By Morieka Johnson, Mother Nature Network

Champion!

As a stay-at-home mom who home-schooled her children, Kimberly Chiles Lanum wanted an activity that she could call her own. The solution came with four legs and a tail. She had grown up in a home filled with dachshunds, so that felt like the perfect breed to teach her three boys about responsible dog ownership. After doing her homework, Lanum purchased a retired American Grand Champion long-haired dachshund named Beamer (aka Taxvalpar Andromeda Moonbeam) and began competing in dog shows around the state. Eventually, her older two sons joined the effort, competing with Beamer - and winning.

But boys do two things very well: eat and grow. After a few years, her oldest son towered over their pint-size pooch, so the Lanums added whippets - a taller and more athletic breed - to the family mix. At age 12, her son David and his dog Wink (aka Grand Champion Snow Hill Body Sport) won Best of Breed together, defeating several adult competitors.

By Shayna Meliker

Rescue dog Stevie's adoption was truly a grand slam.

Stevie is a 6-month-old Shepherd mix who was recently adopted by Isotopes pitcher John Ely. The energetic puppy runs the bases, hangs out in the clubhouse and, yes, even pees on the baseball field. But what's so amazing about little Stevie - short for Stevie Wonder - is that he's blind.

KOB-TV reports that rescue workers found the dog wandering the streets, already partially blind and with infected eyes that had to be removed. During Stevie's recovery, a group of Isotopes players came to do some volunteer work at the same animal shelter and met the pup. For Ely, it was love at first sight.

"He's got a great sense of smell and great hearing," Ely told the station. "So he kind of sniffs his way around and now it seems like he walks around without any issues at all."

Watch this inspiring video of Stevie's story, and

Do you ever wish you really knew what your dog was thinking, or that you could better understand your pet? I recently met with Dana Miller, an animal communicator, for a reading with my dog Wednesday. It turns out Wednesday had a lot to say. Who knew she was so wise!

If you're interested in finding out more, you can check out Dana's website at http://www.whatanimalstellus.com.

Tortoises Bibi and Poldi photographed at Reptilienzoo Happ in Klagenfur, Austria. (Barcroft Media /Landov)

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The straw that broke the turtle's back came when Bibi (the female) began biting Poldi's shell. Whether turtle or human, gnawing on your partner's back is a sign that the relationship has hit a bumpy phase. Staff members of the Austrian zoo tried a variety of methods to re-light the flame of love, including aphrodisiacs, games, and couple's counseling. Alas, nothing worked.

[Related: Caymans free turtle to honor Queen Elizabeth]

Zoo director Helga Happ told the Austrian Times, "We get the feeling they can't stand the sight of each other anymore." Poldi has been moved to another enclosure, a rather big move. Poldi and Bibi had shared space for 36 years. Before that, they lived together in Switzerland.

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