By Laura Moss, Mother Nature Network

The newest member of minor league baseball team the Albuquerque Isotopes has never hit a ball, but he loves to run the bases - even though he can't see them.

Stevie Wonder, a 6-month-old German shepherd mix, was adopted by Isotopes pitcher John Ely, who met the pup when the team volunteered at Watermelon Mountain Ranch, an animal shelter in Rio Rancho, N.M. The players were instantly taken with the dog and decided to give him a home at Isotopes Park.

"He won everyone over, so we all agreed to pitch in," said Ely, Stevie's primary guardian, in an interview with KOB4 TV. "Everyone loves him. The players, the coaches, clubhouse guys, everyone. Stevie's way more popular around here than I am."

Shelter workers said Stevie was a victim of abuse and was found wandering the streets. One of his eyes was so badly hurt that it had to be removed immediately, and his other eye was so infected that it had already gone blind, so veterinarians remov

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Think your dog is a natural shepherd? I recently met up with Ted Ondrak of SoCal Herding. He's a real-life shepherd, and when he's not busy competing or working at herding events, he teaches dogs to herd.

As it turns out, not every breed of dog is up to the challenge. To make it work, breeds have to be in the herding group, and then the individual dog has to have the instinct to go towards the livestock. If a dog makes it that far, then he or she can be taught how to follow commands and herd.

And why do it? Because the dogs love it. Ted says that for working dogs with a herding instinct, this is what they were bred for, and there's nothing they (or he) would rather do.

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By WebVet.com

A heroic cat proved that there's nothing stronger than the bond between a mother and her children. A mama cat in California was rescued -- with her kittens -- after taking a bullet to save them.

The Del Mar Times reported that the mother and her litter were found abandoned and taken to a local shelter -- where the staff had trouble separating the mama from her from the kittens.

The responding veterinarian Dr. Helen Oba recalled, "Mommy and baby kitties are all doing fine, but it was touch and go when they first arrived. They were all very tiny, malnourished, unvaccinated and very scared. It took a gentle hand to pull that momma away from her babies."

Adorable Animal Mothers With Babies | Webvet

After taking the mother -- who has since been named Cindy -- for an examination, Dr. Oba discovered the reason for her trepidation: the litter had been shot at with a BB gun, and Cindy had a bullet lodged in her head. She was operated on and is recovering well.

Cindy and her bab

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By Arden Moore

It's not one, but three for the record books.

On Saturday, pro surfer Scott Chandler set a trio of Guinness Book of World Records at the 7th annual Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Dog Competition in Imperial Beach, Calif.

Chandler recruited pups of all sizes from the SoCal Surf Dogs team to help him set these Guinness records:

1. Most dogs surfing on one board at one time - more than 14 dogs! The previous record was seven.

2. Most canines (8 dogs) riding the waves on one board at one time with one person, which was Chandler.

3. Most dogs surfing on one board (8 dogs) at one time with two people: Chandler and his daughter, Tyler.

Related: See 12 More World Record Cats and Dogs

The dogs ranged in size from Nani, a 7-year-old Bernese Mountain dog to a bunch of small poodle-terrier mixes, including my dog, Cleo. There were Jack Russell Terrier's (Parson terrier), a famous golden retriever named Ricochet (Surf-ice dog), mixed breeds, male and female - ...Read More »

Dogs and cheetahs may seem like an odd pairing, but at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, they're inseparable. We met up with trainer Janet Rose-Hinostroza to meet some cheetahs and to find out about the park's successful dog and cheetah buddy program.

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