National Mutt Day

Today, July 31st is National Mutt Day. Our Leonberger Bronco, or Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, was not a mutt, but our Labrador Baylor was. We kept referring to him as a Labrador, but he was actually 3/4 Labrador and 1/4 Rhodesian Ridgeback. Therefore, I am making a post about him today. You can also read about Baylor here . here and here.

Our Labrador mix Baylor is lying down looking into the camera. He is on the left. Our German Shepherd Baby is lying down and looking into the camera. She is on the right.
Baylor our Labrador Rhodesian Ridgeback mix on the left and our German Shepherd Baby on the right. They were both old in this photo.

About Baylor

Our first family dog was Baylor, a yellow Labrador retriever mix who allegedly was one-quarter Rhodesian ridgeback. He was a rescue dog first adopted by our niece Jessica, and then when she went to college he stayed with Claudia’s parents until we finally adopted him a couple of years later. He was familiar with us, so the change was not a difficult experience for him. Naturally he was potty trained and well trained in other regards, so taking care of him was a relatively easy job.

Close up photo of Baylor our Labrador Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. He is looking into the camera.
Baylor is younger in this photo. The photo is from around 2005 or 2006. Baylor had a smile that would warm the coldest hearts.

Baylor was the dog who taught me what it means to be a dog owner. I didn’t grow up with dogs, and for years I felt like dogs were annoying and somewhat unpleasant and even scary. To me, they were just barking machines. People who let their aggressive and poorly trained dogs run loose and bother people on the street and children walking to school had cemented that impression on me. A dog was something I wasn’t interested in having. Hamsters and turtles seemed a lot easier to take care of, and they don’t run around growling and barking at people. But there was Baylor, and I had a lot to learn.

Baylor was an energetic and fun dog. He was also very social. He loved visiting the dog park and playing with other dogs. Like Bronco, he loved swimming. He loved running, chasing balls, and playing tug-of-war. I later learned that tug-of-war is not a great game to play with dogs. It can make them aggressive. Anyway, over the years I grew quite fond of him. I loved coming home to his enthusiastic greetings and then taking him for a walk.

Baylor our Labrador mix is seen swimming in big pool with clear water.
Baylor loved to swim in Claudia’s parents’ pool. Claudia is my wife.

On several occasions, Baylor proved to be a hero. My wife Claudia’s mother told me that once, when she was walking him along a road near her house, she fell into a deep hole in the road. There were no other people around at the time, and the hole, which wasn’t covered and hadn’t been roped off, was around waist high. Not being young anymore, she couldn’t climb her way out. However, Baylor started pulling her. She held on to his leash while he smoothly but forcefully dragged her upward. Working together, they managed to pull her out of the hole. Baylor understood how to help, and he was strong enough to do it.

The Dog Fight

Baylor could also defend himself when he needed to. One time, as he and I were walking down a long straight road in the neighborhood, I turned around and saw two dogs running out of an alleyway around half a mile behind us. Right behind them came a woman, and she was running as well. The dogs were racing toward us and barking, and the woman behind the dogs was screaming at them. It was obvious that they had snuck out of a house and were ignoring their owner. For a moment I thought that maybe we should be running as well, but I decided against it. I would not be able to outrun the dogs, even though Baylor could, and letting him loose would be a bad idea. I decided to keep calm and continue walking.

A few seconds later I turned around to look again. The dogs were coming closer. I could see their glistening teeth and their faces full of rage as they charged toward us. The woman behind them was going as fast as she could, but she couldn’t keep up. Both dogs were around the size of Baylor. One of them looked like a pit bull, and the other looked like a golden retriever. I braced for the worst, and Baylor and I positioned ourselves for a fight.

Then the dog who looked like a golden retriever stopped and sat down. He seemed to be less aggressive. But the pit bull came right at us as if he wanted to kill us. There was a violent clash. Baylor fought back valiantly, and he was able to control the situation, despite being on a leash. (Well, I gave him all the leeway I could.) There were loud growls and snarls and sharp white teeth snapping and biting.

The woman finally arrived. Her face was red, and she was sweating profusely. It didn’t look like she was in good shape, and she had just sprinted half a mile without stopping. Breathing heavily, she grabbed her aggressive dog and apologized. I didn’t respond, even though I felt sorry for her. I knew the whole thing was probably an accident, but after that experience I couldn’t spare much sympathy for her. Luckily, there were no serious injuries.

Many dog owners intentionally let their dogs run loose in public, thinking they have them under perfect control, but then the dogs snap when they don’t expect it and they don’t know why. It probably wasn’t what happened in the episode with Baylor, but instances like this serve as powerful reminders of why we have leash laws.

After it was all over, I felt proud of Baylor for defending himself so well. He was a lot stronger and feistier than I expected, yet he was a very friendly and loving Labrador (mix).

Goodbye Baylor

All life ends and so did Baylor’s, in a tragic and sad way. Those who have read my book might know what happened. If you do read my book, this section is marked in grey and called an intermezzo. This way you can avoid reading this sad part. Less sensitive people are welcome to read it and learn some lessons from our experience.

An illustration of Labrador like dog passing a bridge with a rainbow above. The text says, “You were our favorite HELLO and our hardest Goodbye”.
You were our favorite HELLO and our hardest Goodbye. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.

About the book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle

Finally, I would like to point out that I currently is running a promotion for my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger”. The book is focused on our late Leonberger Bronco, but Baylor and several other dogs are also featured in the book. The price of the Kindle version of my book is now only $2.99 and the price of the paperback version is 17.95 (normal prize is $19.95). You can read more about the promotion here.

The gold and beige book cover features the face of our Leonberger Bronco and the text "The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle. Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger."
This is the front cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click here or on the image to go to the United States Amazon location for the paperback version of the book.
The back cover in gold and beige features a photo of a Leonberger in a snowy forest and an introduction to the book.
This is the back cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click here or on the image to go to the Amazon.com location for the kindle version of the book.
The endorsements say “A wonderful tribute to the author's beloved Bronco. The stories are heartwarming as well as informative - a true glimpse into life with a Leonberger. D'Nae Wilson, President, Leonberger Health Foundation International.” and “A lovely tribute to Bronco, with lots of resources for general Leonberger information. Julie Schaffert, LCA breeder since 1992.”
Again, these are the endorsements for the book by some very prominent members of the Leonberger community. Click here or on the image to go to the Barnes and Noble location for the book.

Have you ever owned a Mix Breed / Mutt ?

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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.

60 thoughts on “National Mutt Day”

  2. We’ve owned mostly retrievers (yellows, blacks, goldens), but we did get a mixed breed from a shelter once. She was part black lab and something else that I never identified. Since all my experiences with labs were positive, I was shocked by her temperament. While she was sweet around humans, she had a split personality round other dogs where her aggressive nature came out. She literally would have killed someone else’s dog if she got loose. When I tried to return her to the shelter, the shelter owner wouldn’t take her back for weeks. Many shelter animals are fine, but you never know of a dog’s history when you go that route.

    Our eleven-year-old yellow lab, Lulu, is sadly not doing well. She has a hard time getting up. I give her shots every couple of weeks for her arthritis. It pains me to see her this way.

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    1. The black lab might have had bad experiences with other dogs in past or socialized. As you say you don’t know the history with a shelter dog. It might be possible to get it under control with training but it is difficult. I am so sorry about Lulu. It is sad to see them grow old.

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  3. Most of my dogs have been mixed breed rescues. I grew up with dogs and always loved them and over the years they have been wonderful characters and companions. We don’t have a dog right now but are considering adopting an older rescue who has lost her/his home because a senior has died or gone into care (a lot of that is happening in our region). Thanks for sharing some of Baylor’s history with us. He sounds like he was a terrific dog.

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  4. We have had a few dogs over the years a tri coloured collie and a Doberman both who were a pleasure to own since living here we have had a rescue dog they are called Soi Dogs here…Saangchai was a few months old when we brought him home a lovely boy and very good with children…Like Pete’s experience Saangchai has this switch in his brain and that is when he doesn’t listen to any commands even from me-haha-There are dogs he likes and there are those he doesn’t and therein lies the problem…I will say that he has mellowed as he has got older and I was surprised how well he took to my kittens although I wouldn’t leave them unattended with him …

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    1. It is wonderful that are taking rescue dog. I’ve seen ads on Facebook for Soi dogs but I did not know what that meant until now. You live in Thailand right? Saangchai may have had bad experiences with other dogs. It is great that you are taking care of him.

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      1. Hi Thomas yes when we adopted Saangchai the lady told us to forget about any other dogs we had raised as Soi Dogs didn’t fit that mold and she is correct…He is very protective of what he sees as his /our domain and we don’t get the packs of Soi Dogs down our Soi any more as he keeps them away by standing his ground quietly but they now just turn tale and slink away I’m guessing sooner or later as he ages he will meet his match but for now he seems to reign the roost and I have learnt when that switch goes to turn and walk away rather than call him and it works he then follows me…I’m sure he have bad experiences as a pup I have seen how the Soi dogs bully those they don’t feel are part of their pack however he is good with his food now anyone can take it away mid eat and he doesn’t react I have always done that with pups just in case a child decides to try and see what the dog is eating as I said he is great with children but good to have when I take a late walk .Have a great weekend Thomas x…

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        1. That is quite interesting. He has certainly learned how to stand his ground. Life as a Soi dog must be very hard. It seems like he is doing very well despite his background. It is a great idea you had about practicing taking away his food. We have friends who owned a pitbull and the toddler took his food and the pitbull attacked. The child was somewhat injured but not badly. They gave the pitbull to our friends father because they could not keep him after that.

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          1. Hi Thomas and that is exactly why I have always done that from day 1 even my grandchildren I would say take his food or a toy from day one and then give it straight back and tell him he is a good boy as a bite or attack from a dog can be life threatening ….Not fair on the dog or the toddler…both can be unpredictable at times…

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  5. My mother owned a very sweet female Rhodesian Ridgeback. I adored her too. When Mom got older, she had to adapt to smaller dogs. Now her female poodle has lived with me for over 10 years.❤️❤️❤️

    Your Baylor was wonderful.

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  6. I have two rescue dogs. They are Spanish bodegueros, part Jack Russel, part Fox Terrier and a little bit of whippet/greyhound. They are wonderful, but the smaller one doesn’t like some dogs and barks at them. Your Baylor sounds like a great companion.

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    1. Yes thank you Darlene, Baylor was a great companion. Your rescue dogs are certainly an interesting mix of breeds. I think it is pretty common for dogs, especially smaller dogs to have anxiety about other dogs. It is great that you’ve taken in rescue dogs.

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  7. What a beautiful dog was Baylor, both protective, and loving. The story about your Mother-in-law’s rescue from the hole in the road, a prime example of how intelligent dogs are in knowing they are needed, in helping her pull her out. And standing his ground with you when the other two dogs came aggressively.
    It must have been a very, very sad day indeed when he passed away.

    I think we can all learn so much from dogs and our animal kingdom Thomas. Dogs especially who show us unconditional love and loyalty. We as humans could indeed learn much by their examples..

    Thank you for sharing your memories of Baylor on this national mutt day xx ❤
    Have a lovely weekend Thomas xx ❤

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  12. We think all 4 of our shelter dogs were/are mixed breeds but can’t be sure because they were all strays. Our beagle looks and acts all beagle and not sure about Trooper our Leo. It doesn’t matter they have all been wonderful dogs.

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    1. You are right, mixed breed, pure breed, in the end it is does not matter. It is great that you have shelter dogs and that they have all been wonderful dogs. With “Leo” does that mean he is a Leonberger, or his name Leo?

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  13. How wonderful that your first experience with owning a dog was a good one! Sounds like Baylor was the perfect addition to your family. I remember reading the story of his tragic end and don’t want to dwell on that. It did bring tears to my eyes and I’m glad you are warning people about that part of your book. They says mutts are the healthiest dogs, as their mixed genetic background can reduce the risk of inherited diseases common in specific breeds. Our Zoey is a mutt as well – part black lab, part Kentucky mountain cur. She’s pretty high-strung, as both of these are hunting breeds.

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    1. Yes, you are right, Baylor was a truly wonderful dog. Zoey sounds like a wonderful dog as well. I think we will never get over the way Baylor passed. You are right, mutts tend to be healthier because of the mixed genetic background. They have much lower inbreeding coefficients.

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  14. Baylor had a heart stealing smile in his younger photo, Thomas. It was hard not to hug him. His rescue of your mother-in-law brought tears to my eyes. The city should be responsible for a hole waist deep. I remember the aggressive dogs chasing you and your dogs and how Baylor fought back. Bronco was a baby at that time, wasn’t it? I especially remember you didn’t confront the dog owner. That was very gentleman of you. You probably thought her guilty conscience was enough not to let her dogs run free again.

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words Miriam. Yes the city of Dallas is sometimes not doing road construction well, leaving big holes unattended, not putting up cones, and not repairing big pot holes for a long time. You have to watch yourself walking and driving. I think it was an accident that the womans two dogs ran off but I am not sure. I just saw them come out from the drive way/front yard and then her coming after. Unfortuntaly, some people let their dogs out in the yard when they have no fence. I’ve seen that many times and it may have been the case. That is very irresponsible.

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      1. You’re welcome, Thomas. The cities should be more proactive in the pot holes situations. My son-in-law’s car tires exploded running over the pot holes. Well, at least, there are sighs on the roads asking people to report on pot holes. I haven’t seen big holes around here. And I tried to move to the left or right to avoid one if there were no oncoming cars.

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        1. I should say I don’t think it was a pothole but a hole they left as they were digging the street. It was my mother in law who told me the story. However, we also have bad pot holes. I am sorry about your son-in-laws exploding tire. That is very dangerous.

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  15. Dogs are so special! For years, we’ve fought with our next door neighbor because he allows his dogs to run loose or get loose from his yard. They run all over the neighborhood stealing stuff from people’s yards and destroying property. One day, an angry man came looking for him and his dogs. We didn’t tell him where they lived because it would’ve turned out bad. But I did finally get tired of the whole thing and called Animal Control. On the plus side, his dogs are good watch dogs. If my dog and his dogs are barking, I pay attention. And they are not afraid to chase away intruders.

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    1. Yes, you are right, they are very special. I was just talking today with the mother of my son’s wife, and she lives in the countryside. There is a guy with two rottweilers and he lets them run loose and she does not feel safe walking her dogs around the neighborhood. She said that some people in the countryside think that it is OK to let their dogs run lose because it is the countryside, but she did not agree with that. It is unsafe. I think you did the right thing calling animal control. But, as you say, they keep intruders away.

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  16. Java Bean: “Yay mutts! ¡Viva los mudos!”
    Lulu: “Yes, we are both certified mutts here. Bean is even a supermutt if his genetic testing is to be believed.”
    Java Bean: “Sí, supermutt, that’s me! Although it sure sounds like Baylor was a supermutt too, and then some!”
    Lulu: “Yeah, we have way too many loose dogs in this neighborhood too.”
    Chaplin: “It was before our time, but many years ago, one came running into our yard from across the street just to attack poor Dennis! Once Mama and Dada got them separated the other dog was perfectly friendly to the humans. She just wanted to hurt our brother.”
    Charlee: “We have it on good authority that Mama has rarely been so furious.”

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  17. Mutts are great! I was holding my breath reading about the fight. You keeping calm and not running was a good idea. The woman was lucky grabbing her dog’s collar worked. I did that once and got bit on the arm, by our walker hound who was in frenzy. She had been rescued from the streets and mellowed out over the years. Thank you for sharing about Baylor with us and for the warning about the goodbye which I will skip.

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  18. It sounds like Baylor was an amazing furbaby. When my husband and I married, we got a dog. He was advertised as a “Benji-type dog”. He was a couple of months old, part schnauzer and wire-haired terrier. We named him Rags, because the first thing I thought was “look at that ragamuffin”. He was 15 when we had to say goodbye to him. He was blind, deaf and had terrible arthritis. I loved his as much as my kids and will always miss him.

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