in the 800m and 1500m freestyle in Tokyo, was wowed by the clip ... saying, "Start is still better than mine."

Simone Biles' triumphant return home from the Olympics has hit a speed bump ... she says she was just bitten by a German Shepherd, and suffered a gnarly finger wound in the attack.

Biles explained the situation on her social media page Friday ... revealing a massive gash on her right hand.

"Here's an update on my finger that the dog bit me," the 24-year-old gymnast said, adding, "German Shepherds don't play."

Details surrounding the attack are unclear ... but Biles said she was forced to go to the doctor to get a tetanus shot and to make sure everything was OK with the injury.

Biles, though, did not seem shaken up at all over the incident ... even joking, "this dog at the farm just said NOT TODAY."

Of course, Biles had been having a great time in her return to Houston from Tokyo ... she got a hero's welcome at the airport and even got to ride in a parade!

Forget eagles and birdies ... baby bears are now clearly the best animal you'll see on a golf course -- 'cause 3 invaded a North Carolina green this month, and it was ADORABLE!!!

The cute scene all went down last Friday in Lake Toxaway ... when a course employee caught three cubs causing quite the scene on one of the holes.

In the footage, you can see as 2 bears wrestled ... another picked a fight with the flagstick, rolling around with the pin and biting the hell out of it!

The shenanigans went on for about a minute ... with the 3 stomping all over the carefully curated grass without a care in the world.

Eventually, the trio of cubs ran off ... which was probably the best news for all of the golfers on the course, as the person who shot the vid said the bears' Mom was close by.

New surveillance video, obtained by TMZ Sports, includes the sound of a woman screaming and begging for help as Ezekiel Elliott's dogs allegedly attacked her in her own backyard last May.

The footage is part of a "dangerous dog" case file on Elliott's Rottweiler, Ace ... and, according to both witnesses and officials in court documents, it shows how Ace and two of the NFL star's other dogs escaped the running back's Frisco, Texas home on May 20 and terrorized neighbors.

The clips -- totaling around 90 seconds -- appear to show a landscaper leaving Elliott's side gate open while exiting the Dallas Cowboys player's property on May 19.

It appears the gate stayed open all night long and into the morning of May 20, when Elliott's dogs are seen walking through it and into the neighborhood.

According to the docs, while in the neighborhood, one man claimed Ace and Elliott's two bulldogs attacked him, leaving him with injuries on his hand, wrist, forearm, thigh and leg.

A woman in the neighboring area says she later found the dogs in the street and brought them into her backyard to keep them safe.

The problem ... she claims the dogs then attacked her -- and says surveillance cameras in her yard captured the audio of the attack.

The woman -- who has since sued Elliott over the incident -- claimed in the court docs she suffered wounds to her finger, forearm, thigh and stomach.

The video from the case file ends with a shot of law enforcement and Elliott in a driveway.

Docs show, though, the alleged dog bites didn't stop there ... with one woman accusing Ace of biting her while trying to feed the dog while it was in quarantine following the May 20 incident.

The case file included pictures of Ace as well as one of the alleged victim's injuries.

Over the weekend, Zeke's attorney Frank Salzano gave us the following statement.

"Mr. Elliott and his representatives are aware of the lawsuit filed on July 30th, which stems from a previously reported incident from May 21st of this year.  As Mr. Elliott expressed at that time, he was - and remains concerned - for the party involved."

"However, as in most disputes, there are extenuating circumstances to this matter which will impact the legal proceedings which we are not at liberty to disclose.  As such, we have no further comment at this time."

The owner of the 2-year-old emotional support dog who died while traveling with Hawaiian Airlines believes his pup may have suffered a very painful death ... and he wants authorities to investigate.

The dog, a pit bull named Louis, had a body temperature of 107 degrees and his right paw was bloody with nails worn down to the quick ... according to the necropsy results, obtained by TMZ. For reference, normal body temp for dogs is around 101 or 102.

The owner, Dr. Randall Carpio, says the findings lead him to believe Louis died from heat exhaustion or heat stroke. He also claims the necropsy is missing key details surrounding the death.

He says Hawaiian Airlines ordered the testing while keeping him in the dark about Louis' death.

TMZ broke the story ... Louis died July 21 while traveling from Kona to Honolulu, but Randall says the airline gave him no explanation why.

The dog owner's attorney, Evan Oshan, filed a complaint with the Hawaiian Humane Society, claiming the airline isn't being transparent, and called on the state to investigate. He says the complaint was also sent to the Hawaii Attorney General's office.

In the complaint, obtained by TMZ, Randall says Louis was given a clean bill of health 48 hours before the journey ... and he claims airline agents told him the pup died in the animal holding facility at the Honolulu airport during a layover.

He recently received the dog's ashes and toys, but, obviously, he's looking for more answers.

For the third time in the last 14 months, Ezekiel Elliott is being sued over an alleged dog biting incident ... and this time, the accuser is looking for more than $1 MILLION in damages.

In the new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, Jennifer Gampper claims she's one of Elliott's neighbors and says on May 20, 2021, she was attacked by one of his dogs near his Frisco, Texas-area home.

Gampper claims that while the company Perfect Synthetic Grass (which she's also suing) was performing landscaping work at the residence ... Elliott's pooch escaped the house and attacked her.

In the suit, Gampper says she suffered severe and permanent injuries ... but doesn't get more specific.

Gampper is asking for monetary relief of over $1,000,000.

As for Elliott, his attorney, Frank Salzano tells us he's concerned about Gampper, but that doesn't mean he's at fault.

"Mr. Elliott and his representatives are aware of the lawsuit filed on July 30th, which stems from a previously reported incident from May 21st of this year.  As Mr. Elliott expressed at that time, he was - and remains concerned - for the party involved."

"However, as in most disputes, there are extenuating circumstances to this matter which will impact the legal proceedings which we are not at liberty to disclose.  As such, we have no further comment at this time."

You'll recall, cops actually investigated the incident ... and said two people were injured in the alleged attack, listing Gampper as one of the "victims" in a report.

Cops added that three of the running back's dogs escaped that day ... and said they ultimately ended up issuing Elliott 3 citations.

As for the dog that allegedly bit Gampper -- Zeke's Rottweiler, Ace -- a court official tells us it had a "dangerous dog hearing" after the incident, and was ultimately required to be removed from the city.

Of course, this is far from the first time Ace and the rest of Elliott's dogs have been accused of being violent.

Remember, back in June 2020, a pool cleaner alleged in a lawsuit that Ace bit her arm and dragged her ... before the 26-year-old's two bulldogs began attacking her legs.

Court records show that case has since been closed. We reached out to the accuser's attorney in that case for further details, but so far, no word back yet.

Elliott was also sued earlier this summer, in June, when a pet resort employee claimed Ace viciously bit him too on March 25, 2021. That case is still playing out in the court system.

Sad news ... Lance Mackey -- a 4-time Iditarod champion -- has been diagnosed with cancer again after battling the disease in 2001.

The legendary dog musher was first diagnosed with throat cancer back in 2001 -- and after surgery and radiation therapy, he was cancer-free.

But, Mackey announced on Tuesday via Facebook that the illness is back ... saying, "My winter plans just changed yet again."

"I was diagnosed with cancer again and being a single father has made sh* a bit different from my winter plans."

Mackey became an only parent when his partner, Jenne, died in a tragic ATV accident in October 2020 -- leaving him with their two children, Atigun and Lozen.

FYI, the Iditarod is the brutally difficult, 938-mile race that can last 2 weeks ... and Lance is one of the sport's best.

Despite not being able to race himself, Lance says he wants his pups to have a chance to compete.

"I’m not good about asking for help in any form — but here it goes. I have 8-10 dogs that deserve to race in a top team and 12 more that want to win — this season," Mackey says.

"All do respect to ALL,,,, not looking for sorry,,, just the right people for my dogs on a short term / winter deal ( unless is a team lease- sale )"

Mackey added, "I have every intention to race again, just won’t be this season!!!"

And, dog sled racing is in Mackey's blood ... his father is a musher and is one of the founders of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. His half-brother is also a musher.