Pets

These fuzzy little faces actually belong to some of Hollywood's hottest celebs, Can you guess which stars call these dogs "man's best friend"?

File this under ADORABLE!!!!!

Cops in Suffolk County, NY rescued a SUPER CUTE baby deer that fell into a manhole last night.

According to police, landscapers first discovered the little guy at the bottom of a 20-foot manhole and immediately called cops for help.

When cops arrived to the scene, one officer was lowered into the manhole on a harness ... put another harness on the deer ... and lifted the animal to safety.

Officials say the deer appeared unharmed ... and eventually ran off into the woods.

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

"Modern Family" producers have secretly replaced one of the biggest stars on the show, TMZ has learned -- but the crazy part ... you probably wouldn't have noticed if we didn't tell you ... THE DOG!!!!

Sources connected with production tell TMZ, the French bulldog who plays Stella -- Jay Pritchett's pooch -- recently got the boot ... and has been replaced by a lookalike for next season.

According to sources, the dog who formerly played Stella -- real name Brigitte -- had been hired by an Hollywood animal agency called Good Dog Animals, which then subleased Brigitte to the "Modern Family" production shortly before Season 2.

We're told everything went great for 2 seasons, but GDA recently decided it no longer wanted to work with Brigitte -- so it unceremoniously dumped the dog in favor of its own lookalike Frenchie ... some bitch named Beatrice.

"Modern Family" then hired Beatrice instead.

Now, like scores of red-blooded Americans ... Brigitte is unemployed and hoping to find another job.

Michael Vick doesn't really care about animals ... and should NOT be allowed to own another dog ... this according to the ASPCA.

After Vick went on CNN and told Piers Morgan he hopes to get a new puppy for his kids, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals immediately spoke out against the NFL star who spent 19 months in prison for illegal dogfighting.

"Vick’s journey toward rehabilitation and redemption has not reflected any direct concern for the wellbeing of animals, and we’ve never heard him express a shred of empathy toward the dogs he brutalized and killed" ... the org. tells TMZ.

The ASPCA continues, "Rather than talk about the horrors and brutalities of dog fighting, Vick has instead chosen to focus on the consequences of getting caught."

"Vick’s actions have been simply self-serving and not remotely expressing remorse. Because of this, the ASPCA has serious concerns about Vick’s ability to be a responsible pet guardian."

In other words, don't expect to see Vick at the next ASPCA adoption event.

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NFL star Michael Vick wants to own a dog again -- and five years after his conviction for illegal dog fighting, he can legally get one -- but the question is ... should he?

The Philadelphia Eagles QB was on Piers Morgan's show last night, and said he would like to get a dog for his kids.

After Vick served 19 months in federal prison ... he was banned from owning dogs for 3 years. That ban is about to expire, and Vick thinks having a dog could be "therapeutic" ... for his children. He told Piers, "I can't take that dream away from them. That's selfish on my behalf."

One positive? Vick says he won't let his kids get a pit bull.

Still, we gotta ask ...

"Lost" star Dominic Monaghan believes "Swamp People" is nothing more than "shock TV" that glorifies the senseless killing of alligators -- and it must be stopped.

Monaghan went off on Twitter moments ago about the History Channel show, writing, "If my hero Steve Irwin was around, those shows about killing alligators wouldn't be on TV. I'm gonna stop them."

Monaghan describes "Swamp People" as "death entertainment" that "continues to demonize reptiles as monsters and animals that are okay to torture and kill."

He adds, "If alligator populations need to be controlled, I understand. But the act should not be glorified on TV. Disgusting."

And according to Dominic, it's all the History Channel's fault -- "I blame the network, not the people."

So we gotta ask ...

Call off the ... um, dogs ... cause Rumer Willis has found her um, dog.

As TMZ first reported, Willis went crazy looking for her lost pup Indy Blue, an adorable Terrier-Beagle mix she adopted from a shelter a few months back.

Our photog spotted Willis out yesterday and she wasn't too eager to talk, but when we asked if she found the dog, she muttered, "I found her. It is none of your business."

Rumer Willis has lost her adorable little puppy -- and TMZ has learned, she's hitting the streets of L.A. desperately trying to find it.

Rumer adopted Indy Blue from a shelter a couple months ago -- a Terrier-Beagle mix -- but Indy recently took a wrong turn in the wilds of Hollywood, and now Rumer can't find him.

Rumer's been slamming up posters around her neighborhood hoping to track Indy down. So far, she's had no luck.

A way out West there was a fella, fella we want to tell you about, fella by the name of Sam Elliott -- whose cat takes massive stinky craps in his house ... that require a butt load of kitty litter.

The "Big Lebowski" actor tackled his poop problem head-on yesterday in Malibu -- hitting up a local supermarket for some Arm & Hammer Super Scoop kitty litter. Oh yeah, Sam also bought some Coors Lights.

Mr. Woodchuck -- Uncle Joey's faithful puppet on "Full House" -- was gruesomely disfigured in a freak accident 17 years ago ... and now, Mr. Woodchuck is finally showing his face ... or what's left of it.

Dave Coulier -- who played Uncle Joey on the show -- dug up the old puppet from storage for a "Funny or Die" sketch, joking that Comet (the Tanner family dog) chewed up Mr. Woodchuck's foam face.

But Comet's just a scapegoat -- in reality, Mr. Woodchuck was the victim of Coulier's own dog who got a hold of the puppet soon after the show wrapped for good in 1995.

We're told Coulier's new video is scheduled to debut in the near future -- with a bonus cameo by everyone's favorite annoying neighbor ... Kimmy Gibbler.

Aubrey O'Day is a certified headcase ... so says one of her doctors, who issued the reality star an official medical document which allows her to bring her dogs on to an airplane.

A rep for Virgin America airlines tells TMZ ... the "Celebrity Apprentice" star was cleared to bring her 2 pets into the 1st class section of a flight this week ... because they are registered as "Emotional Support Animals."

So how does one get emotional support animal clearance? Ya gotta have a doctor write a letter ... stating you have mental issues.

According to the Virgin America website, the airline requires the passenger to produce a letter from a licensed mental health professional which substantiates the guest's disability-related need for the animal to accompany them in the aircraft cabin.

V.A. claims the letter must state that the passenger "has a mental health-related disability" ... and that having the animal accompany the passenger is necessary for his or her mental health.

The nature of O'Day's mental health issue is unclear. We called the starlet for comment.

O'Day tweeted pics of the dogs enjoying themselves on the flight to San Francisco ... and the V.A. rep tells us she was "incredibly sweet and polite" ... and nothing short of a "great guest."

But the move is causing some concern among bird activists -- because Moluccan cockatoos are endangered ... and are known to be extremely TERRIBLE pets.

TMZ spoke with Monica Engrebretson -- a rep for the animal rights org. Born Free USA ... who also happens to be an expert in all things related to the Moluccan cockatoo. She's also a HUGE Cee Lo fan.

Monica tells us ... "Moluccan cockatoos are beautiful, intelligent animals but they are very challenging to care for especially in the long term, and are prone to considerable welfare problems."

With her adorable puppy in tow, Nick Lachey's second wife Vanessa Lachey did her best Jessica Simpson and showed off her bulging baby bump as she left some hoity toity pet spa in L.A. on Monday.

Rockin' some maternity workout wear, the 31-year-old looks to be keeping fit during her pregnancy.

Vanessa is due at the end of the summer with her first child with hubby Nick.

Two women who recently faced off on "Judge Judy" are still battling in real life ... all over a dog ... with allegations of violent threats and pet-napping ... TMZ has learned.

The dogfight involves Kari Whitman -- who runs the Ace of Hearts pet adoption agency in L.A. The other woman is Teresa Gardenhire ... a former doggy foster parent.

The two squared off on an episode of "Judy" that was taped May 23 -- after Gardenhire claimed Whitman owed her money for taking care of an Ace of Hearts dog while the org. searched for a permanent owner.

Judy ruled for Ace of Hearts ... but after the show, Whitman claims Gardenhire began a campaign of harassment ... and even made violent threats.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ, Whitman claims Gardenhire warned her, "Watch your back bitch" and threatened to steal Whitman's dogs in retaliation.

Whitman was so frightened, she filed a request for a restraining order -- claiming "[I am] afraid the threats will become real actions."

Gardenhire tells TMZ she's the real victim -- claiming she thought she had adopted the dog she had been fostering ... and claims Ace of Hearts stole it. Gardenhire even filed a police report.

A former screenwriter for "NYPD Blue" was arrested for beating a poodle to death and could face up to a year in prison.

Ted Shuttleworth was busted Saturday morning in Queens, NY after punching his 4.5 lb poodle so hard in the face she died, according to the New York Post.

The 51-year-old TV writer took the canine to the vet afterwards -- but her death raised suspicions and sparked an investigation by the ASPCA.

Following the necropsy, a spokesman for the ASPCA concluded, "Lola sustained a traumatic brain injury secondary to the application of blunt force to the right side of her head at the hands of her owner."

Oprah Winfrey isn't stupid ... she knows 50 Cent named his dog 'Oprah' to diss the talk show queen after a recent feud ... and when the two sat down together, she totally called him out on it.

"I heard you have a dog named Oprah ... that was not a compliment," she said to the rapper.

Fiddy sheepishly replied, "I love you ... you know how they say a dog is a man's best friend?"

During the confrontation, part of Oprah's new show, "Next Chapter," ... 50 explained how he felt Oprah's famous campaign against the N-word and degradation of women in hip hop felt like a personal attack.

"I would see moments where you would discuss your feelings on the culture, and everything that was wrong with the culture was on my CD ... and I was like, 'She doesn't like me.' "

So why name the dog Oprah? 50 told her O-ness, "At the time, I was just looking at the situation and I saw I was developing negative feelings for someone who doesn't even know me."

50 said he also got a cat ... and named it Gayle.

But now, the hatchet appears to be buried ... and 50 even told Oprah he pampers the hell out of the animals ... even hiring a babysitter to take care of them while he's out of town.