Pets

The guy who played Lattimer in the 1993 football flick "The Program" tells TMZ ... his animal cruelty arrest is total BS ... claiming the 25 dogs discovered in his Santa Monica mobile home are "rescues" that he was trying to place with loving families.

TMZ broke the story ... Andrew Bryniarski and his GF were arrested Saturday night after cops say they were neglecting the animals -- noting that several of the Pomeranians appeared sick and starving -- and claiming the home smelled like urine.

But Bryniarski says the cops are lying -- telling us, "Nobody cares for my dogs better than I do, or finds them better homes. These are lies ... and the only thing that smells like piss or maybe sh*t is the story from the Santa Monica Police Department."

Bryniarski tells TMZ ... "We bought the RV as a mobile adoption unit about a week ago to find good, forever homes for the majority of the poms, all of which we have raised ourselves or rescued."

So why would the cops make up the story? Bryniarski claims the City of Santa Monica doesn't want RVs posted up in the nice part of town ... and is doing anything they can to drive them out.

As for the dogs, we've learned all 25 are currently being held at the Santa Monica Animal Shelter ... but Bryniarski tells us he's doing everything in his power to get them back ASAP.

Andrew Bryniarski -- the guy who played 'roid raging maniac Lattimer in "The Program" -- was arrested for animal cruelty in L.A. last week after cops say he was keeping 25 starving dogs inside his mobile home.

TMZ has learned ... cops were dispatched to the actor's motorhome in Santa Monica at 10:30 PM on Sept. 8 ... after receiving multiple tips from a concerned neighbor who constantly heard the sound of crying dogs coming from Lattimer's pad.

When cops approached the home ... no one was there ... but officers say they could see several metal dog kennels containing roughly 15 small dogs (Pomeranians).

Cops say they also noticed there was no visible food or water for the dogs. Plus, the place smelled like dog piss.

According to police, Lattimer and a female arrived to the home shortly after the police ... and admitted the dogs belonged to them.

Ultimately, cops say they found 25 dogs in the home ... and determined they were not being properly cared for. In fact, cops say several of the dogs and puppies appeared to be sick.

Both Lattimer and the woman were arrested for animal cruelty -- and Animal Control was called to remove the dogs from the premises.

Lattimer and the woman were hauled to a nearby jail -- where they were booked and later released.

Adorable "Toddlers and Tiaras" star Paisley Dickey suffered a devastating loss when her little pet bunny died -- and now the little fur ball's getting STUFFED for posterity.

It's pretty sad ... 4-year-old Paisley -- who first made headlines for wearing the Julia Roberts​' "Pretty Woman" hooker outfit -- only had little "Bun Bun" for two weeks ... when he died of a heart attack.

Paisley's mom Wendy tells TMZ they tried to bury Bun Bun, but when Paisley refused to say goodbye ... they decided to take the taxidermy route -- and videotape the whole thing.

In the video ... Paisley and her parents hit up their local animal stuffer in Georgia, so Paisley can choose Bun Bun's eternal resting position -- inside one of her pink-jeweled tiaras.

In case you're wondering ... Wendy says Bun Bun suffered the cardiac arrest when a balloon-popped. She says they didn't realize pet bunnies commonly die that way.

"Precious" star Mo'Nique finally ended a nasty legal battle with her landlords over a house she claimed smelled like dog feces ... and TMZ has learned she's still living there!

As TMZ first reported, Mo's Georgia landlords sued the actress and her husband Sidney Hicks last year, claiming they walked out on their lease agreement still owing $370,000 in unpaid rent. Mo fired back with her own suit, claiming they bailed on the contract for a slew of reasons ... including that the house smelled like dog crap, wet dog, and urine.

Now the craziness is behind them and both parties came to an agreement last week and dropped their dueling lawsuits. Sources tell TMZ as part of the settlement deal ... it was Mo that had to pony up some dough, although it's unclear how much.

EVERYONE STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING! A HOT GIRL NEEDS OUR HELP -- and that hot girl is none other than supermodel Adriana Lima ... who lost her precious little pooch in Miami this week.

Lima took to her Twitter asking for help yesterday, writing, "Please help me find my beloved Ivy.... I am in tears..." She also attached a picture of the 7-year-old Maltese with a phone number to call (if you have info about Ivy, not for a date).

Lima said she had left Ivy with some family friends in Miami while she's in New York -- about to give birth, by the way.

According to Lima, the dog somehow slipped out of her friends' house on Tuesday ... and it's been lost since.

DON'T LET HER DOWN INTERNET! REMEMBER HOW HOT SHE IS!

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."