Dwight Howard is mourning the loss of his beloved dog, Sunday ... saying his companion was tragically killed in an alleged hit-and-run over the weekend.

The NBA center shared the sad news with his Instagram followers on Wednesday, posting several photos and videos of the good times with his Belgian Malinois.

Howard -- now playing in the BIG3 league after 18 NBA seasons -- said Sunday lost her life on June 18 in Suwanee, Georgia, after she was allegedly struck by a car that didn't stop.

Snoop Dogg has taken a blow to his family tree ... his beloved French bulldog Juelz, who Wiz Khalifa famously brought into his life.

On Thursday, Snoop revealed Juelz had bounced to Doggy Heaven, leaving him with a mountain of memories to mourn over.

Wiz gifted Juelz to Snoop for his 43rd birthday in 2014, and they've been road dawgs ever since ... the perfect companion to his other Frenchie, Frank.

A family dog had the scare of a lifetime -- yanked into an alligator’s jaws right from his Florida backyard -- and while he somehow made it out alive, his injuries are nothing short of brutal.

The pics are rough -- the German Shepherd named Zeus suffered a fractured jaw and deep puncture wounds ... he had his jaw realigned and wired shut by a veterinarian, all after he broke free from the gator that busted through the backyard fence in Wesley Chapel, near Tampa, and dragged him to a nearby pond.

Zeus’ owner, Susan Alkhatib, told WFLA it all unfolded in a blur last week -- the whole family rushed outside to watch in horror as the gator thrashed around with Zeus' head locked in its jaws.

Dogs on Skid Row are being fed fentanyl, bred for money, and otherwise abused and neglected, and politicians are doing nothing about ... so says an animal rights activist.

Joey Tuccio -- an advocate for and rescuer of animals, who works with the nonprofit Starts With One Today -- stopped by "TMZ Live" to shine a light on dogs living on Los Angeles' notorious Skid Row ... a collection of streets in downtown where many homeless people live.

Tuccio says there are about 100 dogs living in the area ... and, while he doesn't want to see people's pets taken away, he's concerned about the dogs he's seen, which he says some people are using as guinea pigs to test fentanyl.

A cute little pooch got caught up in a fatal police involved shooting in California and miraculously survived, according to new dramatic video.

In fact, the doggie was an eyewitness to the brutal violence that claimed the life of Joanna Lopez, who was killed by police while holding a bystander at knifepoint in Fresno.

The Fresno PD recently released body-worn camera footage, which captured every moment of the shocking April 10 incident.

Alabama Barker's newest family member truly is a barker in every sense ... 'cause not only is he taking on the last name -- but, he's a dog whose bark is almost certainly worse than his bite.

The daughter of Travis Barker shared a video to Instagram Sunday ... where she held her tiny puppy pal on her shoulder.

It's a quick clip ... but, ya gotta see the size of this little guy -- it's clear he's pretty new on this earth as well as new to Alabama.

Haley Joel Osment's trying not to draw too much attention these days ... stepping out in an incognito ensemble in his first appearance since he used a slur while being arrested in Mammoth.

The actor took his dogs for a walk around the block Wednesday ... dark sunglasses covering his eyes and a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.

He added a maroon polo, a gray jacket and black pants ... looking like any other normie out for a stroll instead of one of the biggest child stars of all time.

"Barehand" and "clean-up" took on whole new meanings at one Minor League Baseball stadium over the weekend ... as a team staffer had to scoop up a bat dog's poop -- with no gloves on!!

It all happened at Atrium Health Ballpark on Sunday ... when the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers were taking on the Carolina Mudcats.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Cannon Ballers' de facto mascot had a bathroom emergency just feet away from home plate ... and a stadium employee was unfortunately given the unenviable assignment of getting it out of the dirt.

There's a lot to celebrate in the Ohtani household ... 'cause Shohei's famous pooch, Decoy, has made another trip around the sun ... and the Dodgers superstar commemorated the big birthday with an adorable tribute!!

The three-time MVP -- who has quite the stuffed trophy case -- gave his four-legged friend some hardware of his own ... by gifting him a "Most Valuable Dog" plaque.

Decoy also got flowers and a number two balloon for his little pawty. We didn't see any treats ... but with Ohtani's $700 million contract, we're sure he was able to splurge a bit.

From leashes to limelight, stars and their scene-stealing sidekicks are always serving paws and applause -- and TMZ's got the ultimate reel to prove it!

We’ve rounded up the wildest tail-wagging moments -- from Glenn Close’s pup causing pure NYC chaos to a pooch at LAX sniffing out Mel Gibson and literally barking in for a TMZ exclusive.

Sydney Sweeney had the cutest Met Gala date last night -- her furry new friend, Sully Bear! While the "Euphoria" star's German Shepherd puppy did not climb the stairs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art himself, he did surprise fans with an appearance after the grand ball for a stroll in the bustling streets of New York City.

Check out our clip ... SS is a proud dog mom as she smiles for cameras while making her way outside the star-studded Carlyle Hotel with Sully in her arms.

She gracefully steps through the thrilled crowd so she can take her good boy for a walk ... but the timing couldn't have been worse. The moment she places her pooch on the pavement, the crowd frantically rushes towards the Carlyle, screaming for Hailey Bieber, an eyewitness tells TMZ.

Ever get that creepy feeling like someone’s lurking and watching you? Well, Kesha definitely had that vibe while taking a stroll through her neighborhood ...

Turns out, the whole weird setup was for a photoshoot for her new song, "Boy Crazy" -- so, no need to worry, it was just Kesha taking her cat for a stroll in a stroller while a shirtless guy in a jockstrap watched from behind.

Obviously, it was a wild and weirdly brilliant creative direction, executed to perfection. Kesha slayed in a burgundy 'fit, while the shirtless dude in the background nailed his creepy stalker look like a pro.

Kyle Richards says there's more to her dramatic confrontation with a woman on the street ... 'cause Kyle claims she only went after her because she was dragging her dog across the street -- something cameras didn't quite capture.

We caught up with the reality television star outside the Beverly Hilton Hotel Monday night ... and, we had to ask her about her intense argument with a dog walker earlier this month.

ICYMI ... photogs caught Kyle running up to a woman and getting in her face about the way she was treating her dogs -- which set the woman off and nearly led to a full-on fistfight.

12:36 PM PT -- KTLA reports Alejandro Acosta Oliveros has been released on bail.

A suspected serial cat-killer was busted in Southern California this week for animal cruelty after he was caught on video trying to grab a cat, cops say.

Footage shared by the Santa Ana Police Department on Wednesday allegedly shows 45-year-old Alejandro Acosta Oliveros scooping up a cat between two cars in Orange County -- and his arrest follows several reports of cats being abused and killed.

Cops say Oliveros was positively ID’d by multiple victims and witnesses, and he was charged after officers found evidence of the crimes at his Santa Ana home.

Rachel Zegler's crowdsourcing help for her sick dog ... explaining that two different veterinarians she's been to have done nothing for him -- so, she's going to the amateur pet doctors on social media instead.

The actress took to her Instagram story Sunday morning ... telling her 2.5 million followers that her pup, Lenny, is in a bad state -- and, she's at her wits end trying to help him.

Zegler says she's been to the vet multiple times over the last few days ... but, her dog is still experiencing bad stomach issues and no appetite.