The highs and lows of the year for animals in the suburbs

You know that old cliché about it being the best of times and the worst of times?

Well, when it comes to our animal friends, the same holds true in 2016.

Take dogs, for instance. On the negative side, there was another outbreak of the canine flu and at least a couple of our furry friends found themselves having to be rescued (safely, it turns out) from sewers or sink holes. On the other paw, dogs once again provided comfort for folks in pain or trauma.

It was a bad year for at least one feral pig who spent several weeks running around a Naperville forest preserve before a sniper took him down. On the other hand, several towns contemplated regulations to allow people to raise chickens or bees in their yards.

It was an up and down year for horses, too. Bad news: A deadly equine herpes virus struck at least one area farm. Good news: Horses, it turns out, can help ease the stress of high school finals.

Finally, just as the year approaches its conclusion - just when we're supposed to be thinking about four calling birds and three French hens - we've started hearing stories about decapitated goats.

Decapitated goats. Really?!?

Here's a quick look back at those and some other animals stories that caught our attention - and yours - in 2016:

<h3 class="leadin">Firefighters rescue Clyde:

Clyde, a 2-year-old pit bull, is rescued Sept. 1 after falling into an open sewer in Arlington Heights while chasing a squirrel. Fire officials use a tarp and ropes to lift Clyde out of the sewer while his owner, Robin Bauer, offers bacon to comfort him. The rescue goes perfectly and Clyde's only injury is a small cut. “As soon as the tarp fell away, he jumped up and began running around licking the firefighters,” Bauer says.

<h3 class="leadin">Pig shot in forest preserve:

A male pig that spent weeks roaming Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve near Naperville is shot and killed in October by a hunter from the U.S. Department of Agriculture after officials deem it a nuisance animal. The killing sparks criticism from some who suggest officials should have tried to capture the pig.

<h3 class="leadin">Name that bison:

A young bison is the newest resident of Lords Park Zoo in Elgin, and the community - especially youths - will be invited to help name it in the spring. The 6-month-old female, who arrived in November, weighs about 350 pounds and is strong enough to withstand cold up to 30 degrees below zero, said Terry Gabel, president of the volunteer organization Friends of Lords Park Zoo, which purchased it from Fermilab in Batavia. The zoo has two other bison, Drew and Becky, both females and about 16 years old.

<h3 class="leadin">Comfort dogs in Orlando:

Twelve pooches and 20 people from Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dogs fly to Orlando in June to help those affected by shootings at the Pulse nightclub. Volunteers from the Northbrook-based nonprofit group are there on their own dime, making their golden retrievers available to help people deal with their shock, pain and confusion after the country's largest mass-shooting - and to respond with unconditional love. “When people are hurting like this community is down here, you just know you have to go,” says handler Barbara Granado of Arlington Heights.

<h3 class="leadin">Headless goats:

Arlington Heights police aren't quite sure what to make of the November discovery of a decapitated goat carcass - its head sitting nearby - in a grocery store parking lot. Police are called to the Jewel-Osco parking lot at 440 E. Rand Road the evening of Nov. 25 - yes, Black Friday - after an employee spots the dead animal. On Dec. 2, five headless goats and two decapitated chickens are found just outside the LaBagh Woods forest preserve on the North Side of Chicago. And, in June, a headless goat is discovered in Miller Meadows preserve near River Forest. “Over the last several years there have been a handful of these cases,” said Lambrini Lukidis, spokeswoman for the Cook County Forest Preserves. “We can't say if it's some kind of ritual sacrifice or something else, and don't know if (the animals) were killed in the forest preserves or just dumped there.”

<h3 class="leadin">Horses quarantined:

The deadly equine herpes virus affects at least eight horses at Bartlett's Sunset Hill Farm in January, triggering alarms across the region and leading area forest preserve officials to urge horse owners to keep their animals off county trails. The virus can spread through the air, contaminating equipment, clothing and hands, which can then spread it to other horses. A quarantine keeps the virus from spreading and the farm is eventually declared virus free.

<h3 class="leadin">Pelicans in Lake County:

Walking his dog last spring, Antioch resident George Niemasik spots what he thinks are swans on an inlet of Spring Lake near his home. Getting closer, he realizes the huge, exotic-looking birds are unlike anything he has seen: American white pelicans on the northern Illinois stop of their spring migration to the Great Plains and southern Canada. Years ago, seeing the snowy white Gulf Coast birds on lakes in northern Lake County would almost have been like spotting a UFO, but their comings and goings have become part of an annual rite of spring. “I think what we're seeing is an increase in the population, and with the increase in population, they're spreading out,” says Doug Stotz, a senior conservation ecologist at the Field Museum.

<h3 class="leadin">Back yard chickens:

With more and more people wanting to raise chickens in their backyards, more and more towns consider laws to address the trend, including Bartlett, Wauconda and Sleepy Hollow.

<h3 class="leadin">Sale of horses falls through:

DuPage County Forest Preserve officials in June delay the proposed sale of two draft horses to the Schaumburg Park District after residents raise concerns about the deal. The original plan called for selling the horses - 6-year-old Darryl and 19-year-old Jack - for $1 and moving them to Volkening Heritage Farm along Plum Grove Road. By year's end, the horses are still in DuPage.

<h3 class="leadin">Dog flu concerns:

Animal health experts caution dog owners to take extra precautions in February when a second round of dog flu seems to be materializing. It never gets as serious as it did in 2015.

<h3 class="leadin">Ducklings rescued:

When it comes to rescuing, no creature is too small for Lake Zurich firefighters - whether it's a cat in a tree, deer on ice, or duckling in a pipe. A Lake Zurich Fire Rescue Department engine crew is dispatched in April to the scene of one such mishap for a brood of ducklings that fell down a storm drain near some Rand Road businesses. Using a small net borrowed from a nearby public works crew, firefighters rescue seven ducklings from the sewer. They're later sent to a wildlife rescue facility in Wauconda.

<h3 class="leadin">Leash law in Sugar Grove:

Sugar Grove tightens animal laws to give police more authority to deal with people who walk dogs without a leash or keep dangerous dogs. The matter arises in May when a resident complains about being attacked by a dog that escaped its yard. The board learns that while police could ticket someone for having a dog running loose, there is no requirement to have a dog on a leash while it's walked. The new legislation is enacted June 21.

<h3 class="leadin">Palatine dog rescue:

Palatine police, firefighters and public works crews team up in March to rescue a dog after it falls into a sinkhole in the family's backyard. The 17-year-old dog named Chance disappears after being let out in the backyard and apparently becomes trapped when he falls through a small opening in the grass into a larger underground sinkhole. Two police officers and a 16-year-old boy at the house work to dig Chance out and the pooch eventually is freed without injury.

<h3 class="leadin">Horses ease stress:

Mini horses Lunar, Mystery and Charmer are greeted like rock stars during a May appearance at Barrington High School to help students relieve the stress of final exams. The thigh-high trio never seem to tire of taking pictures or getting hugs from their teen admirers. “The horses are used to large crowds,” says Dina Morgan, director of development for Mane in Heaven, a nonprofit which takes care of seven therapy horses. “They are very calm, they love to be petted and hugged ... That's their job.”

<h3 class="leadin">Horseback safety signs:

DuPage County officials agree in July to post signs to remind nature trail users to be mindful of horseback riders after a Wheaton woman is thrown from her mount during an encounter with a mountain biker.

<h3 class="leadin">Elgin nurses save ducklings:

Nurse Jean Lowe is used to saving lives, but saving unborn ducklings is a first for her. “I just wanted to take the best care of them that I could,” says Lowe, a nurse at Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin. “We save lives, and every life matters.” The eggs originally are in a nest outside the hospital's emergency room, whose nurses saw the mama duck get killed by a hawk in April. Lowe ends up taking the 18 eggs home for the night. The next day, Lowe's sister, Donna Kruse, also a nurse at the hospital, brings the eggs to Fox Valley Wildlife Center in Elburn where she volunteers and where a wild turkey named Talulah becomes surrogate mom.

<h3 class="leadin">Dogs in the courtroom:

Will County's top prosecutor and chief judge in December announce plans to use “facility dogs” in courtrooms to help victims, especially children testifying in sexual assault and abuse cases, relieve some of the stress and trauma that often comes with taking the witness stand. The dogs will be kept out of the jury's sight. “It is seldom that I can take this bench and know in advance that something very positive is going to result from what I do in this courtroom,” Chief Judge Richard Schoenstedt says. “This is certainly one of those times.”

<h3 class="leadin">Helping out turtles, Part I:

Though told no presents were necessary, Maureen Clausen wants to get her father something different for his milestone 80th birthday in May. Her unexpected but welcomed choice combines charity and novelty. Howard Minkoff of Arlington Heights is now a Turtle Champion, thanks to Clausen's $120 contribution to the Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves. Being a participant in the new Adopt-a-Turtle initiative to protect and grow the endangered Blanding's turtle population comes with other perks, including naming rights. So a yellow-chinned turtle named Zadie, an affectionate term for grandfather, is roaming the marshes of Lake Plain, a wetland straddling Illinois and Wisconsin.

<h3 class="leadin">Helping out turtles, Part II:

Wildlife officials across the region warn drivers in June that nesting season has begun and pregnant turtles are leaving their watery homes to find higher and drier spots to lay their eggs. “If you see something that looks like a bump in the road, slow down,” says John McCabe, director of resource management for the Cook County Forest Preserve District. “It may not be just a bump in the road; it could be a turtle.”

<h3 class="leadin">Batavia dog shooting:

A Batavia police officer shoots and wounds a stray dog in June, fearing the animal is about to attack him. Afterward, the dog's owner receives a ticket for allowing the dog to run at large, and the shooting sparks debate on Facebook as to whether police are prejudiced against pit bulls. Commenters ask why the officer couldn't have used pepper spray, a Taser or a baton to stop the dog. The dog survives.

<h3 class="leadin">Working to save wildlife:

A Wheaton woman, Amy Tavolino, works with a bird rescue group and makes it her business to regularly scan shorelines of DuPage County forest preserves looking for discarded fishing line that, when left behind, can have dire and unintended consequences for wildlife. Birds can become so entangled that they can't free themselves. Turtles can accidentally swallow hooks. And monofilament never decomposes so it's a constant threat.

<h3 class="leadin">Doggie oxygen masks:

Bloomingdale firefighters in July receive a donation from Invisible Fence of Chicagoland to equip crews with oxygen masks specifically designed to fit around a dog's snout and to administer oxygen to a pet struggling to breath. The two kits each contain a small, medium and large mask that firefighters keep on apparatus at their two stations.

<h3 class="leadin">Explosive-sniffing dog dies:

A retired explosive-sniffing dog named Utah, who patrolled the DuPage County courthouse from 2005 to 2012, dies in September. The 13-year-old black Labrador retriever lived with Deputy Ken Diebert, his handler and fellow member of the sheriff's explosives squad. “Utah was a fantastic explosive-detection canine as well as the best partner anyone could ask for,” says Diebert, who now patrols the courthouse with Jewel, an 8-year-old German shepherd who replaced Utah in 2012. “Utah crossed the rainbow bridge. He will be sorely missed, but his presence will be felt in the hallways of the courthouse forever.”

<h3 class="leadin">Naperville sets bee rules:

The Naperville City Council in November approves an ordinance designed to encourage residents to keep honeybees for their environmental benefits while setting limits on how many hives they can tend. The rule allows residents to keep up to three hives on any lot less than a quarter-acre, up to six hives on lots between a quarter-acre and a half-acre, and up to 10 hives on properties larger than a half-acre. Beekeepers also must register their hives, or colonies, with the state.