The wild turkeys are back in Brookline! Funny, it seems that they never went away. However, this time, it's for real because it's mating season, and turkeys don't like coitus interruptus. Wicked Local Brookline notes that an animal control officer sustained a leg injury thanks to an upset turkey. But the Brookline Police Department offers a few tips on turkey-fighting, most of which amounts to common sense (spotted via Metaboston): Don’t feed turkeys —......

The American Kennel Club released the most popular dog breeds, not just in the United States, but in the major American cities. Here's the list out of Boston: 1. Labrador Retriever 2. German Shepherd 3. Yorkshire Terrier 4. Golden Retriever 5. Boxer 6. Bulldog 7. Pug 8. Dachshund 9. Poodle 10. Pomeranian Boston is following a trend since the AKC notes that Labrador Retrievers have been the most popular dog in America for 17......

--News the Boston Fire Department doesn't need: An anonymous person has accused firefighters of cheating on a promotional test in November. [Boston Globe] --In Hyde Park yesterday, a four-alarm fire that started at Maria's Hair Fashion damaged eight apartments, two restaurants, the salon, and another business. No one was seriously hurt, but this is the second time a salon belonging to the same owner has burned down. [Boston Herald] --Mary Marques, the oldest resident......

After the tiger attack and ensuing chaos at the San Francisco Zoo, here's some good zoo news, for a change. The New England Aquarium is welcoming many new arrivals. An anaconda celebrated the new year by giving birth to 14 little ones. WBZ explains how anaconda-birthing works: The pregnant 16-foot anaconda finished giving birth to all 14 babies around 5 a.m. Tuesday. While most snakes lay external eggs, anaconda eggs remains inside the mother's body......

As the primaries approach and now that they've given John McCain their endorsement for Republican candidate for president, the Herald has whipped off the gloves and is going after former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential aspirant Mitt Romney. Dave Wedge ladles a heaping helping of sarcasm when describing the latest development in the Romney vs. Huckabee Catfight Extraordinaire: In an amazing coincidence, Romney’s family tale of animal kindness [in which his kids rescued some birds]emerged......

For the past few months, Bostonist has engaged in a scientific experiment. We've been sniffing around T stops to find out which ones are the most pleasant and which ones are an offense to the olfactory nerves. Each day this week, we'll evaluate the odors you will find at various T stops. And here it is--the complete list of T stops with the most distinct odors: Aquarium: High tide, dolphin pee Airport: Pleather luggage,......

For the past few months, Bostonist has engaged in a scientific experiment. We've been sniffing around T stops to find out which ones are the most pleasant and which ones are an offense to the olfactory nerves. Each day this week, we'll evaluate the odors you will find at various T stops. Today, the Blue Line: Aquarium: High tide, dolphin pee Airport: Pleather luggage, SFO-BOS redeye sweat, pee Government Center: Dunkin Donuts, stale cigarette......

--When word got out that Mayor Menino wanted to bring in a petting zoo to revitalize Downtown Crossing, we thought it was a joke. But it turns out that the barnyard animals are at the crossing on weekends outside Filene's Basement. Animal activists are underwhelmed, and how can looking at sad, cold animals inspire people to shop? [Boston Herald] --Wondering what all the screaming was about early yesterday evening at Downtown Crossing? It didn't......

Evolution is on trial again. A former postdoctoral fellow at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has sued the Cape Cod research center, claiming his 2004 dismissal resulted from his religious beliefs. Nathaniel Abraham was dismissed from Mark Hahn's research lab after refusing to work on the "evolutionary aspects" of his assigned project, according to the Globe. Hahn is a senior research scientist known for studying the effects of toxins on aquatic animals, using a hybrid......

In the Oddly Enough story to beat all Oddly Enough stories, a bracelet that 31-year-old Aaron Giles, of Gloucester, lost in a Minnesota barn as a child has turned up again 25 years later and in a chicken gizzard. Giles told the AP that he probably lost his bracelet playing in his grandfather's barn. The barn was dismantled and moved to the town of Elmore, and workers in Elmore who were cutting up a chickens......

MSPCA-Angell Wine-Tasting Benefit Tuesday, November 20, 5:30-7:30 pm Harvard Club, 374 Comm Ave, Boston $25--good cause! More info The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell will get you to open your wallets for a good cause by getting you drunk. To be more specific, the MSPCA-Angell is holding a wine-tasting focusing on Portuguese wines and Portos. The event promises more than 150 varieties to whet your palate. The group has been......

Beauty and the Geek: This week, the geeks pick up flair bartending skills, while the beauties attempt to learn zoology, which is a thinly veiled ruse to give the beauties a chance to scream at animals. Yet again, Sam, the male beauty and Tufts Nicole's partner, dominated the competition, and Jasmine, David the Somerville LARPer's partner, freaked out at holding the icky animals. To make Jasmine feel better after bungling the beauty challenge, David made......

--A former MBTA employee is in trouble for allegedly selling fake discount passes. Casey Ross reports that Giovanni Francis, 19, was selling discount passes for the elderly and blind to people who a) weren't old and b) could see just fine. T police caught them trying to sneak through on those passes, and video of the fake blind people is available on WCVB's site. Francis used to be a sales associate for the T. He......

Last Saturday, a group of wallflowers, mostly in their twenties, lined the auditorium of Allston's International Community Church (ICC). The event had all the markings of an awkward youth group mixer, from the empty checkerboard floor to the folk singer on stage. But the attendees weren't there to pray. They were there to eat. It was the Launch Party for the Boston Vegan Association (BVA), and tables sat covered with food donations from members and......

Bostonist's Turkey Correspondent sent us the following photo indicating that the turkeys are moving close to home--right on his doorstep, actually. It's one thing to see a turkey on your Thanksgiving table, but quite another to see one at your front door. Maybe the turkeys are growing bolder in the face of the media glare. Various outlets have caught turkey fever, and the turkeys are lapping up the attention like a celebutante. But who wants......

This post has been reprinted courtesy ofBrock Keeling at SFist. Yes, this is Bostonist, but, if you want to send help to Southern California, this is a place to start. As of now, six people have died and more than 500,000 people are in "mass migration" over the mind-numbingly destructive wildfires happening all throughout Southern California. It is, for lack of a better word, heartbreaking. All of it. (Map of San Diego fires) But......

The sweet strains of Sir Mix-a-Lot immediately popped in our heads upon hearing the word that Kathleen the anaconda might be knocked up. The New England Aquarium performed an ultrasound, but the results were inconclusive, so a vet will keep watching her. You can watch the Aquarium's footage of Kathleen getting her ultrasound over at the Aquarium site. Kathleen and another female anaconda share space with a male anaconda who must be quite the babydaddy......

Effective today, Bostonist readers must register before leaving a comment on a post. The registration process is actually pretty easy. Enter a username, your e-mail address, and your password twice. Check your e-mail account to confirm your address and overall existence, and you're all set. You will get a snazzy profile page as a result. You can also add an avatar to dress up what you have to say. If you are concerned about your......

Turkeys have been terrorizing Brookline for some time, but a Bostonist reader happened to catch one in the act, just waiting to strike on Washington Square. In September, the other BPD, the Brookline Police Department, warned residents about turkey trouble and what to do in case you are faced with the kind of wild turkey that doesn't come in a bottle. Our favorite tip from them is "Don’t let turkeys intimidate you — Don’t......

The mayor wants a former Big Dig contractor, Paul Pedini, to return two foo dogs to Chinatown. The contractor had "liberated" them to decorate his snazzy sustainable home, which was built from Big Dig recyclables. The contractor claimed it was okay for him to take the two foo dogs because they were going to be replaced by brand-new ones. There were four old foo dogs—two went to Pedini, and two went to the Kowloon Restaurant......

Nothing's better than a good college crime blotter because college students are so free with the booze. And they're creative. (Northeastern, you get an A-plus!) That's all well and good as long as the college kids aren't in your backyard. The Globe ran a story about Somerville residents who are fed up with students "screaming in the streets in the wee hours, jumping on cars, and urinating and vomiting in residents' yards." One resident complained......

Welcome to "Series of Tubes," in which Bostonist rounds up developments among local bloggers over the past week. If you want to make sure your blog is on Bostonist's radar, please e-mail caroline@bostonist.com or leave a link in the Contribute section. --David at Blue Mass Group describes the horrible conditions animals must endure at the Wonderland and Raynham dog tracks. His post and the facts described within are more than enough to make a person......

--Why toss a bucket of paint on a richie's fur coat when you can stop furs at the source? In Hinsdale on Monday, someone set about 400 to 500 mink who were destined to become pricey furs free from a farm. That's a lot of mink to let loose! The owner of Berkshire Furs is naturally blaming the "antifur people." No one's been caught yet, and the owner said the animals wouldn't be able to......

Just over a week ago the Globe brought us the discouraging story that Mitt Romeny used to take the Romney family vacations with their pet strapped atop the family station wagon back in the 80's. The tales of flip-flopping positions on contentious political issues haven't grabbed the spotlight quite as well as poor treatment of the family dog. Politicians have been famous for their pets, Nixon had Checkers and Clinton had Socks and a whole......

Last night, the vision of Mitt Romney in cornrows danced in our heads. This morning, the thought of Mitt Romney morphing with Chevy Chase replaced the cornrows. The Globe has been doing this seemingly endless series on Mitt Romney's life, so that Romney's mug has been staring out at us from the front page. You'd think that, since Mitt Romney was the state's governor recently, we'd be likely to remember his defining characteristics. But......

The following message (and accompanying photo) comes from our publisher, Jake Dobkin -- Ed. Note Hey everyone-- you may have noticed that we've made a few small changes to our commenting and feedback systems: 1. Commenters now have profile pages with a bit of information about them, and links to their recent comments, along with comments other people have left in response. If the commenter is also a Bostonist author, the page will include a......

--Early this morning, a man was stabbed outside Tonic on Comm Ave. The BPD report describes a fight in which one of the parties had a knife and decided to use it. The victim is going to be okay, but does that mean the city is going to have to shut down Tonic a la The 6 House? Fair is fair, you know. But the city brass probably won't do it. Last we heard, Whitey......

The creep who set a cat aflame and pitched it into the first floor of an East Boston home has made national news. Neighbors are outraged and rattled at the fate of the unfortunate kitty cat. What kind of moron would set a cat on fire? People are easier on you if you set a human being on fire because at least another human being can fight back. This cat didn't have a chance. Plus,......

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week's "Segway Mom" and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It's not West Side Story, but about as close as they'll get. They're also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested. As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried......

Wasn't Cambridge supposed to be the city that welcomed everyone of all shapes and sizes? Well, the Cambridge Water Department has changed its mind when it comes to dogs. No, it isn't a pit bull ban. It's much weirder. The Globe reported this week that the Cambridge Water Department wants to keep dogs that aren't Cambridge away from the Fresh Pond Reservation. Why has Cambridge gone all country-club where dogs are concerned? The Water Department......