This blog feature amusing and heartwarming stories about our late Leonberger dog Bronco, as well as other Leonbergers. It also has a lot of information about the Leonberger breed, the history, care, training, Leonberger organizations, etc. I also wrote a Leonberger book, which I am featuring in the sidebar.
Leonberger Activism
I try to avoid politics on my blogs but considering the circumstances I think this is OK. The picture you see above and below is from Trine Helen Løken. Thank you for letting us use it, Trine. It was passed around in various Leonberger Facebook groups and other Leonberger places back in 2022 and now it is in vogue again. It is to show the Leonberger community’s support for Ukraine. I added a couple of somewhat less artistic photos using a couple of photos of our late Leonberger Bronco and a Ukrainian flag that I got from pexels.com Photo by Engin Akyurt.
Art by Trine Helen Løken. This picture is popular in the Leonberger community.Our Leonberger BroncoOur Leonberger Bronco, the hero. He found runaway hamsters, saved our Pug Daisy from an attacking dog, and detected an oncoming insulin shock in our Labrador.
Rollo the Politician
Rollo, our mini–Australian Shepherd is not easy to walk. Sometimes he sits and refuses to walk and sometimes he barks his head off at other dogs. Therefore, we started bribing him, and this works. On several occasions, I asked Claudia, my wife, “should I bribe him?”. So, he ended up learning the word “bribe”. Now when you say the word “bribe” he comes running hoping for a handout. In other words, we accidentally taught him to be a politician. Below are a few photos of Rollo.
Rollo, our mini–Australian Shepherd as a puppy.Rollo with his duck toy.Rollo loves sleeping in our bed, especially on my side. He is taking over.
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.
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42 thoughts on “Leonberger Activism”
Excellent post. Just the right amounts of facts and fun.
I seldom blog about politics either, Thomas, but there is a time and place. I think this embarrassing day qualifies. Thanks for your support of Ukraine.
Thank you for your support Pete. It seems like 98-99% of the world reacted very badly to what happened today, judging from my quite international social media. The President for the Leonberger Health Foundation International, a completely non-political organization came out with a statement condemning what happened today, which surprised me. So I don’t feel too bad.
Thank you so much Patricia. This picture (the Leonnerger with the Ukrainian flag) is being passed around a lot in Leonberger groups after what happened today (well it was yesterday now).
Thank you, Kymber. it is good to know it is not too bad to do this. So many people in Sweden, my native country are very upset, and the Leonberger community the world over is reacting. The President of the Leonberger Health Foundation International, a totally non-political veterinary research organization came out with a statement criticizing what happened yesterday and supporting Ukraine. She has never done anything like it before.
It was embarrassing (yesterday), wasn’t it? I don’t watch the news anymore but it happened I went to talk to my husband when he was watching.
Thank you for sharing the photos, Thomas.
I don’t know. I realize I am very privileged. However, the cuts of NIH might cause our daughter in law, a neuroscientist (PhD in neuroscience) to lose her job. Science is no longer important unless it directly serves the administrations agenda.
My daughter’s company is service oriented for the community. It’ll affect them, hopefully not my daughter because she’s the payroll manager unless they have AI doing her job, she said. Many of her friends are affected. This administration may have the biggest unemployment!
Yes, it is not about streamlining or removing administrative overhead or pork projects. All of that is very marginal, much less than 1%. Unfortunately they are recklessly chainsawing right through essential services and support that people need. I read that Mediacaid is on the chopping block. I am sorry about your daughter’s friends and I hope she will be fine.
He wants to get rid of the education department. Without the education department, how do schools, from college to elementary, get federal funds? It can’t all be the State’s responsibility. When I was the school administrator, part of my salary was from the federal funds.
Hopefully it won’t go through. It is congress and not the executive branch that should determine this, which makes it confusing as to how it is even possible.
I agree. You need to be careful with stress. You certainly don’t want stress considering what happened. That was a very scary story. This was a real crap show and you don’t need that stress.
Thank you so much for your kind words Debbie. We just took him for a walk and he certainly knows the word “bribe” now. I have to start speaking Swedish in his presence.
Excellent post. Just the right amounts of facts and fun.
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Thank you so much for your kind words Violet.
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Adogables!
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Adogables is a great word. Thank you Cindy.
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I seldom blog about politics either, Thomas, but there is a time and place. I think this embarrassing day qualifies. Thanks for your support of Ukraine.
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Thank you for your support Pete. It seems like 98-99% of the world reacted very badly to what happened today, judging from my quite international social media. The President for the Leonberger Health Foundation International, a completely non-political organization came out with a statement condemning what happened today, which surprised me. So I don’t feel too bad.
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Oh, dear, I try to follow world news. Your blog post is spot on and the last image has a slight political sheen to it. Well done.
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Thank you so much Patricia. This picture (the Leonnerger with the Ukrainian flag) is being passed around a lot in Leonberger groups after what happened today (well it was yesterday now).
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Cute! They did a good job! Perfect messengers, I think!
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Thank you so much Introverted Bookworm. It is pretty popular right now in the Leonberger community.
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I think this is the right time, Thomas, to speak out. I agree with you and your pals 100%!
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Thank you, Kymber. it is good to know it is not too bad to do this. So many people in Sweden, my native country are very upset, and the Leonberger community the world over is reacting. The President of the Leonberger Health Foundation International, a totally non-political veterinary research organization came out with a statement criticizing what happened yesterday and supporting Ukraine. She has never done anything like it before.
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These are strange times, and I fear what’s to come.
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I agree, very strange.
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It was embarrassing (yesterday), wasn’t it? I don’t watch the news anymore but it happened I went to talk to my husband when he was watching.
Thank you for sharing the photos, Thomas.
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Thank you so much Miriam. I agree it was a real crap show, which is why I didn’t feel too bad doing this. Watching the news has been stressful lately.
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It’s been only five weeks, Thomas! How do we get through the next four years? For us, we’ll deal with higher prices. For some, it’s life or death.
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I don’t know. I realize I am very privileged. However, the cuts of NIH might cause our daughter in law, a neuroscientist (PhD in neuroscience) to lose her job. Science is no longer important unless it directly serves the administrations agenda.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My daughter’s company is service oriented for the community. It’ll affect them, hopefully not my daughter because she’s the payroll manager unless they have AI doing her job, she said. Many of her friends are affected. This administration may have the biggest unemployment!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it is not about streamlining or removing administrative overhead or pork projects. All of that is very marginal, much less than 1%. Unfortunately they are recklessly chainsawing right through essential services and support that people need. I read that Mediacaid is on the chopping block. I am sorry about your daughter’s friends and I hope she will be fine.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He wants to get rid of the education department. Without the education department, how do schools, from college to elementary, get federal funds? It can’t all be the State’s responsibility. When I was the school administrator, part of my salary was from the federal funds.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes they don’t know what they are doing. I am so sorry about the education department.
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It hasn’t gone through yet.
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Hopefully it won’t go through. It is congress and not the executive branch that should determine this, which makes it confusing as to how it is even possible.
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I heard about yesterday’s fiasco but I won’t watch it. It would probably give me another aneurysm and the first one was plenty …
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I agree. You need to be careful with stress. You certainly don’t want stress considering what happened. That was a very scary story. This was a real crap show and you don’t need that stress.
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Lulu: “I keep saying it! Put us dogs in charge!”
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I agree with you. It is time to let the dogs be in charge. Lulu for President!!!
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yes, how amazing that they did this and thank you for this post
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Thank you so much for your kind words Beth!
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Love the photos of Rollo! Smart dogs!
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Thank you so much Jan. Bribes certainly get you far with dogs.
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Thank you for your post supporting Ukraine, Thomas, and I love the photos. They definitely lift my spirits after yesterday’s news.
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Thank you so much for your very kind words David.
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Rollo is my kind of politician!
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Ha ha thank you da-AL
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I got it won’t go through. It’s a complicated issue.
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OK that is good
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A timely post in support of Ukraine! 🕊️ Rollo is such a cute politician. 😆 That cartoon illustrates the differences between dogs and cats so well.
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Thank you so much for your kind words Debbie. We just took him for a walk and he certainly knows the word “bribe” now. I have to start speaking Swedish in his presence.
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Hahaha! We’ve switched languages too, but dogs are so smart, they can learn more than one language. 😆
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Ha ha you are right but once he’d figured out Swedish words I can switch to French. But after French I don’t know what.
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