A West Side man and a 13-year-old boy were arrested for abusing small dogs and puppies by swinging them around by their leashes, tossing them in the air and force-feeding them fecal matter. And they videotaped it to post to YouTube. more ›

The man who in January was caught kicking a cat like a football by police has been sentenced to 90 days in jail, with credit for 37 days served. It's probably a fair sentence, and yet it doesn't seem so, all the same. more ›

Police say the man kicked his kitten like a football, then placed both his arms up in the air as if to signal a "field goal," and began laughing. more ›

After reading two painful tales of dog abuse in the last few days, it's good to see Illinois actually does a pretty good job of keeping its pets safe. more ›

More bad news for the man accused of operating on his dog. more ›

A man who called police to report an unleashed dog in suburban Riverside took his actions way too far Tuesday. more ›

Sergiu Muresan, who was charged in December with tossing a puppy from his car along a busy intersection in Elmhurst, received a metaphorical slap on the wrist after pleading guilty to animal cruelty in the incident. Muresan received a $100 fine and was ordered to not own or possess any pets for a year. more ›

We become irrationally angry when we see dog owners on rollerblades being pulled down the street by their pets. We understand why they do it, but it doesn't make us less incensed. So imagine how we're feeling right now typing that a South Side man was arrested on animal cruelty charges when police spotted him dragging a puppy down the street, tied to a car tire. more ›

Say hello to Sergiu Muresan, readers. If this resident of the West side did indeed throw a puppy into traffic, as he's been charged with by Elmhurst authorities, then he just earned a stocking full of coal and a Code Red beatdown with said stocking. more ›

Elgin police shot six "aggressive" pit bulls while searching a home, the Daily Herald reports. more ›

• President Obama will apparently never have a Commerce Secretary: Republican Sen. Judd Gregg (NH) has withdrawn his name because of a difference of opinion over the stimulus package.
• Lawmakers are considering banning future governors from emblazoning their name on signs a la Blago and the Tollway.
• That's not the only sign issue in the state: now there's a fuss over the county road markers that the Cook County Board approved earlier this week, a fight that's being led by a pair of Board commissioners.

Illinois-wide roundup. Holla! Steve Skoklo faces up to three years in prison if he's convicted on charges of animal cruelty. He allegedly killed a kitten by slamming it against a door frame and throwing it to the floor. At a bar. In front of a bunch of people who were petting the stray. A Harvey woman who tried to sever her Rottweiler's tail with a meat cleaver — in her driveway — was charged with... more ›

Todd Stroger, today is not your day. The panel he appointed to analyze Cook County healthcare announced today that an independent board should take over because the County has so royally fucked it up. Oh, and his tax plan ain't so hot either; the $4 per phone line is actually illegal. Two people were arrested for stealing vases from Chapel Hill Cemetery in Oakbrook Terrace. Loehmanns! On State Street! The old lady in all... more ›

In a truly gruesome story, 153 cats, 97 dogs and 30 birds were rescued from a house in Rochelle, Ill. (about 80 miles west of here) this weekend. Today, Lee County State's Attorney Paul Whitcombe announced that the house also contained about 200 carcasses. Whitcombe told the Trib, "a lot [of the carcasses] had deteriorated to the point where it was hard to tell whether you were looking at two, three, four or 10." Uh,... more ›

Dave Warwak was just another mild-mannered middle school art teacher in Anywhere, USA (actually Fox River Grove Middle School in McHenry County). Then, in January, he switched to a vegan diet, sold his boat and fishing tackle from his side job as a fishing guide, and became politicized on the issue of animal rights. Last week Warwak handed his students a book by John Robbins titled The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save... more ›

Among the many commonalities we have here at Chicagoist is that of a love for pets. The office is constantly abuzz with pictures of cats and dogs alike. Needless to say we are a little worried about the recent news that a massive recall of cat and dog food by major companies was released on Friday due to certain foods causing kidney failure and loss of appetite. Menu foods, which produces dog and cat food,... more ›

Unfortunately this isn't one of those fun stories where we anthropomorphize the animals and let them make a statement. Actually, it's more about people acting like animals: abandoning their young, fear-biting, forcible sodomy, and pouring boiling water on your enemies. OK, those last two are things that only humans do, which leaves us to wonder who the animals really are. more ›

With all the talk of taking care of our pets lately, we thought we'd send you into the weekend with some quick tips to make sure your pets are happy and safe this winter. We really love our pets here at Chicagoist, so we gave you the rundown a couple of years ago, but we think this stuff is really worth repeating. We freaking hate the cold and wear three scarves and sometimes two hats... more ›

For your perusal, please find enclosed this weekend's wrapup of murder, mayhem and all things in between: more ›

The Sun-Times News Wire is reporting, via CBS 2, that animal cruelty charges may be pending after a goat's skull was found in a building at 2901 N. Milwaukee Ave. A police lieutenant quoted in the article hinted that the goat could have been sacrificed in a Santeria ritual (the religion, not the song). Details are still sketchy, but no Cubs fans were seen leaving the premises. more ›

Chicagoist has seen its share of the stupid this week, but there’s always enough stupid to go around with a little bit left over. There’s not much left over, but we do what we can. There’s always next week. more ›

We knew a week off would recharge our batteries for this feature, but who knew meeting our word count this week would be as easy as beating a Big Ten team in the NCAA tournament? And we're not even including the poor guy who cut off his own wang. Drumroll please... more ›

Following a proposal by PETA, who strategically holds McDonald's shares, McDonald's is trying to decide if they should require its chicken processers to use a slaughtering method that is more humane. It's studying the possiblity of "controlled-atmosphere killing." Basically, gassing the chicken "to sleep". more ›