The Interview

There are so many bad dog owners out there. There are owners who mistreat their dogs. There are owners who return their dogs to shelters or worse owners who abandoned their dogs. There are owners who get rid of their dogs when they become old, less fun, more difficult to take care of and have expensive veterinary bills. So many dog owners should never have been allowed to become dog owners. Imagine if prospective dog owners had to go through an interview and sign a contract protecting the dog’s well being before they are allowed to buy a dog. Another problem is substandard breeders and puppy mills.

An old Leonberger dog is lying on the sidewalk.
Bronco our Leonberger was very old in this photo. Almost 13 years old and he had health problems.

The Leonberger Club of America (LCA) and the Leonberger community have taken control of both of these problems. The Leonberger Club of America keeps a list of breeders who follow approved breeding practices (there are inspections), treat the dogs well, and have pledged to take back the dog in the event an owner is unable to care for the dog. The breeder will also stay in contact with the new owners, mentor them, and help them with training and care. I am pretty certain there are no Leonberger puppy mills.

From left to right : A Leonberger in the snow, another Leonberger looking into the camera, our 3 months old Leonberger puppy Bronco, our Leonberger Bronco in a green bush, our Leonberger Bronco sitting in my wife’s lap, he is 167lbs, our Leonberger Bronco in the green grass, our old Leonberger Bronco lying in the green grass.
Leonberger photos. All photos are of Bronco except the two on the far left are from Shutterstock ID:705193912 and ID:46221958.

As a prospective owner you are required to go through an interview with the breeder and to sign a contract. For example, as an owner you are required to return the dog to the breeder if you are unable to care for the dog or transfer the dog to another approved owner in a manner that is endorsed by LCA. If you break the rules, you are never allowed to own a Leonberger again. Caring for a Leonberger is a serious commitment and you can feel it. Leonbergers are dogs that are larger than life. But maybe all dogs are larger than life.

A 167lbs Leonberger sitting in my wife Claudia’s lap. She is disappearing.
Our Leonberger Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle in my wife Claudia’s lap.

Below is the transcript of the online interview that my wife Claudia did with our breeder Julie Schaffert. I’ve posted this before here. However, that post is one my earliest posts, and this is my attempted improvement.

Kennel von der Löwenhöhle Questionnaire Questions are in bold :

Why do you want a Leonberger?

We have a dog book, and while looking at dogs we came across the Leonberger, a gorgeous dog from Germany. We also had the opportunity to meet some Leonbergers, a mother and her puppies, which were wonderful. We have read that Leonbergers are great with children and good guard dogs, which is something we’d like. We have two dogs, but we have not raised them as puppies. We have never had a puppy and would like to have one.

What do you like about the Leonberger and what do you know about its characteristics? Do you prefer male or female? Why?

They are very beautiful and love to swim. We have a huge pool, and my children love to spend their summers swimming. Leonbergers also make wonderful pets and are good guard dogs, and best of all they don’t drool. We don’t prefer a male or a female dog.

Are you aware this is at least a ten-year commitment?

Yes. We have two other dogs, and of course we are aware that they live up to ten years—hopefully more.

Do you have any other pets? Have you had any experience raising a giant-breed puppy?

We have a Lab and a German shepherd. We have two dwarf hamsters, Moldova and Montenegro. My son also keeps a baby ball python in a cage in his room (UGGH). As I said before, we have never owned a puppy, but we met some Leonberger puppies from a breeder who resides in Houston.

Where will your dog be kept—indoors or outdoors? Backyard or kennel?

Our dog would be kept mostly indoors. (We live in Texas, and it would get too hot outside.) At night we take all our dogs for walks and for occasional swims during the year. When the dog is still a puppy, we would keep it in a puppy playpen and take it out every half hour to go to the bathroom (until obedience training). We do have a fenced backyard the puppy can play in, and we have a dog run with a dog door so the dogs can come and go as they please.

Is your yard fenced?

Yes. Our yard has a seven-foot-high solid wood fence all the way around

How many hours will you be out of the house? Where will your Leonberger be while you are gone?

I am a stay-at-home mom, and we would almost always have someone in the house, such as our housekeeper, children, and family. If we are gone for a long periods of time, we have a dog sitter who comes to our house to take care of our dogs.

Do you have children? If so, what are their ages?

We have three kids, ages thirteen, ten, and eight. Two boys and one girl (in that order).

Describe a typical day at your house now. How do you think it will change once the puppy arrives?

On a typical day, the kids go to school, and I like to take a long walk. I go through some paperwork, I prepare dinner, then everyone comes home. On weekends, my younger kids have sports, but my oldest kid stays home (he plays during the week).

I would be with the dog most of the day and would do my shopping while the housekeeper is there. I do not plan on leaving the puppy for any long period of time. I’m sure that having the puppy will be like having another child. We have been told that the puppy will be quite rambunctious for the first three years of its life.

Have you observed any obedience classes in your area? It is very important that Leonberger puppies start obedience classes by sixteen weeks of age. Would you attend such classes?

We have not observed any obedience classes yet. However, we are interested in the International K9 training facility in Dallas and would absolutely attend these classes.

Von der Löwenhöhle puppies start their crate training at our kennel. Will you continue this training? If not, why not?

Yes, we would continue crate training at our home. We will follow your advice and that of our veterinarians in regard to further training.

What plans do you have for your Leonberger—e.g., showing, breeding, obedience, family companion, therapy? If you plan to show or breed, what experience, if any, have you had?

Our major purpose for wanting a Leonberger is to have a family companion.

Please add any other information you feel will help us pick out a puppy for you.

We would like a dog that will fit in well with our family.

On the left is a Leonberger puppy wearing a red scarf. On the right our old Leonberger Bronco lying in the grass and looking into the camera.
Our Leonberger Bronco three months old and almost 13 years old.

The end result was that we were allowed to buy Bronco. We did not follow through with the crate training as we promised because Bronco was whining at night when he was in the crate. So, we let him sleep between us in our bed. A few months later he started pushing me out of bed with his paws. I don’t like sleeping on the floor, so we had to put an end to that. We got him a big dog bed and he accepted that.

What do you think about having dog owners being approved and signing a contract ?

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Author: thomasstigwikman

My name is Thomas Wikman. I am a software/robotics engineer with a background in physics. I am currently retired. I took early retirement. I am a dog lover, and especially a Leonberger lover, a home brewer, craft beer enthusiast, I’m learning French, and I am an avid reader. I live in Dallas, Texas, but I am originally from Sweden. I am married to Claudia, and we have three children. I have two blogs. The first feature the crazy adventures of our Leonberger Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle as well as information on Leonbergers. The second blog, superfactful, feature information and facts I think are very interesting. With this blog I would like to create a list of facts that are accepted as true among the experts of the field and yet disputed amongst the public or highly surprising. These facts are special and in lieu of a better word I call them super-facts.

82 thoughts on “The Interview”

    1. Thank you Robbie. Yes the Leonberger Club of America as well as the breeders and the Leonberger community in general are very protective of the dogs. You are right. There are many parents who shouldn’t be parents and one wish that there was some way to address that. But with people it gets more complicated.

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    2. I agree with you Robbie. It is amazing what a long way the Leonberger Club of America has come. LCA was founded in Denver in 1985 by eight people and since then it has not only grown into an organization with thousands of members, that have succeeded in keeping North American Leonbergers safe from cruel handling. An offshoot, the Leonberger Health Foundation International has grown into a worldwide organization that has helped solve multiple large dog health problems. I bet the eight founders had no idea they would accomplish that.

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  2. This is great that prospective dog owners are interviewed and screened. Our dogs are from a rescue centre. But before we could adopt them someone came to our house to meet us and ensure we would be good doggie parents. I liked that.

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    1. Yes I agree. That is a very good practice. We had two rescues (a Labrador and a German Shepherd) when we got Bronco, but we did not go through an interview for them because we got them second hand as the people who rescued them were close relatives (my wife’s sister and a niece) who moved and left us with the dogs. But, yes I think dog owners should be screened.

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  3. Such an important post Thomas. With so much media coverage in the UK about the XL Bully breed and the sad news that so many have been euthanised because of the ban on owning them unless they meet certain exemptions, this approach to dog ownership is so badly needed across the world. As they say, there are no bad dogs only bad owners and I get very angry when I see how a puppy can be transformed into a dangerous dog because of their owner’s manipulation of their characters. I hope that what your society has put in place is copied by many others.

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    1. That is a very sad situation. The owners getting those dogs are often getting them for the wrong reasons, often for dog fighting. Dog fighting is a big problem here in the US. It is so cruel and sick and the people doing it are typically criminals (in other ways) so there should be ways to identify them before they get a hold of the dogs. A former manager of mine rescued a dog fighting dog. The dog clearly had big psychological problems and he had suffered a lot, but they took care of him.

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    2. I certainly agree with you. It is illegal in all US states and yet approximately 250,000 dogs are placed in dog fighting rings in the US each year and there are an estimated 40,000 dog fight professionals/criminals.

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  5. What a great idea/process, Thomas. I hadn’t heard of a contract or testing for prospective owners, but I think it would help with the abuse we sometimes see. ❤️

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    1. Yes I think it is a good idea. In addition, the Leonberger community get together when they see an abused Leonberger. I remember when someone reported a mistreated Leonberger and it was reported to LCA, the abuser was put on a list, and the Leonberger Facebook groups lit up with warnings about this person. That person was never allowed to get a Leonberger again.

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  7. I’m surprised an interview isn’t done by most breeders. anyone I know who has purchased from a breeder has had to do a contract though, which is at least something. 

    For most rescues you have to do an interview, a contract, even a home visit usually. We even had to provide proof of payment for training for one of our girls!

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    1. That is great ! I did not know about everything you mentioned. We bought two dogs from Petland before we knew they came from puppy mills, and we bought Rollo, our mini-Australian, from a puppy mill, and there were no interviews. I should say we did not know that we got Rollo from a puppy mill, but a trainer told us, “Sorry but that breeder is a puppy mill”. It was East Texas, east of Dallas where we live and apparently things are pretty rough there.  Our Japanese Shin Ryu was terrified of Petland. He started shaking when we got to Petland, so we did not take him when we went shopping there. It makes you wonder what happened. We had two rescues, a Labrador and a German Shepherd but we got them second hand so we were not interviewed.

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  8. All for that, Thomas. All of our breeders have been that type, promised to take the dogs back if anything happened to us. The only one that worried us was the last breeder. We call our current Casey our rescue dog because husband and I didn’t feel good about his situation there. All the right papers, vet appointments, but my spidey sense tingled. And, he has odd fears, reactions, and a few physical things even the vet can’t explain. I wish I could have rescued the entire litter.

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    1. The thing is, it is sometimes not obvious that a breeder is a puppy mill. We were told by a trainer after getting Rollo that we got him from a puppy mill, not a reputable breeder. Apparently, puppy mills are very common in east Texas. But what should can you do? As you say, you want to rescue them, and you can certainly not return them. But the disreputable breeders should be shut down.

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  9. All of our dogs have come from rescue organizations. We were happy to submit to the application process. I wish all owners had to do the same. As far as backyard breeders are concerned I wish they could be driven out of business.

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    1. That is very benevolent of you to do. I am grateful to people like you, and I think it is great that rescue places does this. There are so many shady people wanting dogs for the wrong reason. I agree with you, I wish backyard breeders could be driven out of business.

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      1. I agree with you 100%! When I was younger, I was active in fighting for animal rights. Dog fighting is so despicable. I hate the abuse some animals endure. Dogs are precious souls who deserve to be loved and protected.

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  11. Many years ago, I worked with a woman who moved and couldn’t take her dog. She told everyone at work she let the dog go in the mountains. I told her that was cruel. She should have taken the dog to a shelter. It would probably be put down in a shelter, but at least it would be fed and kept out of the elements. It wouldn’t be hit by a car, starved to death, or eaten by coyotes.

    She was not pleased with me.

    If there were a bring-back policy like this, maybe people would be less likely to abandon dogs. I think signing contracts is a good idea—good for the welfare of the animal.

    BTW, I read in the paper recently that the shelter where we got our cat puts down roughly 25% of the dogs they take in. Sometimes they have no choice. The dog is vicious, too ill, or too badly injured. But that strikes me as far too high. It is heartbreaking. It seems people throw away dogs.

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    1. Wow, she let go of the dog in the mountains! I do not understand people like that at all. Yes, like you say, certainly a shelter would have been much better even though the dog might have been put down. I am glad you told her. Her thinking was messed up and she needed to know it. I know this is happening all the time so I should not be surprised, but it is still so shocking to hear about it. What is wrong with some people. 25% seems high but I know they are trying, and like you say some dogs are too vicious (dog fighting dogs) and some too old and sick.

      Yes LCA do not want those sad stories for their dogs. A lot of dog owners shouldn’t be. I guess it is easier when you are a small community, like the Leonberger community, but really, in the extension it would be nice if all the other clubs joined and that the puppy mills, backyard breeders, etc., were stopped.

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      1. Regarding my former coworker, she said, “No one would take her.” It’s not like she didn’t have other stressors—they had a new baby. The move was stressful. But you don’t abandon a living creature who can’t fend for himself. I was just sad. She thought I was a bitch and told me so. Well, tough.

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      2. I think it was good that you said that. People who do that kind of stuff are not thinking right and if they don’t get any negative feedback they fool themselves into thinking it is OK. Really people who abandone dogs like she did can get a $4,000.00 fine or even jail time for up to a year. Like you say, a lot of people do it and it needs to stop.

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    2. I certainly understand that life can get in the way. But first of all, if you aren’t sure you can take care of a dog throughout its life, then don’t get one to begin with. I have friends who had young babies but who still took care of their dogs even though it was not easy. But again, sometimes life throws you curve balls. However, there are shelters and you don’t let go of the dog in the mountains. I cannot avoid being judgmental of her.

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      1. Oh, I agree with the judgement. I remember telling her to her face, “That was cruel.” I understood the recent things that happened in her life—stuff happens—but I couldn’t and can’t accept abandoning an innocent animal when there are other easy alternatives available. And how common it is to abandon an animal. It’s very sad and very cruel. People do it with cats, thinking that cats will fend for themselves. Unfortunately, what they’re really doing is feeding coyotes.

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    1. Yes that is sad. Bad pet owners are unfortunataly everywhere. An additional good thing about the way LCA does it, is that it sends a message to everyone who hears about it. Just the fact that you can’t buy a Leonberger if you are put on a list as a bad pet owner I think can make bad pet owners think.

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  13. Oh the sad tragedy of unfit pet owners. When we were stationed in the U.K. my wife and I attempted to purchase a dog (we were seeking a lab at that time)… only to find that they wouldn’t sell to Americans “in the forces.” Apparently, military personnel had a reputation of not taking their dogs with them when the military relocated them. (Which I assume meant they were too cheap to pay for the admittedly significant expense of flying them Stateside… and too stupid to realize that military policy was always to leave such costs to the service members themselves.)

    At any rate, we had to resort to a pet store which I assume procured their animals from puppy mills. Sad. But the good news is that circumstances led to our adoption of a baby border collie who blessed our lives for the next sixteen years. And yes, she had to make a number of military moves, but only one (to Guam) was a hardship on her… the rest she journeyed together with her family in the car.

    I have zero tolerance for people who abuse animals, and believe the world would be a better place if such behaviors were considered felonies.

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    1. Yes, I agree, unfit pet owners is a tragedy. I certainly think that the military budget should cover the transportation cost for pets. Military personnel are already doing so much for us, and they are not rich. Not taking care of the cost increases the risk that the less responsible ones leave the animals behind. I am glad you found your wonderful border collie. He was certainly a very well-travelled dog. By the way, thank you very much for your service.

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  15. That made me laugh… about the part with sleeping on the floor!! We’ve always crate trained or Xpen trained our Leo’s. After 5 Leos tho, now I’m thinking about doing what you did, letting a pup sleep on the bed right away!!

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    1. LOL My dad used to say, “sometimes sin punishes itself”, but in Swedish. That’s what happened to me. I saw there were a lot of Grey-Muzzle Awardees this year. Thank you so much Velvy for all that you do for the Leonberger community.

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    1. Yes I think LCA is doing a great job and you are right. There are so many dog owners who are awful to their dogs. One commentor above mentioned a collegue who abandoned her dog in the mountains. How do you stop this? Luckily LCA won’t let it happen to Leonbergers.

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  18. I think this is the post I tried to comment on a few days ago but the iPhone WordPress app I use was wonky that morning and disappeared my comment. lol!! However, don’t laugh, okay? But I decided to delete my current WP blog and created a new one today for my dog obsession. It’s called “Dog Dazed” and should come up when you click on me. I think you’ll like this one. Happy Saturday, dear friend!! 🩷🐶

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    1. It is great that it is working now. I clicked on your name and I saw your new blog. It started out with some really funny dog humor. Dog Dazed seems like it is going to be a great blog. I think I am going to post some dog humor today too.

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  19. It is wonderful to hear the rules etc before you could own such a dog Thomas… It is really a pity that all pet owners are not given such interviews… 
    You really get the size of these wonderful dogs with that picture of Bronco sat on your wife’s lap lol :-) Thank you for sharing them.. x

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    1. Yes you are right Sue. It would be nice if that was possible. I think the fact that Leonbergers are a rare breed and the Leonberger community a small community makes it easier. Bronco was big and muscular but in this picture he was also a bit overweight. He was 167lbs but he was supposed to be 135-140lbs. He went on a diet after this picture.

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    1. Thank you so much Tricia. Yes he was a big fur buddy, gentle giant and big goofball. He was very loving, he protected the smaller dogs and pets with his life, and he was very energetic when he was young. The Leonberger Club of America and the Leonberger Health Foundation International are very active in keeping Leonbergers safe and healthy. I have not seen anything like for any other breed we’ve owned.

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  22. I think an interview and a contract are a good idea to get prospective dog owners to think about what is involved with taking care of a dog. We had to do the same thing when we adopted our rescue dog.

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    1. I agree with you. I think it is great that rescue places do those interviews too. Pet stores, puppy mills, less reputable breeders, auctions and random give aways don’t, and so many owners are not ready for the resonsibility.

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  23. A wonderful share for dog owners everywhere. I love that people are subjected to interview for proper dog care. I know especially big dogs need good exercise. I don’t know anyone who treats their pets badly – intentionally. But I do know some ‘lazy’ dog owners who do not walk their dogs nearly enough. Like people, dogs need exercise too. 🙂

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    1. Yes you are right. Big dogs need a lot of exercise. Leonbergers need to walk or play about an hour per day (at the minumum) but there are other large and giant breeds that need a lot more than that. You can’t buy a large breed and treat it like a pug. Then when old age comes and the dog becomes needy and sick and expensive you need to step up and give back and support the dog, not give it back to a shelter as some do.

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  24. I don’t know if it’s very practical in such a place as the Humane Shelter. When we adopted our two dogs at the shelter, they were begging us to take them so they wouldn’t be euthanized. For pedigrees, especially such a specialized breed, absolutely!

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    1. Yes I can certainly understand that. Some shelters interview people but I can see that it isn’t always practical. You are right, why this treatment of prospective owners as well as breeders is possible is because the Leonberger is a rare breed with a small but strong community.

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  25. I think this is an excellent idea. I read some many terrible stories about people abusing and neglecting their dogs and pets. They should demonstrate that they are committed to looking after the dog properly.

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    1. Yes, so many dog owners shouldn’t be. I wish it was possible to screen dog owners but I can see how that is difficult outside of rare breeds with small strong communities like the Leonberger

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  26. Thanks for sharing! This is an awesome idea!!
    Never knew about this particular breed until now!
    If I see any pet being taken for a walk,I just can’t not stop and talk to them (and off course pet them) 🙂

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    1. Thank you so much EzPzRun. Yes the Leonberger Community wants to make sure the dogs are well taken care of and won’t tolerate backyard breeders and puppy mills, or potentially bad owners. Our Leonberger loved when people stopped and petted him. Our little mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is not that way.

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  27. Not sure where to start on this one. Many dogs aren’t ‘bred’. They’re accidents from unaltered males & females. Or they’re bred for bad reasons. It breaks my heart to see and hear how poorly some people treat their animals – not just dogs. At this point, with so many dogs in shelters and in terrible situations it might be difficult for contracts. It’s just a sad situation all the way around.

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    1. Yes, you are right. There is so much animal abuse and so many dogs need homes. We had a couple of rescues. Unfortunately, we also unknowingly got three of our dogs from puppy mills. You shouldn’t support puppy mills, but those dogs need homes too. Then we have the criminals who breed dogs for fighting. It is a lot of craziness out there. I appreciated that our breeder Julie Schaffert took the time to ensure that we were going to be good dog parents.

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