Athletes and Their Pets

From the June issue of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS magazine (CLICK HERE to subscribe!), five top athletes shared their love of animals with us! Check out these behind-the-scenes photos...The Philadelphia Eagles' hard-hitting linebacker has a soft-spot for animals. Sims has a reptile room in his basement with dozens of pets, such as his American alligator, iguana, and albino Burmese python.

Sims started collecting animals when he was a kid growing up in Florida. "I would always play outside and collect reptiles: lizards, turtles, snakes. It was great when it rained, because the bullfrogs would come out!"

Sims majored in environmental studies at Florida State University. He has a foundation that helps fight back against animal abuse.

Bevilaqua, a guard for the Indiana Fever, adopted two dogs: Chips and Aussie. She got Chips from a local humane society and Aussie from a family that could no longer take care of him.

Tully, who also has a pet cat, will sometimes Skype with her pets while she's on a road trip so they don't get too lonely!

Tully volunteers time and money for the Human Society of Indianapolis to help out animals like her dogs. "I grew up in a small country town in Australia," she says. "When animals are mistreated, it's sad. I just want to try and help in some small way."

The freestyle skier and his family have plenty of pets n their farm in Washington state: horses, four border collie dogs, a donkey (named Mr. Don Key), and two miniature donkeys named Carlos and Shawnie.

Patrick, the 2009 freestyle skiing world champion, says his dad spotted Carlos and Shawnie at a horse auction. "My mom didn't really want one, but when she wasn't looking, he went over and bid," Patrick says. The donkeys aren't strong enough to do much heavy lifting now, but when they're older "we want to get them hooked up to a cart. They could pull like two or three people."

When Patrick isn't training, he loves spending him with the animals on his family farm. "When I'm home, I always try to ride my horse for a couple hours a day. It's a cool feeling."

The Vikings star tight end has owned many pets over the years, but two of his favorites are his ferrets, Gee and Smoke.

Visanthe has three-story cages for his ferrets, but he likes to let them out to run around his house. "They're not going to bite anyone," he says. "But I'll turn around for a second and there will be a big bang and a trash can will be knocked over. Or if they see potted plants, they'll dig until there's dirt all over the floor."

In past seasons, Smoke and Gee have stayed at home in Maryland with Visanthe's mom while he's gone for the season. But he's considering taking him on the road in 2010. "They're hyperactive, always twisting and turning," Visanthe says. "Kind of like me!"

The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher has about 300 longhorn cattle at his family ranch in Texas.

Ohlendorf's family sells many of the cows to other farms, but the family still have Martina, one of the first they ever bought. "We've had her for 15 years," he says. "She would be the most difficult for me to part with."

During the offseason, Ohlendorf names the calves, helps ween them from their mothers, and puts pictures of the cows on the farm's website.