Investigators have shut down an animal shelter in Tinley Park after a significant population of the animals within the shelter were found to be malnourished, sick, or dead. Authorities visited the shelter, Dazzle's Painted Pastures Animal Rescue and Sanctuary, this past Friday. What they found at the shelter was unpleasant and extremely disheartening:

Officers visited Dazzle's Painted Pastures on Friday with a search warrant. They found a dead miniature horse and a dead Himalayan cat. Officers seized 63 dogs, 31 cats and six rabbits. They also removed 30 horses, ponies, sheep, goats and llamas.

• More developments in the case against Marni Yang.
• The Tribune profiles Settler's Pond, an exotic animal shelter that's facing rough times in the current economy.
• Controversy is swirling at the University of Chicago over a column in the school's paper that was retracted.

Now might be the time to adopt that dog you keep saying you're going to get. Animal shelters throughout Illinois are taking in hundreds of dogs and cats in need of new homes due to the recent flooding in nearby communities. Sally Matay, president of Illinois Animal Rescue, is receiving up to 1,000 e-mails a day from people looking for a good home for their pets as many families lost their houses or just can't financially afford them anymore. more ›