smile!Stories to
make you...A Spunky Dachshund
Wins Hearts—and
Races—on a SkateboardHOLLYWOOD, CALIF.
Sure, Rowdy may be small—9 lbs.
soaking wet—but the 22-month
miniature dachshund has some big
moves. Ever since Kim Estrada, 27, and
her boyfriend Ivan Cano, 28, brought
Rowdy home in June 2018, she’s “been
around the world of skateboarding,”
says Estrada. The couple gradually
introduced the spirited pup, who
was already fixated on what Cano,
an avid boarder, was doing, to
standing on a moving skateboard.
By 6 months old, she had mastered
stair tricks and mid-ride body turns,
all “with the biggest smile on her
face,” says Estrada. Rowdy, who has
amassed an Instagram following
(@rowdy_dachshund), also thrives
on the dachshund skateboarding
racing circuit, going undefeated in her
last six races throughout Southern
California. While they’re proud of
Rowdy’s winning skills, the couple are
even more in love with her winning
personality. Says Estrada: “She is an
amazing dog with such a big heart.”After a Lifesaving Kidney
Transplant, Two Strangers
Become Best FriendsWARRINGTON & PHILADELPHIA, PA.
When Breanna Sipple happened upon a Facebook
post in 2016 outlining the journey of Erin Francis—
then in dire need of a transplant after a blood vessel
inflammation disorder caused her kidneys to fail—
Sipple, 26, “was moved to tears,” she says. “I knew
in my heart God was telling me I was this person’s
perfect match.” In fact she was, and in September
2017, Sipple successfully donated her kidney to
Francis, 28. A bond forever forged between them,
the two remain close. “Every day I live my life for
her,” says Francis. “She gave me a new life.”“Everyone falls
in love with her
instantly,” says
Estrada (with
Rowdy and Cano).Francis (on left),
now healthy,
and Sipple
started an
Instagram hub,
@teambemore,
for organ donors
and recipients.26TOP: @ROWDY_DACHSHUND(5); BOTTOM: TEAM BE MORE(2)Have a story that makes you smile?
By SUE CARSWELL and JASON HAHN Send suggestions to [email protected]P13SMI1A.indd 26 FINAL 3/16/20 11:57 PM