Animals

Chad Atkins, the cofounder of Paw Works -- one of L.A.'s leading animal rescue organizations -- has died.

The organization announced the shocking news Sunday about its leader, calling him "a truly incredible person who devoted his entire existence to saving animals."

Paw Works says Chad "passed unexpectedly from heart failure" while at home. Further proving his dedication to animals, he had recently planned to open a low-cost spay and neuter clinic.

Paw Works is continuing to honor Chad by opening up the clinic as he wished ... and it's asking for donations to help continue his life's work. All the folks who worked with Chad say they can hear him saying, “It’s time, let’s get back to our mission.”

In the span of Chad's animal rescue career, the org says "he managed to save many humans with his compassion, sassy wit, smile and unconditional devotion."

TMZ has had the honor of working closely with Chad and Paw Works each year leading up to the Puppy Bowl to help promote animal adoption.

Chad is survived by his son, Sebastian, and his husband, Bryan Diaz. He was 44.

Kylie Jenner looked to have the remnants of a dead animal around her neck during a weekend trip to Aspen with Kendall Jenner ... the question being, is it real?

The two KarJenner sisters were in the ritzy Colorado ski town Saturday, where they hit the streets for a little retail therapy ... dressed up in their best winter getups, of course. Kendall was rocking an intricately-designed trench coat with matching leather gloves and boots.

Kylie, meanwhile, was wearing some sort of snowsuit with a headband and sunglasses. The piece of her ensemble that stood out, though ... a white scarf, which looks like real fur.

She was definitely flaunting it as part of her outfit, and ya gotta imagine if any animal activists were around -- they might've thrown a fit. Luckily, that wasn't the case ... it was just a bunch of fans nearby who saw Kylie and Kendall and wanted photos, which they obliged.

Kylie's been in these people's crosshairs before -- getting yelled at here in L.A. and bombarded with bullhorn chants. She's never directly addressed the fur controversies as far as we've seen ... so maybe she's sticking to her guns and wearing what she likes.

Olive Garden is saying arrivederci to a controversial restaurant manager who allegedly got so fed up with employees calling out for work they demanded proof even if a staffer's dog died.

A message reportedly sent from the disgraced manager to employees and obtained by KCTV read, "Our call-offs are occurring at a staggering rate. From now on, if you call off, you might as well go out and look for another job. We are no longer tolerating ANY EXCUSE for calling off. If you’re sick, you need to come prove it to us. If your dog died, you need to bring him in and prove it to us."

The manager, who worked at an OG location in Kansas, continued their rant by claiming they'd not taken a single day off in more than 11 years at the franchise.

Allegedly writing, "Do you know in my 11.5 years at Darden how many days I called off? Zero. I came in sick. I got in a wreck literally on my way to work one time, airbags went off and my car was totaled, but you know what, I made it to work, ON TIME.”

DaBaby is currently over in Dubai pushing his "Blame It On Baby 2" album, but he's also finding time to get wild ... at a zoo.

The "BOP" rapper paid a visit to the Al Buqaish Private Zoo ... a world-renowned animal shelter and checked in with its owner, Humaid Abdulla Albuqaish, and a new friend named "Simba."

DaBaby is one of the more ambitious rappers around but may want to read his lion tamer manual before getting close to a jungle king again -- the lion didn't seem to appreciate the way he was gripping its chain leash like it was one of his iced-out pendants.

Elsewhere, DaBaby and his crew solicited some nearby camels in hopes of coming up on some of the local greenery ... to no avail.

Regardless, DB has been riding high as of late after boldly claiming on Math Hoffa's podcast that he's on the same level as Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and J. Cole.

PETA wants Elon Musk's animal testing at Neuralink shut down, and says the best way to make it happen is for millions of bird app users to speak up, and against the Chief Twit.

A rep for the animal rights org. tells TMZ ... "Neuralink and the University of California-Davis are responsible for the deaths of at least 15 monkeys because of Elon Musk’s quest to stick a chip in a human’s brain."

PETA says this kind of experimentation dates back at least 2 decades at other companies -- but notes, in just a few short years, Neuralink is piling up animal corpses all on its own.

The org adds, "Experimenting on and killing animals is never good science, and since monkeys in Musk’s experiments have also died for reasons that have nothing to do with these studies, the laboratory should be closed."

PETA's solution, we're told, includes urging the USDA's inspector general to get to the bottom of why animal protection laws were allegedly violated -- as cited in a Reuters report, which detailed in-house workers' concerns with the growing number of animal tests and deaths. Reuters says at least 1,500 animals have been killed at Neuralink since 2018, in the advancement of research, and to meet Musk's alleged timetable for the chip.

Now, PETA's looking to put the pressure on Elon by using his new $44 billion toy against him -- it's calling on Twitter users to flood the app with protest tweets tagging @elonmusk and his company @neuralink.

Neuralink has made promises of being able to help combat paralysis by allowing patients to simply think out a task that machinery would then complete.

Earlier this year, there was some indication Elon would start human trials, but it doesn't seem that's happened yet.

The man charged for shooting Lady Gaga's dog walker last year just got a stiff punishment for the crime ... landing behind bars for decades.

James Howard Jackson was sentenced Monday to 21 years in prison in Los Angeles County -- this after accepting a plea deal from the District Attorney's Office. Jackson was one of five men hauled in by police and accused of carrying out the violent act in 2021.

A rep for the L.A. County D.A.'s office tells us Jackson pled no contest to a count of attempted murder and admitted the allegation of inflicting great bodily injury to a prior strike.

Prosecutors alleged Jackson was the one who actually fired the shot at Ryan Fischer that night in an attempt to steal Gaga's two French bulldogs.

Video obtained by TMZ showed the wild altercation -- the group literally rolled up and hopped out to attack Ryan, shooting him in the process.

Jackson was facing the most serious charges, attempted murder and 2 extra firearm counts, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and a felon carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle.

You'll recall ... he was actually temporarily released by mistake earlier this year after a clerical error by the Sheriff's Dept. Fischer told us at the time he was freaked out, and was calling on police to apprehend him swiftly.

In the end, they did ... and now, he's going away for a long time. It's unclear where things stand with the other four men connected to the case ... two others were also charged with attempted murder, while the final 2 were slapped with accessory charges, among others.

The Griffith Park Pony Rides and Petting Zoo operation is closing its doors for good, it seems after the City cut ties -- and the owner is blaming activists who've been on his ass.

Steve Weeks -- who's been running the place for years now -- broke the news this weekend on Facebook, writing ... "It is with much sadness that I announce that Griffith Park Pony Rides will be ceasing operations December 21, 2022. I have received a letter from Los Angeles Recreation and Parks stating that our contract will not be renewed."

He adds, "After 74 years serving the children and parents of Los Angeles, this iconic institution will be closed forever by order of the City."

Weeks says this is a direct result of extremists who've been protesting his establishment for months, explaining ... "You have all followed our fight against these few radical animal rights activists. Despite our year long fight to answer the untrue statements of these individuals, our efforts were not heard. This was the city decision and not the pony rides choice."

As for what's to become of all the animals there -- which entail way more than just the ponies themselves -- Weeks says he's attempting to relocate them now. He writes, "In the days ahead I will be attempting to find forever homes for our many ponies. I am determined to find homes for our ponies with qualified horsepeople who will care as much about our ponies as I do. If you are interested in [providing] a home please message me."

GPPR has been open since 1948, and was a staple attraction for Los Angeles-area families for a long time. Kids could ride their ponies around their stables and track -- and they were able to get up close and personal with other livestock, like goats, sheep, bunnies, etc.

In recent months, the establishment has been under siege by demonstrators and other parties who've accused the owners of mistreating the animals by forcing them to give rides in extreme heat during the summer -- among other claims of alleged animal abuse ... all of which Griffith Park Pony Rides has denied.

Noodle the Pug -- who took TikTok by storm over the past year-plus -- has died ... this according to his owner.

Jonathan Graziano announced the news Saturday, saying Noodle passed overnight while in his arms. He extends thanks to everyone who tuned in to watch his pooch on the platform and for welcoming both of them into their lives ... noting Noodle brought a lot of joy.

JG added that Noodle had a helluva run, and mentioned this in his caption ... "It has been the privilege of my life to care for Noodle these past 7 years. The sweetest man there has ever been and will ever be."

The pug was famous for a "No Bones Day" gag that Graziano would do daily ... which basically amounted to seeing if the dog wanted to get up for the day and do stuff. He'd lift Noodle up and gauge whether he'd stand on his own or not -- if he flopped, it's "no bones." If he stayed up, it meant Noodle had bones for the day ... an indicator for the rest of TikTok.

Naturally, the internet is in mourning ... with many pointing out just how pure Noodle's interactions were, and how well Graziano interacted with him for hilarious content. The pet owner is said to have adopted Noodle some 10 years ago, so they had a long relationship.

Noodle was 14.

The man who fell off a Carnival ocean liner and treaded water for 20 hours before being rescued literally swam with sharks and miraculously survived, but there's one big mystery -- how many drinks did this dude consume before going overboard?!?

James Michael Grimes had an amazingly entertaining chitchat Friday on 'GMA,' where he described the harrowing experience last week in the Gulf of Mexico.

He concedes he had been drinking the day of the fall, although he can't remember how much he had. He remembers downing a few, and winning one in an air guitar contest.

The 28-year-old told a family member he was going to the bathroom, and that's the last anyone saw of him. He doesn't remember going to the bathroom, falling off the ship or hitting the water.

The first thing he recalls is that he was in the ocean with no boat in sight. He was actually passed out in the water after the fall. Unreal!

James was treading water in an area known as a feeding ground for sharks, and it appears he encountered at least one. You gotta watch the video and hear how he survived that.

Eventually, he saw a freighter and swam with the little energy had left ... heading toward the vessel. When a Coast Guard chopper lifted him out the water, the first thing he did was warn one of the military guys he was naked!

An equestrian trainer who was seen on videos dragging a horse and appearing to make it bleed has now been charged with animal abuse, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Two clips were shared on a Facebook page last week ... with one appearing to show Ontario woman Solstice Pecile pulling a horse in a moving vehicle while on an isolated road.

In the footage, it sounds like Pecile is yelling at the horse while fiercely yanking the animal by its muzzle.

"Walk!" Pecile says in the video. "Good girl."

In the other video, which appears to be the aftermath of the pulling session, the horse seems to be bleeding from its hooves. The woman appears to have the horse's blood on her hands, and she can be heard calling the animal the R-word while seemingly chastising it.

"Awesome. Fantastic," Pecile said sarcastically in the video. "Why are you a r*****? Hmm? Why? Why? Why?"

Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police opened an investigation into the vids after they surfaced online ... and according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General, Pecile has now been charged with causing distress to an animal.

If treated as a minor offense and assuming it's her first offense, Pecile faces a $75k fine and potentially 6 months behind bars. If treated as a major offense, she faces up to $130k in fines and up to two years in prison.

Thanksgiving dog shows are usually viewed as counter-programming to football, but this year there's a connection between the 2 ... because the top dog has an NFL connection!!!

Winston, a 3-year-old French bulldog, won Best in Show at the 21st Annual National Dog Show. The pooch is partly owned by L.A. Chargers defensive end Morgan Fox.

Winston was top dog over hundreds of canine competitors. The show drew a huge audience -- 20 million folks tuned in to NBC for the fun.

One of the judges, Vicki Seiler-Cushman, gushed over Winston ... "He has a razzle-dazzle that says, 'I am here to win tonight.'"  She calls him the perfect pet.

FYI ... French bulldogs are the Avis of dogs ... the second most popular behind Labs.

As for some of Winston's competitors ... there's Cooper, an English Toy Spaniel, Sloan, an Irish Water Spaniel, and River, a German Shepard.

Some put on the football game on Thanksgiving, and some tune into Macy's big parade ... but MILLIONS of fans of our four-legged friends are watching the National Dog Show on Turkey Day.

We've gotten some behind the scenes pics of NBC's pup competition, presented by Purina, an event that catches an average of 20M sets of eyes every year -- it's televised directly after Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Nearly 2,000 dogs across 200 breeds are goin' for gold at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center ... and these furry friends are just as loveable as they are dedicated to the hustle -- especially this little face licker!

Grooming is no joke to dog handlers, because they put their animals through some rigorous steps to look 'Best in Show' ... including this doggy that's getting its ears primed for the big day!

The savage killer/killers of 4 Idaho college students spared the life of a dog at the house where the frenzied attack unfolded.

The Moscow Police Department released a statement Monday night, explaining the pooch was found uninjured the night the University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed with a combat knife. The dog was initially placed in the care of Animal Services, and then handed over to a "responsible party." Further details about the canine were not disclosed.

Meanwhile, police dismissed media reports theorizing that the quadruple homicide might have a connection to the recent killing -- and skinning -- of a mini Australian shepherd named Buddy, miles from the crime scene.

Dead animals were also discovered on another residential property, but they were victims of "wildlife activity," cops said.

Moscow PD investigators have been working with the FBI and Idaho State Police to identify the still-at-large assailant/assailants. They opened an FBI tip line requesting anyone with information on the slayings to contact them immediately.

As we reported, police found the bodies of the students inside the home after responding to a 911 call on November 13. Two surviving roommates were also present, but they were apparently asleep and not involved in the attack.

They later called friends to the house because they thought one of the victims had fallen unconscious and wouldn't wake up. Multiple people inside the house spoke with the 911 operator, using one of the roommates' cell phones.

A couple living in the area where the University of Idaho student slaughter says their dog was brutally killed -- skinned from head to tail -- just weeks before the 4 students were massacred.

Buddy, a 12-year-old mini Australian Shepherd, was killed in October ... according to owners Pam and Jim Colbert, who told DailyMail they let the pup outside before heading to bed -- and he was soon found dead.

They say the only fur left on the dog was on its paws and head ... they believe someone might've been waiting for them to let Buddy outside.

Police reportedly haven't made the connection between the death of Buddy and the college students' murders ... but it's clear the Moscow community has all the more reason to stay on high alert.

As we reported, investigators believe the attack was targeted, but have not pinpointed an exact motive. They've been searching high and low for the murder weapon -- a combat knife similar to the one used by Sylvester Stallone's character, Rambo.

Moscow PD recently acknowledged the 911 call came from one of the surviving roommates' phones ... but wouldn't say exactly who called the police.

Moscow PD Chief James Fry said in a press conference there were 'other friends' in the residence when the 911 call was made.

Fry also confirmed that the killer did not make the 911 call.

Jeffrey Dahmer's father is admitting he ignored a ton of warning signs about his killer son's behavior, but it's the why -- which he shared with Dr. Phil -- that will likely piss off the public.

Lionel Dahmer got candid with the daytime TV host during his 3-day special on the Dahmer case ... and Phil asked him if, in retrospect, he feels he should've seen the evil coming. His response is pretty chilling.

He recalled Dahmer between the ages of 11-14, and said his son used to roam around country roads where they lived to collect the remains of various animals that had been killed ... and then he'd take them home in garbage bags.

Lionel says there were all kinds of dead animals from foxes to small dogs, but he claims it wasn't until Dahmer's trial he found out his son would explore the animals' insides and feel them up.

It's interesting he's claiming he didn't know, because the Netflix series depicts Lionel as sharing that gory experience with his son in their basement.

Now, you'd think the collecting of the carcasses would be enough of a "red flag," but he says he simply didn't dig any deeper into Dahmer's behavior because he had friends who did the "same thing."

As you'd imagine, that explanation didn't sit right with survivors, who told Dr. Phil ... Lionel's ignorance about his son is complete BS.

Jason Momoa says he's not cutting bacon from his diet, despite adopting a wild pig ... but PETA's lookin' to change his mind, by sending him a gift basket full of piggy alternatives.

PETA tells TMZ ... the company's sending Aquaman a package with staples from the vegan/vegetarian community -- including fakin' bacon, plant-based jerky, sham ham, and pigless pork rinds.

Jason's not just getting food -- the basket's coming with a cute plush pig ... with a message -- "Pigs are friends, not food."

ICYMI, we got Jason in L.A. Wednesday after he posted about his little pig, Manapua ...  but told us he's stickin' to his diet as usual -- despite having a new porky pal.

PETA's rep says JM clearly loves his adopted pig, so their team's hoping he'll open himself up to leaving pigs off the table ... after getting a taste for what else is out there.