The Dog Father Leonberger

This blog is primarily about Leonbergers and our late Leonberger Bronco as well as the book I wrote about him and his dog friends. However, sometimes I review other Leonberger books. This time I am reviewing The Dogfather: Dog wisdom & Life lessons: Leonberger book ~ Leonberger gifts Paperback – May 12, 2020 by Alex Luther. This paperback is 285 pages, black and white, ISBN‏‎ 979-8645268923, item weight 13.4 ounces, dimensions 6.34 x 0.65 x 6.34 inches, so fairly small. You can buy it from Amazon but exist only in paperback format. It is currently $18.99 on Amazon.

We’ve owned many dogs, all wonderful dogs, but our Leonberger was the most amazing creature I’ve come across. He passed away one year ago. Originally bred to be large companion dogs they are in tune with your feelings, and for the same reason they make great therapy dogs. They are double coated and have webbed large paws, making them excellent swimmers, they are sometimes used for water rescue. They are smart, very strong, they have an excellent sense of smell, they are big, about the same size as a St. Bernhard, and they are excellent guard dogs as well. Our Leonberger became the protector of our smaller dogs. He saved our pug’s life once. He also found and brought back our hamsters when they escaped their cage. He noticed (smelled) that our Labrador, who had diabetes, was about to have an insulin shock and alerted us to it. One time he chased away an intruder that frequently trespassed on our property and threatened us as well as our neighbors. No, he didn’t try to eat him. He probably just wanted to say hello, but the intruder didn’t know that. After that the intruder never came back. Above all he was very loving, very sociable, and sensitive to our feelings.

I thought the book looked interesting and might be worth reading at the same time as I expected a lot of sayings I’ve heard before and maybe silly jokes, but as I read on, I found the book to be better than I had expected. It is a very touching collection of sayings that were all new to me and the poetic wisdom words captured the personality of a Leonberger very well. Initially this made me believe that the author must own or had owned and loved a Leonberger like us. A few examples: “I think Leonbergers are the most amazing creature; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.” “One reason a Gentle Lion can be such a comfort when you’re feeling blue is that he doesn’t try to find out why.” “The reason a Gentle Lion has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue” and my favorite “Sometimes I think I like Leonbergers more than I like humans. The only time a Gentle Lion has ever betrayed me…was by dying.” However, upon rereading the book I realized that it is possible that the sayings could apply to any kind of dog breed. Furthermore, I also realized that the author has written 160 nearly identical books called “The Dogfather <insert dog breed> or “The Dogmother <insert dog breed>”. So, I had just fooled myself. Most likely the author has never seen a Leonberger.

However, the sayings in the book are touching and the word Leonberger is used throughout the book. Not as good as I thought, but close. In the middle of the book there are two pages of advertisement and a web link for buying stuff. So, this book is partially advertising. That’s OK. The book is mostly for a younger audience but also sentimental adults. I gave the book four stars on Amazon.