Here we are ending the first day of the last month of 2007. Wow. It was a busy day at Fort Doberdale.

Today Ollie turned 7 years old. Happy birthday, Oliver!

Here’s a lovely hibiscus flower that bloomed just for Ollie’s birthday.

In other news, someone changed our daily incoming mail routine. Normally, the mail pops out of our front door like toast, onto our floor, and sits there until I pick it up. But today’s mail moved from inside the house to the back yard, where the rubberband had been removed, and the mail had been scattered. And as Ginger walked up to the pile, I noticed a small band hanging from her mouth.

Ginger was hesitant to share her find with me. Opting, instead, for the infamous “let me see if I can swallow the thing before I get to my mom” move.

She couldn’t swallow it that fast, so we had a bit of a tug-o-war, which is rather unlike Ginger, who is usually more cooperative. Perhaps she has “stepping out of her comfort zone” goals, too!

A Mockingbird watched the goings-on…

…until I won and had the rubber band in my possession. Then he flew the coop, and Ginger confessed to what was obvious.

She has promised me that was the last of her maildog endeavors. Not that I distrust the girl, but next time that mail comes popping through the door and I’m not home, I’m not sure if she can hold true to her promise. So I have to remember to put an ex-pen around the door when I leave. Staying one-step ahead of the FDSP is one of my daily challenges.

Meanwhile, one weekend, back in July or August, I had intended on teaching Luna to sit on command. That didn’t pan out. Luna is one of the most observant Doberdoggies I have met. She watches everything, as if she is planning on doing it next. My first attempt at teaching her to sit wasn’t as successful as today’s. Today, I took her out amongst the crowd with clicker and treats, and did exactly the same thing with her as I had on that summer evening in a private lesson, but instead of being wary of the whole adventure, today, Luna did magnificently well vying for the click-and-treat with all her buddies. Anyone who knew how to sit, did so, and in no time, Luna was sitting along with the crowd, getting her own clicks-and-treats.

Luigi was particularly eager to help out. He is fond of Luna Kahuna, and moreso of treats.

Leissl was another big-time teacher today. She can sit and lie down push-up style.

Raven also had a milestone today. She learned the beginnings of “down” on command. Unlike Luna, Raven has to do her learning without distraction. She did very well in the bedroom with the down command. She was a brainiac. But amongst the crowd, where the picture taking took place, there were too many other things to do. Like shove her toys at me. But, she is slowly piecing things together, and that’s all I ask.

Finally, Baby and I spent alone time to figure out if she is going to compete anytime soon to get her Companion Dog title. We are still figuring that out, but the best part of working, for any Doberdog, is the playing afterwards. And Baby is no exception. She loves her Frisbee, and that’s how we ended the sunshine portion of our December 1st in Fort Doberdale.