Pets

Air travel could be a lot safer than it is now, when it comes to COVID-19 -- instead of relying on the honor system to screen passengers, dogs that can sniff the virus could be deployed.

The dogs are being trained at Florida International University, and Dr. DeEtta Mills, who's leading the program, joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" to explain how the canines get up to snuff.

The good doc says their program is similar to how dogs learn to detect bombs and drugs -- but instead of explosives and contraband, trainers used discarded face masks from COVID-positive patients.

The NBA's Miami Heat are about to start using coronavirus-sniffing dogs to screen fans at AmericanAirlines Arena ... and Dr. Mills thinks our airlines and airports could adopt the process too.

Virus-sniffing dogs are already being used to detect COVID-19 in Chile, United Arab Emirates and Finland. Researchers say the highly-trained canines detect the disease with almost 100% accuracy.

President Biden just brought a tradition back to the White House -- his dogs are now officially residents at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

The Bidens' 2 German Shepherds, Major and Champ, were introduced to their new doggy digs over the weekend, becoming D.C. residents anew -- this a few days after their humans flew in from Delaware and got their new home situated.

As for the delay ... the White House says the first couple wanted to get settled in before bringing the pooches. Makes sense, gotta get some of those family smells they're used to around the place.

Photos of Champ and Major frolicking were posted by the WH. Yeah, they're total posers ... especially with the Washington Monument now as a background. The First Lady's press secretary says, "Champ is enjoying his new dog bed by the fireplace and Major loved running around on the South Lawn." The pics match up with that description.

Champ's around 12 years old and has been with the Bidens a mighty long time. Meanwhile, Major's relatively new to the fam ... having just been adopted in 2019, and sitting pretty at a whole 2 years. You can tell which one is which right off the bat.

Remember, the return of dogs is a step back to tradition -- up until Donald Trump, who didn't have any pets during his 4-year term, there'd been a canine in the White House for about a century. The last Prez to not have a dog before 45 was ... William McKinley, in 1897.

Joe Biden's getting sworn in as the 46th President of the United States in just a few days, but his dog's getting sworn in right now -- with none other than Josh Groban helping out.

Joe's second German Shepherd, Major, is being honored Sunday with a virtual celebration via Zoom, which has been appropriately tagged -- "inDOGuration." During the event, Major will get some serious screen time with ticketholders and partake in pooch-friendly activities, with Jill Martin from the "TODAY" show hosting, and Darius Brown appearing as a guest.

They won't be the only human faces to drop in though ... Groban was added as a bit of a last-minute booking for some live entertainment. He willed his desire to perform for the "inDOGuration" into existence, recently asking Joe's team to let him sing for it.

Looks like his wish was granted, because on Sunday Josh wrote, "IT CAME TRUE!! I am so happy. The world is a mess, but we can all agree dogs rule. Let’s celebrate Major’s Indoguration and raise $$ for his rescue shelter, Delaware Humane Association."

Tickets go for $10, and the show starts at 3 PM ET. As for what Josh is gonna be doing exactly ... word is, he'll be singing an original dog-themed song. Sounds about right!

As you might know, Joe adopted Major in 2018 from the animal shelter mentioned above ... making him the first shelter dog to occupy the White House. The Bidens have another German Shepherd, Champ, who's been in their family for well over a decade now.

It's been 4 years since we've had some canines in the White House. Trump infamously didn't have any pets ... despite it being a tradition for Presidents to have some furry friends.

Kaley Cuoco is mourning the death of her pooch, Norman ... which has left the actress heart-broken, considering how big of a dog lover she is.

The 'Big Bang Theory' star broke the tragic news Saturday, posting two black and white photos of her with her beloved Norman, writing ... "💔 earth shattering deep gut wrenching pain I didn’t know was possible. Norman, you were my entire world for 14 years."

Kaley adds, "Thank you for smiling at me as you left this world, confirming for me once again our language was ours alone. You will always have my heart. 💔"

No word on how exactly her pit bull died, but he was a regular on her IG feed as one of several dogs she appears to own and/or adopts on a semi-regular basis. Kaley has a bunch of photos and videos of her and Norman specifically, where they are often snuggling.

She even made an Instagram page for him at one point, which had thousands of followers. It has since been deactivated.

Kaley rescued Norman when he was around 2, and he had a broken leg at the time ... which she nursed back to full health. She's publicly credited him with inspiring her to be an animal rescuer at large -- KC partnered with Paw Works shortly after taking him in, and she's been deeply involved in rescues, adoptions and fostering in and around L.A. ever since.

Norman's death comes on the heels of another one of Kaley's dogs dying just a few months ago -- a pit bull named Petunia, who she and her husband, Karl, adopted as a senior.

While Kaley's had different dogs under her care at various points over the years, it appears Norman was her rock ... and her day 1, so to speak. So, this one's gotta hurt.

Jamie Lynn Spears has a problem with her Tesla ... one that's cost her family multiple pets -- and she's asking Elon Musk to fix it to avoid future cat-astrophes.

Britney's baby sis paints a pretty horrific picture of what's been happening in her home, claiming her Tesla vehicle is so quiet her cats don't hear it turn on or backing up ... and they end up going from 9 lives to zero.

Jamie spares us the gory details, thankfully, but says it's devastating and tragic for everyone involved. She also suggests it's happened several times, but doesn't say precisely how many felines paid the ultimate price.

She also pitches an idea to Elon on how to improve Teslas and save cat lives. No, JLS isn't an engineer, but she might be on to something here.

Now, Jamie does admit some "user error" is also at fault, which seems appropriate considering it's happened more than once. As you can see in the video, it's made for some difficult heart-to-hearts with her daughter.

G.S. Warrior star Kelly Oubre claims his ex-GF tried to extort him out of nearly $3 million ... and if he didn't pay up, she'd launch a smear campaign intended to destroy his reputation.

The allegations are part of a lawsuit filed by the 25-year-old hooper in Los Angeles.

Oubre -- a 6-year NBA vet who was a former 1st-round draft pick -- claims his ex, Makena LeDuff, contacted him on January 11, 2021, and demanded a large sum of money ... or she would retaliate against him.

"Makena demanded that Kelly her pay her nearly $3 million or she would make public her false, scurrilous, and extortionate allegations by the end of the week," the lawsuit reads.

The suit claims LeDuff contacted Oubre and threatened to say he was engaged in "criminal conduct" and make other false allegations ... all "crafted to cause maximum and irreparable harm to Kelly, his reputation, and his career."

If this case sounds familiar ... well, that's 'cause it is.

Oubre first filed suit against LeDuff back in 2019 .... saying she became an absolute nightmare after they broke up. He claims she stole his 2 dogs, Soul and Saint, slashed his tires and refused to leave the house he was renting in Beverly Hills.

Kelly says he still hasn't gotten his dogs back ... and now the situation has escalated with the threats. So, his attornies amended their initial complaint ... and now they're seeking punitive damages against LeDuff.

That's not all -- Oubre also claims Makena threatened to hurt him with a thinly veiled threat she posted on social media back in August 2019.

"Makena posted a photo on her Instagram account, where she intimated that she would take physical action against Kelly, Kelly’s friends, or anyone else that tried to enter the house to help Kelly to retrieve his things," the lawsuit claims.

The suit continues ... "Specifically, the photo showed Makena in the backyard of the Beverly Hills house, wearing one of Kelly’s favorite hats, while at the same time brandishing a rifle. In the caption, Makena wrote, 'Exercising ALL my rights.'"

***WARNING: THESE IMAGES ARE VERY, VERY GROSS!!!***

A bodybuilder in the UK says he nearly lost both of his legs after he violently fell down his staircase about a month ago ... but, fortunately, he says his Amazon Alexa saved him.

The story is absolutely terrifying ... Dante McNulty -- a 40-year-old diehard gym-goer -- says he got up in the middle of the night to let his dog out when he slipped and fell down his stairs.

McNulty says the crash left him unconscious in a kneeling position for hours ... and with his entire 230-pound frame crushing his legs for that long, he suffered serious damage.

McNulty says blood flow was blocked to his lower legs ... resulting in acute compartment syndrome, which can sometimes be so severe, it can cause the loss of limbs.

"I just remember I couldn’t feel my legs," McNulty said of the incident. "I couldn’t walk or move, I felt paralyzed. Below my knees was cold, they didn’t seem swollen but I had a lot of veins pop just under my kneecap."

McNulty, though, says he was able to yell for his Alexa to call for help ... and he was able to get emergency medical care right away.

According to a GoFundMe set up for the bodybuilder, McNulty underwent immediate surgery ... with doctors cutting open his calves to the bone with the hopes of relieving swelling.

"He was put into an induced coma and on a ventilator, alongside dialysis and blood transfusions," McNulty's family said in a statement on the GoFundMe.

Thankfully, after several more surgeries and days recovering, McNulty's family says he was just recently discharged from the hospital and is attempting to re-learn how to walk.

"It really is unbelievable," McNulty said of the whole incident. "Thank God my WiFi was working that day."

President-elect Joe Biden isn't the only one being ushered into the White House with pomp and circumstance ... his rescue dog, Major, is getting "indogurated."

Major, a German Shepherd, is getting honored by the Delaware shelter where the Bidens rescued him ... with a special inauguration of his own this Sunday on Zoom ... and the "indoguration" is raising money for other pups like Major.

The Bidens adopted Major from the Delaware Humane Association back in 2018, and now Major's set to become the first shelter dog in the White House ... hence the big virtual celebration.

Major's "indoguration" is being hosted by 'Today' show's Jill Martin, and folks can join the Zoom event with a $10 minimum donation, with all proceeds going to the DHA.

Sunday's event sounds like a fun time ... it's being hailed as "the world's largest virtual party for dogs."

Tragic news coming out of Annapolis -- retired Navy football goat mascot, Bill 33, has died, the Academy announced Thursday. He was 14.

Bill 33 -- AKA "Blue Eyes" -- recently battled age-related health issues that would not improve ... and was euthanized in his Navy home with his caretaker by his side, USNA said in a statement.

The angora goat was donated to the Academy alongside Bill 34 in 2007 ... and repped the football team through the 2015 season before taking on a mentorship role to the younger goats.

The Navy says Bill 33 enjoyed hay and treats during retirement ... and was wise enough to stay clear of the younger, "more rambunctious" goats.

The Academy notes Bill 33 is the only goat in the school's history to have blue eyes -- hence the nickname.

"The Academy would like to publicly confirm that he was quite 'old and gnarly' and had 'never been to school,'" USNA added.

Bill 33 is survived by Bill 34 and current mascots Bill 36 and Bill 37.

Tim Tebow is releasing a brand new children's book based on his late beloved dog, Bronco -- and it's really sweet.

Bronco passed away back in Nov. 2019 after spending 9 years with Tim. The two were inseparable and Tebow often referred to Bronco as his "son."

So, to keep his memory alive ... Tim authored a children's book called "Bronco and Friends: A Party to Remember" which features Bronco as the main character.

"Bronco was such an amazing dog and I wanted to honor him," Tim explained Tuesday morning on "GMA."

And, if you're wondering ... yes, the story has a religious theme (it's classified by Amazon as Children's Christian Family Fiction).

The story features Bronco -- who wears glasses because of a vision disability -- teaming up with other animals (including a flightless bird and an allergic goat) and they make their way to a special party.

Amazon describes the book this way ... "This sweet story of animals with different challenges and abilities is core to Tim Tebow's message to fans and friends of any age who have special needs."

Tim has been heavily involved in the special needs community for years -- helping kids and families around the world.

"I wanted to write a children's book for all the young boys and girls out there to encourage them and their worth -- and that they're unique, they're special, they're wonderful."

Uncle Sam is coming after the big cats at Jeff Lowe's zoo, all because of a euthanized tiger cub ... but he says he had no choice.

Here's the deal ... the feds want to seize a bunch of big cats the 'Tiger King' star is looking after at his zoo in Oklahoma, following what they say was an unauthorized euthanasia.

According to new docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds claim Jeff put down a tiger -- which they insist is a big no-no without Uncle Sam's blessing -- so the feds are asking him to hand over all his big cats that are a year old or younger, plus their mothers.

But, Jeff says it's not his fault, telling TMZ ... he noticed a young cub, almost 6 months old, limping around its enclosure. He says the cub was pulled from its mother and taken to a veterinarian for x-rays.

Jeff tells us the vet diagnosed the cub with metabolic bone disease, and said the animal needed to be euthanized ... so they did.

Remember ... the USDA last year claimed the animals at Jeff's zoo were in "serious danger" because they were allegedly getting substandard care.

A Nashville musician whose home was decimated by the Nashville blast is starting 2021 off with his cat who was missing for 6 days, and a new guitar to boot, thanks to Brad Paisley.

Buck McCoy was in his downtown Nashville apartment when the blast hit Christmas Day. The place was destroyed, and his beloved cat Molly must have freaked out and escaped.

Authorities who were conducting the investigation at the scene of the blast found the cat roaming the streets Thursday and reunited her with Buck.

Buck was ecstatic, saying, "I know she's just a little orange cutie thing, but she was everything to me ... The last 5 years she's always been there for me."

Buck lost everything in the bombing ... he shot this video immediately after the blast and it shows the devastation inside his apartment. As for why he didn't leave, Buck tells TMZ he heard gunshots -- something others heard as well but authorities say they found no evidence of it -- and then heard something coming from a loudspeaker but he couldn't understand it so he went back to sleep and was awakened by the blast.

Buck got some help from a famous Nashville resident who saw him on TV getting reunited with his feline friend. Brad called Buck and said he was sending him one of his brand new guitars so Buck could get back to work at Legend's Corner, where he plays with his band.

Buck's gonna put the guitar to immediate use when he performs Saturday at Legend's Corner.

Brad also offered Buck unlimited groceries at Brad's place, The Store, which offers food to all the people in town who are struggling.

Watching this daring dog rescue might make you shiver, but the end result is heart-warming ... a much needed boost to end the year.

A Boxer found itself in peril Wednesday in the town of Cheektowaga, outside Buffalo, NY, stuck in an icy cold creek as temperatures were barely above freezing.

Cheektowaga PD says the super timid pup -- recently rescued from a puppy mill -- got spooked, ran from its owner and unfortunately headed toward the creek.

Cops had a hard time locating the poor pooch, but Patrolman James Rutkowski eventually spotted it and jumped into the chilly water -- up to his waist -- for the rescue mission.

Officer Rutkowski was slipping and sliding over trees to get to the cold doggie, but fortunately, it was already wearing a harness ... which allowed him to lift the dog out to safety and hand it to another cop closer to dry land.

A homeless man in Atlanta is a true hero after risking his own life by running into a burning animal shelter and rescuing 16 dogs and cats.

Keith Walker saw the burning building and couldn't just sit there and wait. He jumped into action.

The 53-year-old didn't pretend he wasn't scared, saying, "I was nervous as hell. I'm not going to lie. I was really scared to go in there with all that smoke. But God put me there to save those animals."

The fire was said to have started in the kitchen and been an electrical fire

Turns out Walker, who's been homeless since he was 13, loves dogs, saying, "If you love a dog, you can love anyone in the world. My dog is my best friend, and I wouldn't be here without him, so I knew I had to save all those other dogs."

Walker has a pit bull named Bravo, and the owner of the W-Underdogs shelter, let him keep the dog there every night.

Walker was on his way to pick up Bravo for a walk when he saw the flames. The owner of the shelter, Gracie Hamlin, said, "Even the firefighters didn't want to handle the dogs. They called animal control, but Keith was already in the building pulling out the cats and dogs until they were all safe." In all, Walker saved 6 dogs and 10 cats.

Hamlin was beyond grateful ... "I can't thank him enough for saving my animals," adding, "I'm still in disbelief because I've been around a fire and I know how fast they flare-up. He is my hero."

A police dog took a bite out of crime -- literally -- on Xmas Eve.

The incident went down Thursday afternoon in Ontario, CA, just outside L.A. Cops spotted a stolen car on the 15 freeway and tried stopping the driver, to no avail.

The car eventually stopped on the freeway and cops tried negotiating with the suspect for at least 10 minutes ... before unleashing the K-9.

You see the dog leap through the driver's side window and latch on to the suspect's arm.  The suspect tried fighting off the dog, but the dog had other ideas. A bunch of officers came in for the assist and took the suspect into custody.

Props to this man who saved this poor deer stranded on a frozen reservoir ... with the daring rescue caught on video.

Gil Lencour was heading home for a lunch break Tuesday in Wisconsin Rapids when he noticed the deer struggling in the middle of a frozen reservoir. The quick-thinking dude zoomed home to grab a leash and called a buddy for an assist.

Gil says when he got to the deer it was clear the leash wouldn't do the trick. his backup plan was the ol' heave ho ... pushing the deer as it glided to solid ground.  The deer suffers from bad manners -- it did not turn around to say "Thanks" before scampering into the woods.

Gil's buddy, John Moss, began recording after it became apparent John had the situation under control.