Continuing the Crazy Animals Saga of Illinois and the Greater Chicago area, animal rescue workers have captured an elusive wild turkey (adorably nicknamed "Sparkles") in an intersection near Lake Bluff. Sparkles had been making his home near this busy intersection for some time, and it appears that he (yes, the turkey is male) probably has been hanging out around that area since earlier this summer, perhaps even as early as May. Although no one really knows how Sparkles ended up in Lake Bluff, some people suspect that he is part of a rogue turkey clan that has been spotted north of the area. Sparkles' popularity had grown to epic proportions and animal rescue workers finally captured him Friday after they stalked, baited, and waited over 80 hours for him: more ›

A five-year-old Joliet girl is in stable condition after she and her sister were mauled by a Rottweiler yesterday afternoon. Kashae Mitchell and her 10-year-old sister, Lexiana Willhite, were attacked around 3:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon. Kashae was airlifted to Children's Memorial Hospital with bites to her head and face. Joliet police Chief Fred Hayes said, "This is a real serious dog mauling, a real vicious attack,. Apparently she has very serious facial injuries and head injuries caused by the mauling by this dog." Lexiana suffered bites to her arm and was treated at Silver Cross Hospital. Details are sketchy about the dog: while the girls' mother admits she's been caring for the dog, she says she's not the owner and the dog was allegedly left at the house by the girls' uncle. The attack occurred when the girls entered the dog's kennel to feed it. Animal Control took the dog and will put it to sleep and test it for rabies. more ›

Bob Barker visited the Chicago City Council yesterday, to speak on behalf of his favorite cause: spaying and neutering pets. Greeted with a standing ovation, Barker addressed the council, calling the spay/neuter legislation a movement. “When we come to this wall which is seemingly impossible to get over, the only answer is legislation….It’s the obvious answer. …The movement for spay and neuter legislation is sweeping across this country," Barker said, pointing to Los Angeles, San Antonio and Dallas as cities that have mandated fixing pets. He also added, "Something has to be done. It's leading to just reprehensible animal suffering and it's costing a fortune for the taxpayers." more ›

A fire on the 3400-block of West Harrison early this morning revealed an apparent dog-fighting ring. Nine dogs were recovered from the basement of the building, and other than one snout injury, the dogs appear healthy. more ›

Did anybody hear Catrin Einhorn's story on Chicago Public Radio about the push for people to neuter feral cats in the city? A Maryland-based nonprofit group called Alley Cat Allies dedicated to lowering outdoor and stray cat populations without killing them is targeting some Chicago neighborhoods. The group partnered with the Tree House Animal Foundation in Pilsen to raise awareness about their methods, which include Trap-Neuter-Return. Basically, people can bring cats to certain organizations and... more ›

Let us make one thing clear: Chicagoist loves the kitties. When we're convinced that some unknown force out there has us directly under its thumb, pinning us helplessly against the asphalt, we need only to look deep into our cat's eyes to restore the rightful balance of the universe. And then she goes for the face. That's why we're happy about a seminar going on this weekend concerning the welfare of stray cats in Chicago.... more ›

Warrenville resident Therese Davis and her husband Gary are set to protest the recently opened Happiness Is Pets puppy store in their suburban town on Dec. 23 and 24. When asked by the Sun-Times about their beef with the animal boutique, Therese replied, "I'm not against the store, but I'd rather see the adoption of dogs." more ›

Chicagoist spends many a morning jogging along the lakefront path, and we’ve seen plenty of moves that would qualify for This Week In Stupid. It’s not uncommon to see spaced-out joggers, top-speed rollerbladers and full-tilt cyclists, not to mention wandering kids and dogs. Especially during the warmer months, the lake path is a hazardous free-for-all. more ›

Even though this story is a few days old, we can't get it out of our head. And so much like an earworm, we thought that by sharing it, we'd give it to you and get rid of it for good*. more ›

Chicagoist has a big soft spot for dogs. Seriously, they turn us into baby-talking morons. Which is why this story makes us want to cry. more ›

A bizarre, but important South Side natural landmark crashed to the ground on Saturday, the giant Ash full of South American Monk Parakeets in Harold Washington Park. Animal Control, Chicago Police, and Park District employees rushed to save the birds' nests, placing them in near-by trees. The tree was one of two that dozens of parakeets took over in the late 70's. The first tree, on 54th street, was taken down by ComEd in 1997.... more ›