Let's take a moment to drink in the cute. happy Friday everyone. more ›

Pumpkins, cute animals, rides, popcorn and a huge corn maze - go this weekend to get your fix. more ›

In the last few months, farm dinners have been popping up everywhere. And, let's be honest, they are often quite expensive. Readers often ask us what exactly goes on at a farm dinner. Do you just, like, go to a farm and eat? We asked Slagel Family Farm, host of last month's Publican farm dinner, to share some moments from a typical farm dinner. Hopefully, these will start to answer your questions. more ›

California Sea Lions are not only abundant in population, they are also highly intelligent. As such, they adapt well to man-made environments. more ›

With the warm weather, more people are visiting the zoo. Otters are some of the more playful animals in the world, as this video shows. more ›

We tend to take a late lunch during the day and, working from home, get to enjoy the solace of eating alone. We agree with the Gorilla in the video: don't bother us while we're eating. more ›

We liked yesterday's diversion so much we decided to stick with the cat theme today. Here's how to properly rid a cat of all that dander that builds up. Tomorrow, we'll show you how the cat puts the lotion in the basket. more ›

We're avowed dog people, but even we get the warm fuzzies watching this video. 'Course, that feeling could also be the Buffalo chicken pizza we ate yesterday. Still. Cute. more ›

The Guinness Book of World Records lists the honey badger as the most fearless animal on the planet. more ›

Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? What if the tortoise was faster and more aggressive than the story let on and the hare was replaced by an enthusiastic but quickly frightened Boxer? more ›

Today, Art takes a look at animals through his always-seeing lens. more ›

Screw talking babies, that's the stuff amateur voiceovers are made of. However when you start providing lines (and, yes, fart jokes) to the entirety of Noah's ark, you're gonna get out attention. more ›

There's always a spot at Chicagoist for cute videos of puppies. more ›

We don't know if these two penguins are being amorous or mutually helpful to each other, but right now we could really use someone to scratch that part of our back we can't reach. more ›

As Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus winds down its annual residency in Chicago, we thought that posting a video of circus elephants would be apropos today. more ›

Remember the discussion in "Pulp Fiction" where Jules and Vincent debated the merits of how charming a pig had to be to stop being a filthy animal? more ›

During Emmy's morning walk around McGuane Park in the wunnerful Bridgeport area, we came across four monk parakeets in a tree, just tearing into some crabapples like there was no tomorrow. more ›

Inter-species relationships! Inter-species relationships! more ›

New Chicagoist office manager Emmylou Harris Sudo may be deaf and arthritic, but she still can feel a bad storm in her bones. She spent most of the morning curled up by the desk or the fireplace, when she wasn't trying to climb into the bathtub to wait out the winds. All it takes is a rubbing of her belly and she's all calm. For a 13-year-old pit bull, Emmy has the mentality of smaller dogs. more ›

Today at noon, two activists from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals will be handing out free Tofutti Cuties in front of Wrigley Field. Described as "delicious nondairy ice cream sandwiches," the free snacks will help Chicagoans cool off in the summer heat, even if the provocative, 1940's-inspired ice cream parlor outfits might heat a few spectators up. "We hope that these frozen treats will help folks who are feeling the heat in Chicago understand that it's never been easier to help prevent climate change and improve their health," PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a statement. "Choosing healthy and delicious vegan foods is good for the planet and your waistline and helps prevent the suffering of countless animals on factory farms." more ›

Brookfield Zoo has brought a slice of the American West to the Western suburbs with the opening of the new Great Bear Wilderness exhibit. Great Bear Wilderness is chock full of iconic animals: Polar bears, grizzly bears, bison, and bald eagles (the last two are also native to Illinois). more ›

CBS 2 is reporting that five badly neglected horses have been rescued by authorities in Lowell, Indiana. Investigators say that the difficult economy contributed to the neglect of the equines, but that their owners were capable of caring for them but didn't. more ›

Couldn't get enough of Kitty Half-time on Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl yesterday? (Neither could we.) You're in luck. Embrace your inner cat lady this Saturday (trust us, we're in no position to judge--we have a fluffy white cat in our lap as we type) and head down to Gorilla Tango Theatre for a special "Cupid Cats" performance of the Circus Cats of Chicago. Samantha Martin, inspired by a white odd-eyed beauty named Tuna, has trained a handful of precocious felines to jump through hoops, walk on large rubber balls, and even rock out in a three-piece band called (naturally) The RockCats. more ›

After we reported earlier this week on People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals's request that Forest Park pub Doc Ryan's remove the Lobster Zone machine from its restaurant, PETA reached out to Chicagoist to report that Brian Sullivan, owner of the establishment, has agreed to remove the machine. Sullivan spoke with a local PETA activist this week and, noting that he loves animals, told the activist that he doesn't want a machine in his business that tortures animals. more ›

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is calling on Forest Park pub Doc Ryan's to stop using the Lobster Zone novelty machine. Similar to the game you might find in an arcade, where players compete for stuffed animals and other cheap prizes using a hand-operated claw, Lobster Zone lets customers try and catch a live lobster for dinner with a mechanical claw. The lobster is then cooked and served for dinner. PETA says that it was made aware of the game in Forest Park after upset bar patrons contacted the animal welfare organization. PETA has asked Doc Ryan's to get rid of the machine, but recieved no reply. "We hope Doc Ryan's will please everyone by serving up drinks and ditching the nasty 'Lobster Zone' device," says PETA Senior Vice President Dan Mathews. "Studies show that lobsters are social animals who lead complex lives in the wild. In this economic climate, the decision to get rid of the machine makes good business sense because more and more people are choosing to patronize animal-friendly businesses." more ›

Citing an oversight in city policy, Chicago's Human Resources Director is requiring that some 250 volunteers at the city's Animal Care and Control Department undergo criminal background checks. Human Resources spokesperson Connie Buscemi told the Sun-Times that background checks have been a standard practice at city facilities since 2008, even though they haven't been performed. "Animal Care should have been going through that same process. It was an oversight that they didn't. That oversight was identified and is being corrected," Buscemi told the paper. more ›

One of the reasons Al Gore invented the series of tubes known as the Internet was so we could share videos of cute animals doing silly things. 2009 was a boom year for such videos and our old Editor, Margaret Lyons - now ensconced at EW - has rounded up the Top 10 animal videos of the year, topped of by our personal favorite, shown below. more ›

We're in the full throes of Fall and Halloween is this weekend which means pumpkins are everywhere. And some animals at Brookfield Zoo were the recipients of a special Halloween treat. more ›

A DuPage County judge has ruled that Michael Jenkins of Carol Stream cannot be released from police custody, except to the care of a psychiatric facility, after allegedly throwing a 13-week old puppy down the stairs and then kicking it to death. Jenkins attacked the dog after it went to the bathroom in the house. According to Jenkins's mother, he called her last month, upset, and said that he was afraid he might hurt himself. She rushed over to the home, and found the dog dead on the floor. A necropsy on the animal showed that it suffered brain damage, a broken jaw and neck. Jenkins's attorney is trying to get his case heard in DuPage's Mental Illness Court Alternative Program, which could lead to treatment if convicted. [NBC 5, Tribune] more ›

An endangered snake, once believed to be one of two remaining in northeastern Illinois, gave birth to four babies last week at the Lincoln Park Zoo, according to Chi-Town Daily News. more ›