Rollo Six Years Old

Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd turned six years old on October 12, 2024. However, we were at a wedding in Chicago, so we had to miss his birthday. We celebrated when we came home. In the past we’ve put a funny birthday hat on him. Unfortunately, he hates hats so this time I took pictures without a hat. To celebrate Rollo’s birthday, I am posting 20 photos I took of Rollo through the years, including some with our late Leonberger Bronco. If you’ve been following my blog, you will have seen many of these photos already but not all of them, certainly not the ones I just took.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd eating a small cupcake from someone’s hand.
Rollo eating a pupcake from our daughter’s hand. A pupcake is a cupcake for dogs.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd with his mouth close to a piece of bread.
Rollo reaching for a piece of a pupcake on the sofa.
A mini-Australian Shepherd wearing a blue party hat. He is not looking happy.
This is an old photo from his fourth birthday. He is unhappy with the hat.
On the left there is a big Leonberger dog bending his head down to sniff a small mini-Australian Shepherd lying on the grass.
Rollo almost six years ago. He had just arrived at our house. Our Leonberger Bronco is welcoming Rollo.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd is lying on the grass and looking into the camera.
Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy.
A Leonberger dog is standing behind a small mini-Australian Shepherd puppy. The photo is taken from a kitchen.
Our Leonberger Bronco with little Rollo.
A mini-Australian Shepherd puppy lying on a blanket and looking into the camera.
Close up of Rollo as a puppy.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd puppy biting his harness. He is being held by our daughter and he is looking straight into the camera.
Rollo on his first walk. It wasn’t really a walk. More like carrying him around the neighborhood.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd puppy peeking out behind a red sofa and looking straight into the camera.
Rollo peeking out behind the sofa.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd puppy biting an orange volleyball.
Rollo playing with a volleyball.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd rolling a soccer ball.
Rollo rolling a soccer ball.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd biting a Leonberger’s tail.
Rollo frequently bit our Leonberger Bronco’s tail, and he even swung in it like a swing. He climbed all over Bronco. Bronco was very patient with him.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd looking into the camera. He is next to a chewed-up shoe.
When Rollo was young, he loved chewing shoes. Here the artist is posing with his art.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd in a playpen with water and toys.
When we left the house we put Rollo in his baby jail for his own protection. We were afraid he would bother Bronco so much that Bronco lost his patience. Rollo ended up loving his baby jail. It was his own special house and no one else was allowed in.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd standing next to medical equipment and a paw covered by bandage.
When Bronco had a toe amputation and we had to change his bandage every day, Rollo helped out. He was a dog nurse.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd showing his belly to a large confused Leonberger dog looking into the camera.
Rollo liked to play with Bronco. Here he is asking for a belly rub.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd and a Pug and young woman in between them petting them both.
Our daughter with our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo and Pug Daisy.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd sitting in a stroller.
Sometimes there are scary sounds and Rollo wanted to sit in the stroller we bought for our Pug Daisy.
The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd on the left and a Leonberger dog on the right.
Two friends.
Daisy tells Rollo : ”On the left is our Pug Daisy and, on the right, our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo. They are both looking out the window. Rollo do you want to hear a joke?”. Rollo says “OK”. Daisy says “Knock! Knock!”. They both says “Woof! Woof! Woof!”
Daisy our Pug and Rollo are watching something from the window.

25 Photos of Old Leonbergers

This is another of my 25 Leonberger photos posts. This time the theme is old Leonbergers. Most of the photos are of our late Leonberger Bronco from the age of 11 years old and up. Since Leonbergers typically live 8-10 years, eleven years old and up is indeed old for a Leonberger. One of the photos is a photo of Bronco with my wife standing next to him holding his Grey Muzzle Award. This is an award given to Leonbergers who have reached the age of 12 years or older.

The first two photos are photos of Leonbergers belonging to friends of mine, then there are 17 photos of Bronco and finally there are six Leonberger stock photos. If you’ve been following my blog, you may have seen many of these photos already but not all of them. Below is a list of the previous 25 Leonberger posts I’ve made.

Photo of a Leonberger lying on a leather sofa with my book leaning towards his chest.
A Canadian Leonberger called Mak with my book. Photo by Debbie Ireland.
Two Leonbergers standing next to each other and wearing party headwear typical for a carnival.
Digory and Obi two Leonbergers. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
A photo of our Leonberger dog wearing a blue party hat.
Bronco’s 11th birthday.
A photo of our Leonberger lying on our green lawn. There are trees and bushes in the background.
Bronco taking a resting in the grass in our backyard.
Our big Leonberger dog Bronco is lying on the sofa and our pug Daisy is walking right by him.
Bronco and our Pug Daisy. Daisy is leaving because she thinks Bronco is hogging the sofa.
Our Leonberger dog Bronco is standing in front of me and looking straight into the camera. I am sitting down.
Our Leonberger dog Bronco is coming up to me. Maybe it is dinner time.
Bronco is standing on our lawn while lowering his head down to sniff the new puppy.
Our Leonberger Bronco in the backyard with our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo. This is the first time they met.
Bronco is standing at the kitchen entrance and our new little dark brown and white puppy is sitting in front of him.
Our Leonberger dog Bronco is eleven and a half years old and we have acquired a new puppy, a mini-Australian Shepherd by the name Rollo.
Our big Leonberger dog Bronco is lying on the floor and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is lying on his back in front of him.
Rollo wants Bronco to play with him, but Bronco is old.
This photo shows Bronco standing next to my wife who is holding his Grey-Muzzle award diploma.
Bronco got his Grey-Muzzle award from the Leonberger Health Foundation International for reaching the age of 12 years old and thus giving hope for a longer life to all Leonbergers.
The photo shows an old Leonberger dog lying on green grass. He is looking into the camera.
Bronco our Leonberger dog is taking a rest during a walk. He is twelve and a half years old.
The photo shows our mini-Australian Shepherd biting Bronco’s tail and pulling on it as Bronco is trying to ignore him.
A rambunctious Rollo is biting Bronco’s tail. Bronco was very patient. One time Rollo swung in his tail as if it was a swing.
Our Leonberger Bronco is looking out from the green bushes and straight at the camera.
Our Leonberger Bronco is in the bushes at grandpa and grandma’s house.
The photo shows a table with nothing on it. There is a pile of books and papers on the floor. Bronco is standing behind the table. He is wearing a big cone around his head.
After a toe amputation due to toe cancer, Bronco needed to wear a cone, a big soft cone. Unfortunately, he frequently cleared tables as he swung the cone back and forth. Here he has just pushed a pile of books and papers off a table.
The photo shows Bronco our Leonberger dog standing in the living room. He is looking into the camera. Rollo is lying in front of him and showing him his belly. That was usually what he did when he wanted a belly rub.
Rollo wants Bronco to give him a belly rub. But Bronco does not know how to give belly rubs.
A photo of our old Leonberger lying on the sidewalk
Bronco taking a break during a walk. He is old for a Leonberger. He is 12 years old and 10 months.
Bronco, our Leonberger is lying on the grass in our backyard next to Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd.
Bronco our Leonberger is hanging out with Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd. Bronco is 12 years old and 11 months, in this photo. You can see his blue help-em-up around his waist. He needed help to get up. Unfortunately, he only had two more weeks to live in this photo.
Leonberger dog looking into the camera, like a portrait.
Big dog Leonberger portrait in the studio Stock Photo ID: 193024763 by Csanad Kiss.
Fluffy dark faced Leonberger looking into the camera.
Old Leonberger Stock Photo ID: 2342234815 by theimagebooth.
Big fluffy Leonberger sitting in the grass on a hill.
Mature big Leonberger Stock Photo ID:731020957  by Peter Josto.
Old Leonberger with a grey muzzle lying on the ground and looking into the camera.
Old Leonberger Stock Photo ID: 1844035084 by Daniel Lesk.
An old Leonberger standing in front of a field and looking into the camera.
Old Leonberger Stock Photo ID: 1957113277 by AnetaZabranska.
Old Leonberger sitting in the snow between two snowy and icy bushes.
Old Leonberger in the snow Stock Photo ID: 1944789826 by Anna Krivitskaya.
Old Leonberger lying on the ground. There are snowy mountains in the background.
Old Leonberger in Norway Stock Photo ID: 1779931691 by Britta Paasch.
The photo shows the face of Leonberger lying down.
Closeup of old Leonberger Stock Photo ID: 1942925251 by Wirestock Creators.

Also don’t forget to check out my new blog if you haven’t done so.

Rainbow Bridge Day and the Dogs We Lost

I almost missed that today is Rainbow Bridge Day or more correctly Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day. Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day is a day of reflection and gratitude that takes place every year on August 28th to honor pets who have passed away. We lost several pets through the years, hamsters, snakes, rabbits and dogs. In this post I will focus on the dogs we lost including Daisy our Pug, Bronco our Leonberger, Ryu our Japanese Chin, Baby our German Shepherd and Baylor or Labrador, or rather Yellow Lab mix. I will start with the dog we lost last, our Pug Daisy and end with the dog we lost first, our Labrador Baylor. I should say that my wife had dogs before we met each other, but Baylor was my first dog. I did not grow up with dogs. We miss them all very much. They left a hole in our hearts.

Our Pug Daisy was a sweet and easy dog who lived a long life. On April 5th this year she died peacefully in our arms at the age of 15 ½ years old. This was just a few months ago, and it still feels strangely empty without her. Our dog Rollo, a mini–Australian Shepherd has been alone ever since.

A puppy in the arms of our son wearing a red shirt.
Daisy came to us a little pug puppy almost 16 years ago. Our son David, eleven years old at the time, was holding her. A few months ago, I held her for the last time.
Daisy is wearing a pink party hat. She is sitting in front of a cake and my wife is giving her cake.
Daisy’s 15th birthday. This is one of the last photos of Daisy.
Our pug Daisy on top of the sofa. Her legs are dangling over the sofa and her tongue is out.
Daisy on the sofa after an exhausting day of doing nothing.
Our daughter is sitting on her knees on the floor.  Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo sits on her left and our Pug Daisy sits on her right.
Our daughter is petting Rollo and Daisy. Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is still with us. He is six years old.
Daisy our beige pug is laying in the grass and there are some flowers.
A painting of our late pug Daisy who passed away in April. It is based on one of our photos and created by Etsy. I believe by the same woman who made Bronco’s portrait (see below).

The dog we lost before Daisy was our Leonberger dog Bronco. The Leonberger dog is a very large dog related to St. Bernards, Newfound land dogs, and Great Pyrenees, He died on June 16, 2020, just a couple of weeks before his 13th birthday. He lived a long life for a Leonberger. He was s sweetheart who protected our smaller dogs. He likely saved the life of our other dogs a couple of times, he found run-away hamsters, and he saved our neighborhood from a nightly intruder harassing the women in the neighborhood. He was also incredibly funny. I wrote a book about him and the Leonberger breed. Look to the right if you are using a laptop and at the bottom of the screen if you are using a mobile phone.

Color photo of Leonberger puppy. He is wearing a scarf.
Bronco our Leonberger three months old.
Our old Leonberger lying in the grass. He is approaching 13 years old.
Today’s walk with Bronco and rest stop : April 18 2020, Bronco is 12 years 9 1/2 months.
Painting showing our Leonberger Bronco’s face. Like all Leonbergers he has a black mask and fluffy hair.
The portrait was drawn by Veniceme at Etsy (Natasha Dall’Ara) and it is based on one of our photos.
Illustration showing Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd, Bronco our Leonberger, and Daisy our Pug. Bronco lived a very long life for a Leonberger. Giant breeds don’t live long. The Leonberger Health Foundation International is trying to fix that. Bronco’s longevity is an inspiration for all Leonbergers and giant breeds around the world. Hopefully his DNA sample will be of some help.
Bronco lived a very long life for a Leonberger. Giant breeds don’t live long. The Leonberger Health Foundation International is trying to fix that. Bronco’s longevity is an inspiration for all Leonbergers and giant breeds around the world. Hopefully his DNA sample will be of some help.

In February of 2018 we lost Bronco’s little friend our little Japanese Chin Ryu. We bought him from Petland not knowing that they got their dogs from Puppy Mills. One time when we went to Petland to buy dog food we brought Ryu with us. As we approached the store he started shaking out of fear. That was a wakeup call for us. He loved howling and it sounded like he was singing an opera. Perhaps he loved howling for the attention he got when he did. Everyone turned around and clapped when he howled. He was a happy fella who died a bit prematurely at the age of 10 from cancer. I was working 16-hour days in Oklahoma when he passed so I could not be with him when he died, which is something I will forever regret.

Photo of Ryu standing with Rachel. Ruy loved dancing and singing and Bronco partially visible on the left was his big brother and protector.
Ryu loved dancing and singing and Bronco partially visible on the left was his big brother and protector.
Photo of our daughter Rachel with Ryu her Japanese Chin. They are sitting on a chair at the dogpark.
Rachel and Ryu, the Japanese Shin at the dogpark.
Drawing of Ryu our smart little Japanese Chin. Our smart little angel was unlucky with cancer, and I was not there for him.
Our smart little angel was unlucky with cancer, and I was not there for him. That is Baby and Baylor waiting at the end of the rainbow bridge.

Baby was a female German Shepherd. One of Claudia’s sisters had rescued her. We were told she had been abused by her first owners and she was a very anxious dog. We frequently took the dogs to the dog park, but she was never comfortable there and kept to herself. She was very protective of our Leonberger Bronco when he was a puppy. She played with him and protected him fiercely as if she was his mother. She died from cancer at home on her mattress. It would have been better for her to get an injection at the veterinary, but we did not react quick enough. Another thing we regret.

Photo of our German Shepherd playing with our Leonberger puppy Bronco.
Bronco, at the age of four or five months, would soon outgrow his playmate Baby.
Photo of our German Shepherd Baby at the dog park.
Baby was always a little wary at the dog park.
Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing our late German Shepherd Baby under a star.
Sometimes not thinking things through is cruel. Watch your emotions. We could have done better for our brave German Shepherd Baby.

Baylor was a ¾ Yellow Lab and ¼ Ridgeback. He was a happy and brave dog who fought bravely when attacked by other dogs. He was also food crazy and stole a lot of food. As he got older, he developed diabetes and cataracts. His passing was the saddest and most shocking. We had left our dogs with a dog sitter during a ski vacation when she called us and told us she could not stay at our house because she had several other dogs to take care of. Something she had not told us. We were forced to allow her to take our dogs to her house. The next phone call was much worse. She had put Baylor out in her backyard because he was barking at night, and he had escaped. It was a cold night. He was found dead the next morning halfway between her house and our house. Hit by a driver who just left him there. Apparently, he had tried to get back to our house. It was quite a shock, and the kids were bawling their eyes out. That was the last time we hired a dog sitter.

Photo of Baylor and Baby
Baylor and Baby
Photo of our Labrador Baylor. He is looking into the camera.
Photo of our Labrador Baylor
Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing our Labrador Baylor crossing the rainbow bridge.
Our Labrador left us tragically and unexpectantly. Evidence that we humans our cruel.
Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing a paw print in the sky.
The paw prints that dogs leave in your heart are eternal.

All illustrations are by Naomi Rosenblatt

25 Photos of Young Leonbergers

This is another one of my 25 Leonberger photos posts. This time the theme is young Leonbergers, puppies as well as teenage Leonbergers. The teenager photos show them before their bodies has filled out. Below is a list of the previous 25 Leonberger posts I’ve made.

If you’ve been following my blog, you will have seen many of these photos already but not all of them. About half of the photos are of our Leonberger Bronco and then there are stock photos and  photos from other people.

Also don’t forget to check out my new blog if you haven’t done so.

A young Leonberger is lying on the floor and my book, The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, is placed in front of the Leonberger.
Photo of Hachi a young Leonberger in Canada. He is about six months old. The photo is taken with permission from a review for my book. Click on the photo to see the associated review.
A photo of a Leonberger puppy wearing a red scarf.
This is a photo of our Leonberger Bronco when he was three months old.
A black-brown German Shephard is playing with a young Leonberger lying on his back.
Baby (German Shepherd) is playing with our four months old Leonberger Bronco.
A young Leonberger sleeping on his back on the wood floor.
About five months old Bronco sleeping on his back.
A young gangly Leonberger with a bandage on his knee is next to a little Chihuahua. The two owners of the little dog are a lady in blue jeans and a lady in white pants. The lady with white pants is also wearing a bandage on her knee.
Our Leonberger Bronco at the dog park at five/six months old. He is wearing a bandage on his knee because he got a condition from growing too fast. The two ladies are the owners of the little dog.
A photo of our young Leonberger in the foreground. There is a white and yellow lab in the background.
Our about one year old Leonberger at the dog park. He is gangly looking and not yet stocky. In the background you can see our yellow lab Baylor.
Photo of our gangly Leonberger Bronco in the foreground with two Labradors in the background. A white Labrador on the left and a beige Labrador to the right.
Another photo of our not yet one year old Leonberger Bronco at the dog park.
Photo of our gangly Leonberger Bronco on the left. Our black-brown German Shepherd Baby on the right.
Our not yet one year old Leonberger Bronco at the dog park with our German Shepherd Baby.
Our Leonberger is standing on a red leather sofa stretching to give me a hug. I am standing behind the sofa.
Our one-year-old Leonberger Bronco wants to give me a hug.
A photo of a Leonberger swimming in a lake.
Our Leonberger Bronco swimming in White Rock Lake. He is about one year old in the photo.
Bronco our Leonberger is shown standing in a kiddie pool.
Bronco our Leonberger get washed off and a fairly young age. He liked water.
Our Leonberger Bronco is standing by the kitchen gate. He is wearing a round hat. It is the kind of hat that pilgrims wore.
Bronco standing by the kitchen gate. The kitchen gate was there to keep him from going inside the kitchen and do counter surfing.
Ten Leonberger puppies sitting on a sofa. They are brown with black face masks.
Ten Leonberger puppies. My guess is that they are about two months old. Shutterstock-ID:561107710 by Akbudak Rimma.
A Leonberger puppy with pink roses.
Leonberger puppy Stock Photo ID: 561111403 by Akbudak Rimma.
Leonberger puppy running through green grass. The puppy has its mouth open, and he is looking straight into the camera.
Leonberger puppy. My guess is that he is around two months old. Shutterstock-ID: 629624396 by TOM KAROLA.
A Leonberger puppy running in the snow.
A Leonberger puppy running in the snow. Shutterstock Stock Photo ID: 2056502327 by Nikky de Graaf.
Young Leonberger standing on his hindlegs putting his paws on a woman’s shoulders and giving her a hug.
Young Leonberger Stock Photo ID: 2089116934 by cynoclub
Two sand colored Leonberger puppies playing in the snow. The play seems to be a little bit rough. Like all Leonbergers they have a black facemask.
Two light colored Leonberger puppies playing. My guess is that they are three months old. Shutterstock-ID: 2141564415 by AnetaZabranska.
Leonberger puppy giving a Chihuahua kiss, but the Chihuahua does not look happy. The Leonberger puppy is much bigger than the Chihuahua.
Leonberger + Chihuahua Stock Photo ID: 2166660069 by cynoclub.
Young Leonberger on a white background.
Young Leonberger Stock Photo ID: 2170918265 by cynoclub.
Young Leonberger on a white background.
Young Leonberger Stock Photo ID: 2192241957 by cynoclub.
A very young Leonberger puppy sitting in front of a Christmas tree.
Leonberger Puppy Stock Photo ID: 2233375083 by VeronArt16
Two brown Leonberger puppies lying on a wood floor.
Two Leonberger puppies. Shutter stock Photo ID: 2294202331 by Olga Shusters.
A Leonberger puppy standing in the snow.
A Leonberger puppy standing in the snow. Shutterstock Stock Photo ID: 2390810457 by VeronArt16.
A photo of our Leonberger Bronco at the age of three months old. He is wearing a scarf, and his tongue is sticking out.
And finally a black and white photo of our Leonberger Bronco at three months old.

Dog Portraits

For American Father’s Day (yesterday) I got a number of presents and cards including a portrait of our late pug Daisy. She passed April 5th. For my birthday in March, I got a portrait of our late Leonberger Bronco. With this post I just wanted to show these portraits. They are made by a company called Etsy and the portraits are based on our photos.

Daisy our beige pug is laying in the grass and there are some flowers.
A painting of our late pug Daisy who passed two months ago. It is based on one of our photos and created by Etsy. I believe by the same woman who made Bronco’s portrait (have to verify this).
Painting showing our Leonberger Bronco’s face. Like all Leonbergers he has a black mask and fluffy hair.
The portrait was drawn by Veniceme at Etsy (Natasha Dall’Ara) and it is based on one of our photos.

25 Photos of Leonbergers in Nature

In the past I’ve made a few posts featuring 25 photos of Leonbergers around a certain theme. This is one more of those posts. This time it is photos of Leonbergers in nature, whether it is in a park, in our yard, on top of a mountain, swimming in a lake, a forest, etc. The first half of the photos are of our Leonberger Bronco or Leonberger photos by a friend. The second half of the of the photos are shutter stock photos. Below are the previous 25 photos of Leonbergers posts.

Our Leonberger Bronco standing on grass in front of bushes with flowers.
Our Leonberger Bronco at a park close to our house. On his right front leg there is missing hair from a surgery he had (toe amputation).
Our Leonberger Bronco lying on green grass and you can see our brick house in the background.
Our Leonberger Bronco on our front lawn.
Our Leonberger Bronco’s head is sticking up above the bushes.
Our Leonberger Bronco in the bushes.
Photo of a Leonberger swimming in somewhat calm water.
Our Leonberger Bronco is swimming in White Rock Lake nearby Dallas, Texas.
Photo of a Leonberger standing in somewhat calm water.
Our Leonberger Bronco is standing in White Rock Lake nearby Dallas, Texas.
Our Leonberger Bronco is standing in our backyard as a sunray is shining on his head. He looks like a saint.
Our Leonberger Bronco in the backyard. He was a saint.
Photo of a Leonberger standing on top of a bench and there are trees and a small red cabin in the background.
Amie, a female Swedish Leonberger on top of Skuleberget (Skull Mountain) in northern Sweden.
Photo of a Leonberger standing on top of a bench and there are trees in the background.
Amie, a female Swedish Leonberger on top of Skuleberget in northern Sweden (Norrland).Amie and her owner had climbed the mountain.
View over fjords and mountains in northern Sweden.
The view that we and Amie had from the top of  Skuleberget in northern Sweden. The area is referred to as the High Coast.
Photo of seven Leonbergers by the beach.
The Leonberger Digory with friends at the beach some years ago. Photo Jen O’Keefe.
Five Leonbergers wearing patriotic hats lying on grass by a lake.
This photo was provided by Jen O’Keefe, Urgent Animal Care of Arlington. From left to right; Obi, Delfi, Aslan, Gryphon, Digory.
Six Leonbergers wearing funny hats sitting on a barge, by a lake, in the countryside.
Caspian (Obi’s nephew), Austin (Obi’s son), Delfi (our 10 yr old, living with lung cancer), Obi (now 7 and a veteran), Digory, and Rilian (Obi’s son). They all wish everyone a Very Happy New Year!! Photo by Velvy TheLion.
Picture showing four Leonbergers running across a river.
Shutterstock-ID: 959582 by Ingvald Kaldhussater.
Photo of a Leonberger standing in snow. In the background is snowy forest.
Leonberger standing in snow. Shutterstock-ID: 705193912 by Eric Isselee.
Photo of a Leonberger puppy running in green grass on a field.
Leonberger puppy. My guess is that he is around two months old. Shutterstock-ID: 629624396 by TOM KAROLA.
A majestic looking Leonberger is sitting on a green hill.
A majestic Leonberger. Shutterstock-ID: 731020957 by Peter Josto.
Photo of a Leonberger running out of water with big waves.
Leonberger on the beach. Stock Photo ID: 1110805445 by Lolostock.
Photo of two Leonbergers swimming in a pond.
Two Leonbergers swimming. Stock Photo ID: 1989806678 by Taibomaus.
Photo of a Leonberger sitting on snowy ground. There is a lake in the background as well as snowcapped mountains.
Sitting Leonberger. Shutterstock-ID:1333669760 by Britta Paasch.
Photo of a Leonberger sitting on snowy ground. There is a lake in the background as well as snowcapped mountains.
Sitting Leonberger. Shutterstock-ID:1333669760 by Britta Paasch.
Photo of a Leonberger and a pug running in snow. The pug is a head of the Leonberger. There is a snowy forest in the background.
Leonberger and pug running in the snow. Shutterstock- ID:1659034960 by AnetaZabranska.
Photo of a Leonberger puppy running in snow towards the camera.
A Leonberger puppy running in the snow. Shutterstock Stock Photo ID: 2056502327 by Nikky de Graaf.
Photo of two light brown Leonberger puppies playing in the snow in the forest.
Two light colored Leonberger puppies playing. My guess is that they are three months old. Shutterstock-ID: 2141564415 by AnetaZabranska.
Photo of a Leonberger puppy standing in the snow. He has snow on his nose.
A Leonberger puppy standing in the snow. Shutterstock Stock Photo ID: 2390810457 by VeronArt16.
Photo of a majestic dark and wet Leonberger standing in a river/
Leonberger standing in river. Photo by Stephanie Lucero on Unsplash.

Note, I am going to a CCL conference this weekend and the beginning of next week, so I will not be posting or do anything related to blogs for a while.

25 Photos of Leonbergers with Other Dogs

In the past I’ve made a few posts featuring 25 photos of Leonbergers around a certain theme.

This is another post featuring 25 photos. This time it is photos of Leonbergers in the company of other dogs. Most of the photos are of our late Leonberger Bronco and the dogs he grew up with (our Labrador Baylor, German Shepherd Baby, Japanese Chin Ryu, Pug Daisy, and mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo). However, I have also included photos of other Leonbergers. A few photos from friends and two stock photos. I hope you will like them.

A black-brown German Shephard is playing with a young Leonberger lying on his back.
Baby (German Shepherd) is playing with our four months old Leonberger Bronco.
A young gangly Leonberger with a bandage on his knee is next to a little Chihuahua. The two owners of the little dog are a lady in blue jeans and a lady in white pants. The lady with white pants is also wearing a bandage on her knee.
Our Leonberger Bronco at the dog park at five/six months old. He is wearing a bandage on his knee because he got a condition from growing too fast. The two ladies are the owners of the little dog.
A Leonberger is sniffing a black dog. It is probably a black lab.
Our five/six months old Leonberger is sniffing a dog at the dog park.
Photo of our gangly Leonberger Bronco in the foreground with two Labradors in the background. A white Labrador on the left and a beige Labrador to the right.
Our not yet one year old Leonberger Bronco at the dog park. Bronco has not yet finished growing, he has not yet filled out and he is gangly. Not quite the Leonberger look yet. Our beige-brown Labrador Baylor can be seen in the background.
Photo of our gangly Leonberger Bronco in the foreground with two Labradors in the background. A white Labrador on the left and a beige Labrador to the right.
Again our not yet one year old Leonberger Bronco at the dog park. Baylor in the background.
Photo of our gangly Leonberger Bronco on the left. Our black-brown German Shepherd Baby on the right.
Our not yet one year old Leonberger Bronco at the dog park with our German Shepherd Baby.
Our Labrador Baylor on the left. Our Leonberger Bronco on the right but you can only see his behind.
Our Labrador Baylor behind our Leonberger Bronco at a dog park.
Our Labrador Baylor slightly on the left running towards the camera. He has a gray face from old age. There is another dog to left of him. Our Japanese Chin Ryu is also running towards the camera but slightly more to the right.
Our old Labrador Baylor running behind our Japanese Chin Ryu at a dog park. Bronco is not in this photo, but he was there.
Bronco our Leonberger is shown with a sunray over his head. Baylor our Labrador is on the left.
Bronco our Leonberger once sniffed out an oncoming insulin shock in Baylor and alerted us. Bronco was a hero.
An illustration showing me lying on the street. I am trying to pull up our German Shepherd Baby from a storm drain while holding onto our Leonberger Bronco who is jumping up and down and barking.
Once when Bronco was not so well behaved. He pushed our German Shepherd into a storm drain and I had to get her out while holding onto an agitated Bronco. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
Ten Leonberger puppies sitting on a sofa. They are brown with black face masks.
Ten Leonberger puppies. My guess is that they are about two months old. Shutterstock-ID:561107710 by Akbudak Rimma.
A pug running to the left with a Leonberger following. They are running through a wintry forest.
A Leonberger and a Pug running through the snow. Shutterstock-ID:1659034960 AnetaZabranska.
Two Leonbergers wearing festive hats and glasses.
Digory and Obi, two Leonbergers. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
Two big Leonbergers next to each other.
Digory and Obi, two Leonbergers. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
Six Leonbergers sitting in a row and wearing festive hats. A house with a big yard and a pond in the background.
Six Leonbergers from left to right: Caspian (Obi’s nephew), Austin (Obi’s son), Delfi, Obi, Digory, and Rilian (Obi’s son). Photo by Velvy TheLion.
From left to right; our pug Daisy, our Japanese Chin Ryu, and our Leonberger Bronco.
Our Leonberger Bronco with our Japanese Chin Ryu and our pug Daisy.
Two of our dogs in the kitchen. Our pug Daisy on the right and our Leonberger Bronco on the right. Pieces of a gingerbread house on the floor.
Our Leonberger Bronco stole and smashed a gingerbread house. He shared some with his little pug sister Daisy.
From the left to the right: Our Leonberger Bronco, our Japanese Chin Ryu, and our pug Daisy.
Our Leonberger Bronco with our Japanese Chin Ryu and our pug Daisy.
On the left, our Japanese Chin Ryu and our pug Daisy. On the right is our Leonberger Bronco.
Our Leonberger Bronco with our Japanese Chin Ryu and our pug Daisy.
On the left, our pug Daisy and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo. They are in a dog bed. On the right is Bronco our Leonberger who is lying on the floor.
Our pug Daisy and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo in the little bed and Bronco our Leonberger is lying on the floor.
The photo shows our Leonberger Bronco lying on a big read leather sofa and our beige pug Daisy is leaving.
Our pug Daisy and our Leonberger Bronco is sharing the big red leather sofa, but Daisy decided Bronco took up too much room.
The photo shows our big Leonberger on the left and our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo on the right. They are in the backyard. Bronco is sniffing Rollo.
Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
The photo shows our big Leonberger lying behind our little mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo. There is also a dog toy in the photo.
Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo.
Photo shows our mini-Australian Shepherd  Rollo biting our Leonberger Bronco’s tail.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is playing with Bronco’s tail. Bronco did not like it but tolerated it. Well, when Rollo was swinging in the tail it was a bit much.
The illustration shows our Leonberger Bronco sitting in the middle. Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is on the left and our pug Daisy is on the right. Rollo says “They still talk about you”. Bronco answers “Yes I know”
One day Bronco left us, leaving Rollo and Daisy behind. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.

Tears Are Falling in My Heart

This morning at 10:20AM our pug Daisy died. She was 15 ½ years old. She had an enlarged heart, her back legs were giving out, and she had breathing problems. She took lots of different medications. Yet, the breathing crisis she had this morning came unexpectedly. Our veterinary told us it was time. We did not want her to suffer. I was holding her in my arms and my wife, daughter and doctor Sara Thomas petted her. Then when we were ready Dr. Thomas gave her the injections.

A puppy in the arms of our son wearing a red shirt
Daisy came to us a little pug puppy 15 ½ years ago. Our son David, eleven years old at the time, was holding her. Today I held her for the last time.

Daisy was a sweet, friendly and funny pug who loved cuddling, eating and sitting on the sofa. She also loved sunbathing as well as sitting in front of the vent when it was cold. All our dogs loved her, and our Leonberger Bronco saved her life once. He protected her from an attacking young German Shepherd. Our Labrador Baylor and our German Shepherd Baby loved her. Our Japanese Shin loved her more than anything. They were always together. They made mischief together, they escaped together, and they went for walks together and at the dog park Ryu wouldn’t let any other dog be too friendly with Daisy. Later, our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo loved her too. Unfortunately, Rollo is now alone. He is confused and sad like we are.

Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo on the left. Our pug Daisy on the right.
Rollo and Daisy in our red sofa. Rollo was one year old, and Daisy was 11 years old.

I wrote a poem in French, a language I am learning. I am not a poet. I think it is my first poem as an adult in any language. I chose French because everything sounds so much better in French. It rhymes/ I apologize for any errors.

Ce soir, il pleure dans mon coeur. (tonight, tear falls in my heart, pleure & coeur rhyme with fur)

Notre belle carline Daisy est mort (Our beautiful pug Daisy is dead)

Il est temps, dit notre docteur (It is time said our doctor)

Tu es parti dans un coup du sort (You are gone in a twist of fate)

Nous nous souviendrons toujours (we will always remember)

Ta gentillesse. Tes yeux aimants (Your kindness. Your loving eyes)

Tu auras pour toujours notre amour (You will forever have our love)

pour nous tu étais comme un enfant (to us you were like a child)

Below are two YouTube songs that express how I feel. The first one is in French “Je suis malade..” / I am sick without you, I am ugly without you, …. Warning this one is very sad. The second one is your love….to feel your love again… to feel you close once more… (no lyrics in song) by Ennio Morricone.

Je suis malade / I am sick … without you
to feel your love again
Our pug Daisy on top of the sofa. Her legs are dangling over the sofa and her tongue is out.
Daisy on the sofa after an exhausting day of doing nothing.
Our pug Daisy is stranding on the wood floor.
Our pug Daisy when she was young.
Daisy is sleeping in our son’s arms, and he is sleeping on the sofa.
Daisy our new pug puppy with our son David.
Our pug is leaning on vent located close to our wood floor.
Daisy liked to sit in front of the vent when it was cold or alternatively too hot.
Daisy our pug loved lying on her back and bathe in the sun.
Daisy loved sunbathing.
Our pug Daisy is wearing sunglasses.
Daisy in sunglasses.
Our Japanese Shin Ryu is on the left and our Pug Daisy on the right. They are sitting in our red suitcase.
Ryu and Daisy jumped into our suitcase to protest that we were leaving for a trip.
Our Pug Daisy is holding Ryu’s leash in her mouth. Ryu is our Japanese Shin.
Daisy is taking Ryu for a walk.
Our pug Daisy is lying on her back on the patio.
Daisy sunbathing on our patio in the backyard.
Daisy our pug is standing on kitchen floor tiling.
Daisy standing on our kitchen floor.
Daisy our pug is sitting on a red sofa.
Daisy on the red sofa.
Daisy our pug has a tissue box over her head.
Once when we came home Daisy met us in the doorway with a tissue box over her head. She had gotten her head stuck in a tissue box.
Our Leonberger is spread out on our leather sofa and Daisy our pug is walking in front of him.
Daisy decided to leave because Bronco our Leonberger was taking up too much room.
Daisy our pug is sleeping and resting her head on my wife Claudia’s knee.
Daisy resting her head on Claudia’s knee.
From left to right, Bronco, Ryu, Daisy.
Bronco our Leonberger, Ryu our Japanese Shin, and then Daisy our Pug.
Our Pug Daisy is sitting at the table to the left. She is wearing a blue birthday hat. Our Leonberger Bronco is on the right.
Daisy’s 11th birthday.
Daisy is sitting on our bed, and she is looking into the camera.
Daisy is sitting on our bed.
Daisy our pug (left) and Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd (right).
Daisy and Rollo in the sofa.
Our daughter is sitting on her knees on the floor.  Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo sits on her left and our Pug Daisy sits on her right.
Our daughter is petting Rollo and Daisy.
Daisy and Rollo are looking out the window. Daisy says : Rollo do you want to hear a joke? Rollo says : OK. Daisy says : Knock! Knock! Rollo says : Woof! Woof!, Woof!. Daisy says : Woof! Woof! Woof!.
Daisy and Rollo barking at the mailman + a joke.
Daisy is wearing a pink party hat. She is sitting in front of a cake and my wife is giving her cake.
Daisy’s 15th birthday.
Daisy is standing on the wood floor. She is wearing blue diapers with black suspenders.
Towards the end of her life Daisy had to wear diapers with suspenders.
Daisy our pug is sitting in a blue stroller.
Towards the end of her life Daisy had a hard time walking so she sat in a stroller during our walks.

Goodbye Daisy

25 Leonberger Puppies and Other Puppies for National Puppy Day

Today is National Puppy Day. Therefore, I am posting 25 puppy photos. It is mostly Leonberger puppies but there are also puppy photos of some of our other dogs. Most of the photos in this post are mine but I am including a few Leonberger puppy photos from shutterstock. If you want to check out the Leonberger book I wrote click here, or look to the right if you are on a desktop or at the bottom if you are on a mobile.

This is a black and white photo of our Leonberger puppy Bronco at three months old. He is sitting and staring at the camera. He is wearing a silk scarf.
Our Leonberger Bronco at three months old.
This is color photo of our Leonberger puppy Bronco at three months old. He is sitting and staring at the camera. He is wearing a silk scarf.
Our Leonberger Bronco at three months old.
Our black and white Japanese Shin Ryu is on our red sofa. You can see our pug Daisy in the upper left corner.
Our Japanese Shin Ryu when he was young.
Photo of our son David on the sofa holding a little pug puppy in his arms.
Our son David with our pug Daisy when she was a puppy.
Photo of our son David on the sofa holding a little pug puppy in his arms.
Our son David is holding our pug Daisy when she was still a puppy (now she is 15 ½ years old).
Two brown Leonberger puppies lying on a wood floor.
Two Leonberger puppies. Shutter stock Photo ID: 2294202331 by Olga Shusters.
A Leonberger puppy running in the snow.
A Leonberger puppy running in the snow. Shutterstock Stock Photo ID: 2056502327 by Nikky de Graaf.
A Leonberger puppy standing in the snow.
A Leonberger puppy standing in the snow. Shutterstock Stock Photo ID: 2390810457 by VeronArt16.
A Leonberger puppy sitting on a white floor next to pink flowers.
Another Leonberger puppy. Stock Photo ID: 561111403 by Akbudak Rimma.
Ten Leonberger puppies sitting on a sofa. They are brown with black face masks.
Ten Leonberger puppies. My guess is that they are about two months old. Shutterstock-ID:561107710 by Akbudak Rimma.
Leonberger puppy running through green grass. The puppy has its mouth open, and he is looking straight into the camera.
Leonberger puppy. My guess is that he is around two months old. Shutterstock-ID: 629624396 by TOM KAROLA.
Two sand colored Leonberger puppies playing in the snow. The play seems to be a little bit rough. Like all Leonbergers they have a black facemask.
Two light colored Leonberger puppies playing. My guess is that they are three months old. Shutterstock-ID: 2141564415 by AnetaZabranska.
The German Shepherd is lying on the floor and the Leonberger puppy is on his back.
Our German Shepherd Baby playing with our 4 months old Leonberger Bronco.
Our Leonberger Bronco about 9 months old is lying on his back on the floor.
Our Leonberger Bronco about 9 months old is lying on his back on the floor.
Bronco our Leonberger at the dog park. He is about one year old. He is maybe not a puppy but far from an adult. He is an adolescent, which is why he looks so thin and gangly. Our Labrador Baylor is in the background.
Bronco our Leonberger at the dog park. He is about one year old. He is maybe not a puppy but far from an adult. He is an adolescent, which is why he looks so thin and gangly. Our Labrador Baylor is in the background.
Our black and white Japanese Shin Ryu (left) sleeping next to our beige pug Daisy (right).
Our Japanese Shin Ryu sleeping next to our pug Daisy.
Our black and white Japanese Shin Ryu (right) licking our pug Daisy’s ear (left).
Our Japanese Shin Ryu licking our pug Daisy’s ear.
Photo shows a little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy on top. He is looking up at us. Right below him is an English Bulldog puppy.
The day we picked up our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo. He was nine weeks old. The other puppy is an English bulldog puppy.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is lying on the grass.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is lying on a blanket.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
The photo shows our pug Daisy on the right and our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo on the left. They are on the sofa.
Our pug Daisy and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
The photo shows our big Leonberger on the left and our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo on the right. They are in the backyard.
Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
The photo shows our big Leonberger standing behind our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is playing with an orange volleyball on the green grass.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo playing with an orange ball.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo (left) is biting Bronco’s tail and pulling on it.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is playing with our Leonberger Bronco’s tail. Once he even dangled in it like a swing.

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Happy National Puppy Day