Good news, opportunities and kids...

OK, everybody, let's check our lotto numbers from last night and pledge to do some good today.

Here we go.

A HAPPY UPDATE ON SEVERAL DOGS: This report comes to us from Jennifer Rankin of Lucky Dog Rescue in Arlington.

Penelope has been saved.

"I thought you might want an update on Penelope, who you mentioned in your column September 11. She is now another Lucky Dog, and is available for adoption on Petfinder, Pets911.com and 1-800-Save-A-Pet. Silvie the border collie, who you were also kind enough to mention, touched many people. We received a number of kind e-mails, and one generous offer to foster her. She is now staying with a wonderful, and very qualified foster family, where she can slowly recover until she, too is ready for adoption."

The Lucky Dog folks think Penelope is a smooth fox terrier. You may recall that she was in Fort Worth Animal Care & Control where tireless staffer Ginger Leach was anxious to find a home for her.

And Silvie is named for the vet who cared for her after her shoulder was shattered in an encounter with a car.

Penelope and other Lucky Dogs will be at an on-site adoption from 10 a.m. to noon on Sept. 22 at Orvis at the Highlands in Arlington (Matlock at I-20 -- it's that whizbang new "town-looking" shopping center.) To see the Lucky Dog site, click HERE.

One more thing, Jennifer says, "Captain Jack, Dianne Watson's dog from Arlington Animal Services, will be there, too, if he hasn't found a home yet." (That's him in his "summer cut.")

You can read about Silvie and Captain Jack in our archives -- Silvie on Sept. 7 and Captain Jack on Sept. 5.

PRAYERS & PASSAGES: Please take some time today to visit our Prayers & Passages page (the button to click is on the right side of this page). There are three new tributes to beloved dogs including BJ, Lil Bit and Hayden, who was known as Lucas when we first wrote about him..

ABANDONED AND NEEDING A PLACE: Bill Miller explains it this way, "My daughter rescued an abandoned 2-month-old chocolate Lab/pit mix last weekend.

"We took her in but can't keep her more than a few more days. She is a very sweet dog -- quiet, affectionate, playful and inquisitive, seems to be housebroke, sit/comes/walks on leash, plays nice with out two dogs."

The dog was found in the Grapevine/Southlake area.

Bill took her to a vet and got her shots and the proper medical check over and workup.

He's attempting to find a no-kill shelter to take this dog, but they are all overburdened right now.

So, if you have a spot for this dog, want to foster this dog, know someone who'll foster the dog or want to adopt the dog, e-mail Bill.Miller@tm.com or call 817-937-1812..

Now, this sounds like a pretty good endorsement of a dog (The family already has two rescued dogs): "We're becoming very attached, but cannot take another pup."

FROM THE COLONY: Patricia Barrington, the animal control division manager for The Colony, sent us this photo of Sofie just "waking up from a nap under my desk. She's very cold-natured and likes to keep her snuggly wrapped around her when she is curled up resting."

And, of course, Sofie is a shelter dog needing a good home.

"Sofie's tale is one as old as time," Trish says. "Mom drinks a bit much, dad beats on mom and pup. Mom decided to try and rebuild and left Sofie at a vet clinic. Sofie, as you might expect, has issues with some men. Once properly introduced and convinced she won't be hurt, she's very loving."

Earlier in the week, Sofie was in an outdoor run when she decided to climb the fence and explore the nearby water treatment plant. When the men working there attempted to corral her, she went into a panic and ran. The next morning, she was sighted at the plant again and the same dash-out-of-fear-of-men occurred. This time Trish was there and followed the dog, then separated herself from the group of men and caught Sofie's attention. "She gave me the once over and figured out she knew me and bolted across a muddy field directly into my arms. I was muddied from neck to knee and covered in kisses....This girl is so deserving of a second chance and has so much to offer."

You can see her at The Colony Animal Control offices. Call 972-370-9250 or e-mail pbarrington@thecolonytx.gov.

UPDATE ON A BOXER AND A WINE TIP: When last we spoke of this handsome dog (Aug. 30), we listed him as a number, BIN7461, but our Legacy Boxer Rescue tipster Vasha Howery tells us that he's now being called "Boston."

Based on the initial assessment report, we'd handed along the information that this big boy is deaf.

But, as Vasha reports, it "turns out that he's NOT deaf." Apparently, he just won't listen to you unless it suits him.

So, I'm declaring that this guy is probably the perfect dog for a family whose teenager has gone off to college. No need to suffer that "empty nest feeling," this guy is just like a teenager: Talk to him all day long and he'll listen to you only when he's in the mood.

Now, in order to support the care and coddling of these dogs, Legacy Boxer Rescue has to have some fundraisers throughout the year. The next one is from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. Friday at Premier Wines at 4709 W. Parker Road, #420, in Plano. It's $35 a person or $65 a couple. You get your tickets online by clicking HERE.

Go HERE to see the available boxers and boxers that need foster homes. And, as you can tell from their photos, not all of them are comfortable enough to ignore whatever humans are saying to them. Some of them like to communicate.

LOOKING FOR A HOME: There are always complications -- sometimes. (People who try to find homes for animals may see the humor in that "always, sometime" expression.)

Kacy Littleton is trying to find a home for Bodey, a 7-year-old, 65-pound, Black Lab/German Shorthaired Pointer mix. It's a corporate situation.

Kacy says she and her family moved to Dallas a couple of months ago because of corporate relocation. They had three dogs -- the apartment they were moving into would allow only one. A home was found for one dog, the Littletons will keep another, but they are trying to find a home for this guy because the home they thought they had fell through.

Bodey was "rescued as a puppy because he was the last of the litter and we were told he'd be put down if he wasn't adopted right away," she says. "And they never told us he was blind. We learned that a little later. It never seemed to mater much to Bodey because he's never known anything different."

It just takes him "a lot longer to get acclimated to new situations and new surroundings," she says. Other than that, he's a dog. He does have some trouble adjusting to other dogs, so Kacy suggests that he might be a better "only dog." Sometimes, though, a blind dog needs a buddy dog to give some guidance.

These things take patience. So, Body's new home will need to be patient. "He can be in a room filled with people and he will be satisfied just lying there," Kacy says. "He loves attention when it's given but will not seek it out.  I have to believe that it has a lot to do with his blindness."

To ask about adopting, fostering or helping Bodey, e-mail Kacy.Littleton@encana.com or call  214-242-7362 (office) or 469-286-8738 (cell).

LIVE LONG IN PROSPER: Well, no matter what kind of trek you're on, that's the goal, isn't it? (For those who don't watch Star Trek, the Vulcan farewell is "Live long and prosper." I took liberties.)

I swear, this photo looks like this dog is posing for a glamour  shot in a local studio. The camera just loves some dogs.

Anyway, here's the story on this girl from Linda Barnes, who says the dog was either dumped or lost. "I found her running around an intersection in Prosper, scared and confused, and she came willingly. While we're looking for her owners (who I fear I we won't find), she needs sheltering. Any ideas? Perhaps a Lab rescue group?"

And, readers, she says, "Any suggestions you can provide will be great. Currently she's being boarded at a vet clinic. I am completely out of space, unfortunately."

To offer to help Linda place or foster this beautiful dog,  e-mail Lindabarnes01@aol.com.

SCHOOL REPORT: Our middle grandchild, Emily Grace, the one who prefers to be called "Sparkle," had her first kindergarten parent/teacher conference yesterday. She'll be allowed to continue in the class. I breathed a sign of relief -- after all, I know her dad and her uncle.

I'm kidding them. A little.

We're proud of Emily Grace. And her big sister Hannah Rose and their little brother, Crash, known formally as Connor, but called "Crash" because of his natural tendencies when romping through the house.

Their dad, Bart, told me that last night, for the first time, big sister Hannah Rose decided to read the bedtime story rather than have dad read it. So, everybody piled up together near the TV (ah, the American Family) and Hannah read.

"What was the story?" I asked Bart and -- I'm so proud of him -- he confessed, "I really wasn't paying attention. I was watching the ballgame. But I told her she did a good job."

Ah, the acorn doesn't fall far from the Tree of Nuts.