Welcome to my website! My name is Thomas Wikman. I am a retired software / robotics engineer with a background in physics—but this blog is primarily about Leonbergers, an unusual and fascinating dog breed that is known for its size, affectionate nature, and intelligence.
I know a lot about Leonbergers because my family was lucky enough to live with one for thirteen years. His name was Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle—but we called him “Bronco” for short.

Bronco wasn’t our only dog, but our world wouldn’t have been the same without him. For instance, he once saved the life of our pug by fending off an attack from another dog. He probably saved our Labrador’s life, too, by sniffing out an impending insulin shock before it happened. Then there was the time he scared off a trespasser who’d been terrorizing my wife and other women in the neighborhood.
Bronco is no longer with us, but even in his passing he was distinctive. Leonbergers tend to live less than nine years—but Bronco came very close to reaching his thirteenth birthday. In fact, he received an award for longevity called the “Grey Muzzle Award.” We already knew he was a special dog, but we sent his DNA to two labs for research anyway.

As for me: in addition to being a dog lover, I am a craft beer enthusiast and brewer, an amateur astronomer, a student of French, and an avid reader. From time to time, I may write about these or other subjects here, in addition to writing about dogs. I live in Dallas, Texas, but I am originally from Sweden. I am married to Claudia, and we have three children: Jacob, David, and Rachel.
Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy!
3 replies on “About Me”
With this comment I just wanted to make sure to tell all of you that on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble you can find my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle” as an e-book as well as the printed edition. You can searching for the book by searching for the title, or my name “Thomas Wikman”, or the ISBN number for printed edition: 978-0998084954 or the ASIN number for the e-book edition: B0B5NN32SR.
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Bronco sounds like a very special dog. His story sounds fascinating – and we seem to have a little in common. Dog lover, former professional beer taster, amateur astronomer, student of French, Italian, German and Russian (unsuccessful in the latter two cases), avid reader and writer! 🙂
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Yes Bronco was a truly amazing dog that we miss every day. You have some amazing interests. Professional beer taster that’s got to be special. Thank you for stopping by and commenting. You are the first one commenting on my About Me page.
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