Category: Non-Leonberger Topics

Other topics not necessarily related to Bronco, Leonbergers or dogs.

A New Beginning Opening a Pet Treat Bakery

This is a guest post written by Ryan Goodchild. He emailed me asking me if he could publish this post regarding opening a Pet Treat Bakery . I said yes. See his post below.

Our mini Australian Shepherd Rollo is looking at a pupcake in front of him. He is wearing a blue party hat.
Our mini Australian Shepherd Rollo loves pupcakes (cupcakes for dogs). We bought it at a pet treat bakery.
It is also a Response to Esther’s writing prompt: December 31, 2025: New Beginnings

Opening a Pet Treat Bakery could certainly be a New Beginning. Click here or here to join in Esthers prompt.

Image: Freepik

Opening a Pet Treat Bakery: A Step-By-Step Business Guide

Opening a pet treat bakery means turning a love of animals into a food-based business with real operational demands. This venture blends culinary care, compliance, branding, and sales into one compact operation. Done right, it can become a loyal, repeat-driven business with strong word-of-mouth momentum.

Quick Takeaways

  • Start with a narrow product focus so you can control quality, costs, and compliance.
  • Treat regulations as a design constraint, not an afterthought.
  • Your brand story matters almost as much as your recipes.
  • Distribution decisions will shape your margins more than ingredient costs.

Starting With a Clear Vision

Most pet treat bakeries fail by trying to do too much too early. Decide whether you are specializing in dog treats, cat treats, or a specific niche like grain-free, dental chews, or celebration cakes. Your ingredient list, pricing, and even packaging flow from this first decision. A tight focus also makes it easier to explain your value to retailers and customers.

Understanding Food Safety and Legal Requirements

Pet food is regulated differently than human food, but it is still regulated. In the U.S., this typically involves state-level registration, labeling rules, and adherence to basic manufacturing standards. Some states require inspections or proof of safe production processes. Call your state agriculture department early so compliance shapes your setup instead of delaying your launch.

Enhancing Business Skills with an Online Degree

Many founders realize quickly that baking skill alone is not enough. Formal business education can help you understand pricing, cash flow, and long-term planning without learning the hard way. A bachelor of business administration program builds confidence in areas like accounting, communications, and management, which directly affect whether your bakery survives its first few years. Flexible online programs allow you to keep working while sharpening these skills, making it easier to balance learning with real-world operations.

Pricing and Cost Control

This table shows common cost categories and what to watch for as you price your treats.

Cost CategoryWhat To MonitorWhy It Matters
IngredientsSupplier consistencyImpacts quality and margins
PackagingDurability and labelingAffects compliance and branding
LaborBatch efficiencyDetermines scalability
DistributionShipping or wholesale cutsDirectly hits profit per unit

Quick Steps to Launch Your Pet Treat Bakery

Follow these steps to move from idea to first sale:

Marketing Without Overstretching

Pet owners respond to trust and transparency. Share ingredient sourcing, show how treats are made, and encourage reviews from early customers. Local partnerships with groomers or pet boutiques often convert better than broad advertising. Consistent storytelling builds familiarity and repeat purchases.

FAQs for Future Pet Treat Bakery Owners

Before making final commitments, these questions often come up.

How much startup capital do I realistically need?

Most small pet treat bakeries launch with modest budgets by starting home-based or renting shared kitchens. Your biggest early costs are compliance, packaging, and initial inventory. Planning for six months of operating runway reduces stress.

Can I operate from home?

This depends on local and state regulations governing pet food production. Some states allow home kitchens with registration, while others require commercial facilities. Always verify before investing in equipment.

How long do pet treats last?

Shelf life varies by recipe, moisture level, and preservatives used. Many baked treats last several months when stored properly. Clear expiration dating builds buyer confidence.

Should I sell direct-to-consumer or wholesale?

Direct sales offer higher margins but require more marketing effort. Wholesale moves volume faster but reduces per-unit profit. Many bakeries start direct, then add selective wholesale partners.

When should I expand my product line?

Expansion makes sense once your core products sell consistently and operations are stable. Adding too many items too early increases complexity and waste. Let customer demand guide growth.

Conclusion

Opening a pet treat bakery is equal parts creativity and discipline. Success comes from pairing safe, appealing products with clear systems and realistic pricing. Start small, learn fast, and build trust with pet owners at every step. With focus and patience, a niche bakery can grow into a durable, well-loved brand.

Photo of our mini-Australian Shepherd being sitting on a leather sofa and looking at a pupcake.
Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd and a pupcake on a table. This pupcake was bought at a local pet treat bakery. They also have cupcakes for people, but it is important to keep them separate.

My Other Responses to Esther’s Prompts

Would you like to Open a Pet Treat Bakery?

New Beginnings in 2026

Esther’s writing prompt: December 31, 2025: New Beginnings

Click here or here  to join in.

I’ve stopped making New Year Resolutions. According to Psychology Today 80-90% of New Year Resolutions fail. However, I still have goals and wishes for the new year. Instead of making promises I try to make changes at my own pace. One of them is that I’ve started using the Peloton bike that we bought for my wife. Another is trying to adapt to my new role as a grandfather. Our first grandchild Jack was born at the end of September 2024. Yet another new beginning is that I want to focus slightly more on my relatively new blog superfactful that I started in August of 2024. In 2024 I posted 25 super facts and in 2025 I posted 53. I also made 64 other kinds of posts on this blog. I am hoping to one day to have collected 200 super facts. My hope is that I will post 80 super facts in 2026. Let’s see how far I get.

New Beginnings the Peloton Bike

My wife and I bought a Peloton bike a couple of months ago. It was my wife who was the most interested in it but lately I’ve been trying it out as well. I found that this is an excellent way of getting some exercise. A Peloton bike is an internet-connected stationary exercise bike featuring a large touchscreen that streams live fitness classes led by instructors. You select your level, time and your instructor and press start.

The photo shows a black bike with a large touchscreen.
Our Peloton bike. The large touch screen is on the right in the photo compared to the rest of the bike.

I usually pick the same class as my wife does. It is the beginners class with Emma. You follow her instructions and you increase/decrease the speed and resistance. Emma does the same thing as you do, you follow her, she is encouraging and she plays great music for you as you do the exercises. It is almost like having your personal trainer. I know these are prerecorded classes but yesterday when my speed / cadence dropped below the goal, Emma told me, “Let’s try to keep the cadence above 80”. This happened twice giving me the feeling that the class was live. It is an entertaining way of exercising that I hope I will continue doing throughout 2026. Perhaps not every day, but I want to do it often. It is a new beginning for me, a new exercise beginning.

A woman in an exercise outfit is looking straight ahead out from a touchscreen also featuring numbers and information.
Emma is looking out from the touch screen, telling you what to do.

New Beginnings Our First Grandchild

Our oldest son Jacob and his wife Ashley live in Baltimore, Maryland, and their son Jack is three months old. We’ve visited a few times, and we are soon going back there, and they (Jacob, Ashley and Jack) are coming to visit us in February. Being a grandfather is a new role for me that I am going to have to learn. It is a New Beginning for me. You can read more about our latest trip to Baltimore here.

Ashley is holding 3 months old Jack and they are both smiling big.
Jack with his mother Ashley
My wife Claudia is holding Jack, and she is holding a bottle of milk for him.
My wife Claudia is feeding Jack
A photo of the three of us sitting in the sofa. Baby Jack is sitting on the right. He is wearing a Pajamas.
My wife Claudia is on the left; I am in the middle and Jack is on the right.

New Beginnings for Super Facts

In August of 2024 I started a second blog, superfactful. The goal of this blog is to create a list of facts that are important, not trivia, and that are known to be true and yet surprising, mind-blowing, shocking or disputed by large segments of the public. I am avoiding click bait and focusing on facts that will challenge the reader as well myself in a way that provides growth. Below are a few examples.

The Speed of Light In Vacuum Is a Universal Constant

Superfact 4 :

The speed of light in vacuum is the same for all observers regardless of their speed and the direction in which they are going. It is always c = 299,792,458 meters per second. If you try to catch up to a light beam and travel close to the speed of light the speed of the light beam will still be c = 299,792,458 meters per second compared to you. This is possible because time and space don’t behave like we expect.

The picture shows two people Alan and Amy. Alan is on the ground. Amy is flying by Alan in a rocket speeding left. Both Alan and Amy are pointing lasers to the left.
In this picture Amy is traveling past Alan in a rocket. Both have a laser. Both measure the speed of both laser beams to be c = 299,792,458 meters per second.

Global Warming is Happening and is Caused by us

Superfact 25: Global warming or if you call it Climate Change or Climate Disruption is happening, and it is happening very fast, and we also know that it is caused by us primarily as a result of our burning of fossil fuels. There is a long-standing scientific consensus on these two facts because the evidence is conclusive. Check the evidence below.

Hockey stick curve going back 1,000 years. The recent uptick in global temperature is very sharp and very sudden.
The so-called hockey stick curve depicting the last 1,000 years. The blue line is the first hockey stick curve ever created (by Michael Mann). He used proxy measurements such as tree rings, green-dots 30-year average, red temperature measurements. This graph is taken from this page.

Infinities Come in Different Sizes

Super fact 67 : Infinities come in different sizes. Some infinities are larger than others. In fact, it is possible to create an infinite number of different-sized infinities. Some infinities are countable and others are uncountable.

A neon infinity metaverse symbol. 3D illustration.
Infinity Asset id: 2118543950 by Sahara Prince

There are 78 super facts so far. I am hoping that my increased focus on this blog will lead to another 80 this year. It will be a New Beginning. To see a list of the 78 super facts and the next 72 I’ve planned click here.

My Other Responses to Esther’s Prompts

May you all have a great 2026 and a New Beginning

Moving With Your Dog to a New State

This is a guest post written by Ryan Goodchild. He emailed me asking me if he could publish his post regarding moving with dogs on my blog . I said yes. See below.

Our black and white Japanese Chin Ryu is sitting next to our Pug Daisy in a red suitcase.
Moving and travelling can be a challenge to dogs.

Ryan Goodchild’s Post on Moving with Your Dog to a New State:  A Real-World Guide for a Calm Transition

Moving is a big deal, and if you have a dog, it’s a whole new level of logistics and emotion. Dogs don’t understand the concept of relocation. They just know something’s changing. Your goal is to make that change feel safe, predictable, and full of the familiar.

What You’ll Learn

  • How to prepare your dog before, during, and after a move
  • What records and updates you’ll need
  • How to digitize your dog’s important documents
  • Ways to reduce stress, for both of you
  • A quick, clear checklist to keep everything on track

Prepare Your Dog for Change

Start weeks before moving day. Dogs pick up on routine changes quickly — packing, new smells, boxes everywhere. Keep walks and meals on schedule, even as your home shifts around them.

Schedule a vet visit about a month before the move. Request updated vaccination records, refill any medications, and ask for a general health certificate if you’ll be crossing state lines. This document isn’t always mandatory, but it can be helpful for emergencies or travel checks.

Keep Your Dog’s Records Safe and Organized

When you relocate, having instant access to your dog’s medical and identification records can save a lot of stress. Scan everything, like vaccination forms, microchip details, prescriptions, and your vet’s contact information, so you have them in one place.

Save the files as PDFs; they’re reliable, portable, and open on almost any device. For convenience, you can merge multiple records into one clean file with this tool. Keeping these essentials organized means you’re always ready for a vet visit, emergency, or boarding request in your new area.

Travel Day: Stay Calm, Stay Simple

Moving days are hectic, and dogs sense your energy. Your best strategy is calm consistency.

Pack a “dog go-bag” with:

  • Food and collapsible bowls
  • Waste bags and cleaning wipes
  • Favorite toy or blanket
  • Leash, collar, and updated ID tags
  • Any medications and first-aid essentials

Keep familiar scents around. Let your dog travel with a favorite blanket or worn T-shirt of yours, it’s grounding. If you’re driving, stop regularly for short walks and hydration. If you’re flying, check your airline’s pet policy early, as rules and kennel sizes vary widely.

The Essential Dog-Move Checklist

Before leaving your old home, run through this list:

  • Health Check: Vet visit completed and records in hand.
  • Microchip Update: Your new contact information is registered.
  • ID Tag: Updated phone number visible and legible.
  • Supplies Packed: Food, leash, bowls, medication, and comfort items.
  • Digital Records: All key documents saved and backed up.
  • Travel Plan: Rest stops or flight arrangements confirmed.
  • New Vet Contact: A clinic selected near your new address.

Rebuild Routine in a New Environment

Once you arrive, recreate normalcy fast. Set up your dog’s bed and feeding area before unpacking your own boxes. Use familiar commands, toys, and walking times to reestablish their rhythm. Dogs rely on patterns to feel secure; the more you replicate their old schedule, the quicker they’ll adapt.

Take short exploratory walks so your dog can get used to local scents and sounds. If they seem hesitant, don’t rush it. Let them lead the pace; confidence builds gradually through repetition.

Dog Transition Timeline at a Glance

StageFocusGoal
3–4 weeks before moveVet visit, ID updatesHealth & paperwork ready
1–2 weeks before movePacking acclimationReduce anxiety around change
Moving dayCalm, consistent energySafe and comfortable travel
ArrivalEstablish feeding/sleeping areasCreate familiarity fast
First weekDaily walks, local vet visitBuild new routine & comfort

Support Your Dog’s Emotional Adjustment

Some dogs sail through moves; others struggle. Signs of stress can include pacing, panting, whining, or hiding. Keep things calm and predictable. Set up a quiet area where they can retreat when the new space feels overwhelming.

Just as important: manage your own stress. Dogs take emotional cues from you — if you’re tense, they will be too. A calm tone, gentle reassurance, and unhurried movements go a long way. When you’re relaxed and consistent, your dog begins to trust that the new home is safe.

If your pet is struggling, spend extra time together doing things they love — a walk, gentle grooming, or simply sitting nearby. These small rituals of connection reinforce safety and stability more powerfully than any special training tool ever could.

FAQs

Q: How long does it take a dog to adjust after a move?
Typically one to three weeks. The key is routine — same feeding times, same walking windows, same tone of reassurance.

Q: Should my dog stay with me during the move?
If possible, yes, but if the environment will be chaotic, arrange for them to stay with a trusted friend until moving day is over.

Q: What should I do if my dog stops eating after the move?
Offer familiar food and limit new treats until they settle. Keep mealtimes quiet and predictable.

Q: How can I tell if my dog is too anxious?
Look for excessive panting, hiding, or destructive chewing These are normal short-term reactions, but contact your vet if they persist.

Final Thoughts: Familiar Love in a New Place

Moving with your dog isn’t about perfection, it’s about patience. Dogs care less about where they live than who they live with. By maintaining structure, reassurance, and calm energy, you’ll help them feel safe no matter the ZIP code.

Eventually, the boxes will be unpacked, the walks will feel routine again, and your dog will nap in a new sunbeam, proof that home isn’t a destination. It’s a feeling you build together.

Author Day Viktor Rydberg

This is a Leonberger blog but sometimes I post about other things, especially if it concerns me personally. Today November 1st is National Author Day so I thought that since I am originally from Sweden that I would post a poem by a celebrated Swedish 19th century author and poet by the name Viktor Rydberg. The poem is “Tomten” (the Tomte) published in 1881.

A Tomte is a type of small magical people, or gnomes, related to Vitter folk. There are many Tomtar (Tomte in plural), and traditionally each farmhouse had a Tomte who might secretly help the farmers with their tasks, warn them of danger, and protect the animals. They are friendly and is the inspiration behind the Swedish version of Santa Claus, which is therefore a bit different from the Disney version of Santa Claus that has become so popular.

For one thing, the Disney version of Santa Claus flies around on a reindeer sled and delivers all the presents to all the good kids around the world. Therefore, he needs to move faster than the speed of light, which a Tomte does not need to do. The Tomte may bring you gifts for Christmas if you in return put out food for them, such as porridge.

A Tomte wearing a red hat in a snowy winter forest.
An illustration of a Tomte. Shutterstock ID: 2060057882 by PLIMPLUM.

Tomten is a beautiful long poem and every line is rhymed, which is impressive. At first, I took the Swedish poem, and I just dropped it into Google Translate hoping it would translate into English. This was a disaster. Poems are notoriously difficult to translate. First of all, you lose the rhymes, and for this poem the rhymes add a lot to the atmosphere and feeling of the poem.

Secondly, you may lose some of the beautiful language and the special choices of words that create the right atmosphere. For example, Google Translated Tomte to Santa, which is not quite right. Normally, when you think about Santa you think about the Walt Disney version of Santa and this poem was written 20 years before Walt Disney was born, and the Tomte as depicted is very different from Santa Claus. Add to that the fact that a lot of the words were just plainly mistranslated and wrong. Part of the reason for that was that the poem is written in old fashioned Swedish, which Google Translate cannot handle (but I can). Thirdly, due to the different sentence structure, syntax, and grammar of different languages you lose some of the rhythm. In summary, Google Translate butchered the poem and turned it into nonsense.

However, I translated the poem into English myself, with some help from Google Translate. Unlike Google Translate, I know what the author is saying, and I can read old Swedish without problems. Naturally, all the rhymes are gone, but I think I succeeded in preserving some of the beauty of the descriptions of the Tomte and the environment. Another thing that was preserved was the philosophical context of the poem. This poem raises some existential dimensions. Tomten is an immortal creature, and he is deeply puzzled by the fact that people come into existence as babies, they live, get old and then they disappear again. Generations come, generations go, one after another, but the Tomte lives on, and he cannot figure out this mysterious puzzle no matter how long he thinks about it. Obviously, he cares about the people who come and go. He wants to know.

Anyway, below is my translation of the poem. The poem should be read slowly and with thoughtful emphasis. Not all the sentences are proper English because I wanted to preserve some of the poetic nature of the stanzas. Again, in the Swedish original all the lines rhyme. For example, the word “hard” is “hård”, and “house” is “gård”, the word “roofs” is “taken”, and “awake” is “vaken”.

My Translation of Tomten

The cold of the midwinter night is hard,
the stars sparkle and twinkle.
Everyone sleeps in their house
deep in the midnight hour.
The moon wanders its silent course,
the snow shines white on pine and fir,
the snow shines white on the roofs.
Only the Tomte is awake.

Standing there so gray by the barn door,
gray against the white drift,
watching, like many winters before,
up against the disk of the moon,
looking towards the forest, where spruce and fir
draws its dark wall around the yard,
pondering, although without success,
over a strange riddle.

He runs his hand through beard and hair,
shakes head and hood
“no, this riddle is too difficult,
no, I cannot guess this”
he banishes the thought,
as he usually does,
so he can attend to his tasks,
and go about his business.

He goes to the storage and the tool house,
he feels all the locks
the cows dream by the light of the moon
summer dreams in the booth;
forgetful of harness and whip and empty
Pålle (a horse) in the stable also has a dream:
the manger he leans over
filled with fragrant clover;

He goes to the fence for the lambs and sheep,
see how they sleep in there;
goes to the hens, where the rooster stands
proud of his highest stick;
Karo in the dog bed with straw feels good,
wakes up and wags its tail slightly,
Karo his elf knows,
they are good friends.

The Tomte tiptoes at last to see
the family he holds so dear,
for long and well he has known that they
hold his diligence in honor;
he tiptoes to the children’s chamber
and approach to see the sweet little ones,
let no one doubt it:
they are his greatest happiness.

Thus, he has seen them, father and son,
through so many generations
in deep sleep as children; but from where
did they come down here?
Generation soon followed generation,
they flourished, aged, and then went — but where?
The insolvable riddle to his mind
has thus returned!

The Tomte walks to the loft of the barn:
there he has a home and stronghold
high up in the scent of the hay,
near the swallow’s nest;
now the swallow’s nest is empty,
but when spring comes with leaves and flowers
she will probably be back
followed by her close mate.

Then she always has something to chirp about
of her many travel memories,
nothing, however, about the riddle, which
moves in the Tomte’s mind.
Through a gap in the barn wall
the moon shines on the Tomte’s beard,
the streak on the beard shines,
The Tomte broods and ponder.

Quiet is the forest and all the heath,
life out there is frozen,
only from a distance of the falls of the rapids
can be heard very slowly the noise.
The Tomte listens and, half in a dream,
seems to hear the flow of time,
wondering where it will go,
wondering, where the source must be.

The cold of the midwinter night is hard,
the stars sparkle and twinkle.
Everyone sleeps in their house
well into the morning hours.
The moon lowers its silent course,
the snow shines white on pine and fir,
the snow shines white on the roofs.
Only Santa is awake.

Tomte with a beard wearing a red pointed hat
Tomte I generated with the help of ChatGPT

The Original Poem Tomten

Midvinternattens köld är hård,
stjärnorna gnistra och glimma.
Alla sova i enslig gård
djupt under midnattstimma.
Månen vandrar sin tysta ban,
snön lyser vit på fur och gran,
snön lyser vit på taken.
Endast tomten är vaken.

Står där så grå vid ladgårdsdörr,
grå mot den vita driva,
tittar, som många vintrar förr,
upp emot månens skiva,
tittar mot skogen, där gran och fur
drar kring gården sin dunkla mur,
grubblar, fast ej det lär båta,
över en underlig gåta.

För sin hand genom skägg och hår,
skakar huvud och hätta —
»nej, den gåtan är alltför svår,
nej, jag gissar ej detta» —
slår, som han plägar, inom kort
slika spörjande tankar bort,
går att ordna och pyssla,
går att sköta sin syssla.

Går till visthus och redskapshus,
känner på alla låsen —
korna drömma vid månens ljus
sommardrömmar i båsen;
glömsk av sele och pisk och töm
Pålle i stallet har ock en dröm:
krubban han lutar över
fylls av doftande klöver; —

Går till stängslet för lamm och får,
ser, hur de sova där inne;
går till hönsen, där tuppen står
stolt på sin högsta pinne;
Karo i hundbots halm mår gott,
vaknar och viftar svansen smått,
Karo sin tomte känner,
de äro gode vänner.

Tomten smyger sig sist att se
husbondfolket det kära,
länge och väl han märkt, att de
hålla hans flit i ära;
barnens kammar han sen på tå
nalkas att se de söta små,
ingen må det förtycka:
det är hans största lycka.

Så har han sett dem, far och son,
ren genom många leder
slumra som barn; men varifrån
kommo de väl hit neder?
Släkte följde på släkte snart,
blomstrade, åldrades, gick — men vart?
Gåtan, som icke låter
gissa sig, kom så åter!

Tomten vandrar till ladans loft:
där har han bo och fäste
högt på skullen i höets doft,
nära vid svalans näste;
nu är väl svalans boning tom,
men till våren med blad och blom
kommer hon nog tillbaka,
följd av sin näpna maka.

Då har hon alltid att kvittra om
månget ett färdeminne,
intet likväl om gåtan, som
rör sig i tomtens sinne.
Genom en springa i ladans vägg
lyser månen på gubbens skägg,
strimman på skägget blänker,
tomten grubblar och tänker.

Tyst är skogen och nejden all,
livet där ute är fruset,
blott från fjärran av forsens fall
höres helt sakta bruset.
Tomten lyssnar och, halvt i dröm,
tycker sig höra tidens ström,
undrar, varthän den skall fara,
undrar, var källan må vara.

Midvinternattens köld är hård,
stjärnorna gnistra och glimma.
Alla sova i enslig gård
gott intill morgontimma.
Månen sänker sin tysta ban,
snön lyser vit på fur och gran,
snön lyser vit på taken.
Endast tomten är vaken.

The cold of the midwinter night is hard,
the stars sparkle and twinkle.
Everyone sleeps in their house
well into the morning hours.
The moon lowers its silent course,
the snow shines white on pine and fir,
the snow shines white on the roofs.
Only Santa is awake.

Dogs Prayer and Silent Cries

I just wanted to reblog a post/site by a group who trying to help stray dogs

Frozen Hearts and Silent Cries🐾💔

And once again post a dog’s prayer

Before humans die, they write their last Will & Testament, give their home & all they have, to those they leave behind. If, with my paws, I could do the same, this is what I’d ask…

To a poor and lonely stray, I’d give:

  • My happy home.
  • My bowl & cozy bed, soft pillows and all my toys.
  • The lap, which I loved so much.
  • The hand that stroked my fur & the sweet voice which spoke my name

I’d Will to the sad, scared shelter dog, the place I had in my human’s loving heart, of which there seemed no bounds.

So, when I die, please do not say, “I will never have a pet again, for the loss and pain is more than I can stand”.

Instead, go find an unloved dog, one whose life has held no joy or hope and give MY place to HIM.

This is the only thing I can give…

The love I left behind

Author Unknown

Visiting Grandson in Baltimore

My wife and I recently became grandparents to newborn Baby Jack. We visited my son, his wife and their baby the past week. That is why I have not been as active with blogs lately. It was wonderful to see them and meet the baby. He is a very healthy baby.

Three people sitting in a swing. Mother, father and the baby in the middle.
The Wikman family in Baltimore. Jack is the little guy in the middle.
Mother and father standing on in a room holding the baby

Below is photo collage featuring baby Jack. My wife and I are in the photos too.

On Tuesday we visited Maryland Zoo. I have also included some animal photos.

A Dogs Prayer

This is going to be a short blog post. First, I would like to make an announcement. My wife and I became grandparents for the first time a little bit less than a week ago. The baby’s name is Jack.

This post is about a dog’s prayer, which I with permission is borrowing from fellow blogger pensitivity101. This post is also related to one of my previous posts : Promises To My Dog.

The picture features a dog’s prayer on black and the head of a sleeping Labrador. The full dog’s prayer is shown below.
A dog’s prayer – anonymous author

A Dog’s Prayer

I am typing out the prayer in case it is hard to read the text in the picture.

Before humans die, they write their last Will & Testament, give their home & all they have, to those they leave behind. If, with my paws, I could do the same, this is what I’d ask…

To a poor and lonely stray I’d give:

  • My happy home
  • My bowl & cozy bed, soft pillows and all my toys
  • The lap, which I loved so much
  • The hand that stroked my fur & the sweet voice which spoke my name

I’d Will to the sad, scared shelter dog, the place I had in my human’s loving heart, of which there seemed no bounds.

So, when I die, please do not say, “I will never have a pet again, for the loss and pain is more than I can stand”.

Instead, go find an unloved dog, one whose life has held no joy or hope and give MY place to HIM.

This is the only thing I can give…

The love I left behind

Author Unknown

One Week in Paris

One week in Paris and the world’s your oyster.

I’ve been missing in action for a bit more than a week because of a family trip to Paris, France. We visited my wife’s eldest sister and her family, and we celebrated our nephew’s 40th birthday, my wife’s sister’s husband’s birthday, and we got too meet our nephew’s and his wife’s 16-month-old daughter for the first time. We also spent time with an ex-pat friend of my wife and our niece and a friend of hers. She lives in Berlin, but she came to Paris to see us. Naturally we also visited several tourist attractions including several museums, Notre Dame, Montmartre, Sacré Coeur, the Eiffel Tower, and we took a river cruise with dinner and a few of Paris’ 44,000 restaurants. We also went to an opera.

Four people standing in front of a mirror in Palais Opéra Garnier. My daughter is taking a photo with her iPhone.
From left to right, my wife’s sister, my wife, me (in the back), and my daughter. This photo was taken in an opera house called Palais Opéra Garnier. I should mention that this was not opera where we saw a performance.

Paris is a fascinating city with so much to offer and so much life. Paris proper/inner-city is 40+ square miles featuring large several hundred years old beautiful buildings, gorgeous esplanades and narrow streets, thousands of restaurants, cafés, bakeries, pastry shops, small stores, thousands of statues, and hundreds of museums, monuments, tourist attractions and parks. Paris is the city in the world with the most restaurants, and the food is great. Italy has been voted to have the best food in the world. I must disagree; it is France. There is culture everywhere and the streets are filled with people long after midnight, and the restaurants are open long after midnight. Paris never sleeps.

The city of Paris (Paris proper) only has 2 million people, but you must add the millions of people working there but living in the suburbs. Paris metropolitan has 13 million people, and the region of Paris called Île-de-France has 12 million people. The city I live in, Dallas, Texas, also has 2 million people (8 million people in the metro) but it has almost nothing to offer in comparison. Dallas has some tourist attractions and offers some culture, it is not bad at all, but Paris has about a hundred times more of that. In Dallas almost all restaurants close before 10PM, which is when Paris really wakes up. That is not to put down Dallas, but to point out that Paris is indeed one of the greatest cities in the world to visit.

Paris cityscape centered around Île de la Cité in the Seine River.
Aerial view of the Seine River in Paris. The island Île de la Cité is in the center of the picture and Notre Dame can be seen in the back.

I’ve been to Paris several times before, in 1986 after my Swedish army service, then in 2003 and in 2018. This time was different because I could converse in French with waiters and taxi drivers, read signs and instructions, and newspapers. However, unlike in 1986 and 2003 a lot of French now speak English, at least the younger generation, and they want to speak English. In 1986 even the French who knew how to speak English were kind of offended when you could not speak French. Now they want to practice speaking English, and I want to practice speaking French. The problem I had in 1986 has been reversed. I was so happy when I started talking to a taxi driver in English and he said “Je suis désolé, je ne parle pas anglais. Anglais non. Anglais non.”

I heard a lot of different languages spoken, in addition to French, English, German, Italian, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish, Swedish, Danish and many other languages, and it was all welcome. When I visited Italy in 1986 someone angrily shouted at us that this is Italy and we speak Italian, not English. In 1986 the same thing almost happened in Paris, but I don’t think that is likely to happen in Paris now. The current US government is not popular for understandable reasons. However, there were signs reminding people that the US government is different from US visitors, and I felt that people treated us in a friendly manner.

Anyway, below is an overview of what we did this time with the focus on my photos. In the past we’ve visited Moulin Rouge, Versailles and Le Louvre, which is the world’s largest museum. I highly recommend those attractions but since we have seen them a few times already we did not visit them on this trip.

The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel tower is one of the main attractions in Paris. We’ve visited the Eiffel tower before. We’ve eaten at the restaurant on the first floor, and we’ve visited the second floor (halfway up), but I’ve been to the third floor (the top) only once before, in 1986. Unfortunately, it has become difficult to visit the Eiffel Tower top. You must buy the tickets beforehand in good time. My wife’s sister was able to get us all tickets from Paris City Vision (guided tours).

The photo features a bridge, the Seine River, with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
Eiffel Tower from the other side of Seine (my photo)
Establishing Aerial view of Paris Cityscape with Eiffel Tower and Seine River on sunrise, France. Landmark Monument as Famous Touristic Destination. Romantic Travel and Urban Skyline Panorama.
Aerial view of Paris featuring the Eiffel Tower and the Seine River. Stock photo (not my photos). Asset id: 2281050257 by Open Films.
The view features a huge green garden and beautiful buildings. Champ de Mars is located next to the Eiffel Tower.
Scenery from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. The garden you see is called Champ de Mars and there’s a dog park.
The photo shows thousands of impressive buildings in the distance including Notre Dame and Jardin Du Luxembourg.
This is a view from the third floor (the top) of the Eiffel Tower. If I were to take a photo of every view angle I would end up with dozens of photos, which is too much. If I were to take a panorama photo you would not be able to see any details. If you look carefully, you can see Notre Dame about 60% up and slightly to the left. The impressive buildings and garden in the middle is the Jardin Du Luxembourg.
The skyscrapers in the distance are part of La Défense de Paris. The sun is setting, making it a beautiful photo.
This is another view from the third floor (the top) of the Eiffel Tower. In the distance (zoomed in) you can see some skyscrapers. That is NOT “downtown” Paris. It is La Défense de Paris, a business area in a suburb of Paris and it is not considered a tourist attraction. However, the first time I visited Paris in 1986 we visited La Défense de Paris because being from the north Swedish countryside we had never seen a skyscraper before.

Notre Dame

Notre Dame is a very large cathedral located on the island Île de la Cité. The construction of it began in 1163 and it was completed in 1260, 865 years ago. It was severely damaged by a fire in 2019. We’ve visited Notre Dame many times before, but this was the first time we visited Notre Dame since the fire. It looked the same except the big, beautiful pipe organs were missing, and Notre Dame was still being renovated on the outside. We bought tickets beforehand, but you can buy tickets there, but the line is long.

Photo of Notre Dame the front/entrance side.
Photo I took of Notre Dame before entering.
The left side of the inside of the Notre Dame cathedral. There are seats, chandeliers and a very tall ceiling.
Inside the Notre Dame cathedral, on the left side.
Inside the Notre Dame cathedral, across, with a large circular window in view.
Inside the Notre Dame cathedral, the perpendicular view.

River Cruise on the Seine

We also took a dinner cruise on the Seine. The boat / cruise was called La Seine Ducasse. I started right across from the Eiffel Tower and went a few miles up, passing by the island Île de la Cité and Notre Dame and then turning around. The cruise was a couple of hours long and the sun set during the cruise. The food was amazing (see the menu below). Unfortunately, the beer options weren’t that great, so I had wine.

The photo shows the River Seine. There is a bridge across the river.
A photo of the river Seine.
The menu featured a lot of items written in both English and French.
The menu at La Seine Ducasse. I had Marinated raw gilt-head bream, Kristal caviar, and delicate gelée. I also had Warm Guinea fowl and foie gras paté and curled endive. After that I had Roasted Culoiseau chicken, girolles and confit lemon, cooking jus. For dessert I had Strawberries in their natural way, purple shiso and marble sorbet.
Four silver plates on a table with a white cloth situated in a dining room on a boat.
Our table as when we arrived.
Photo of the Eiffel Tower at night. It is lit up by 20,000 LED lights.
The Eiffel Tower as seen from the cruise boat at night.

Opera Rigoletto

One evening we went to see an Opera at Opera National de Paris located nearby the Bastille. The opera was Rigoletto by Cristiano Grimaldi. It was sung in Italian but above the scene there were subtitles in French and English. 

Photo of the scene at Opera at Opera National, Paris, France. There are a few people in the isles and in the seats.
You were not allowed to take pictures, but I snapped this quick photo before of the scene, before the performance started.
Hallway at Opera at Opera National, Paris, France. There are a few people standing in front of the counters.
Hallway outside the theater where you bought snacks and drinks.
This is two minute and 50 second video of La Donna È Mobile sung by Luciano Pavarotti. La Donna È Mobile is a song in Rigoletto. You may recognize it. I should add, it was not Pavarotti who sang it in our performance (he is no longer alive).

Montmartre and Sacré Coeur

Montmartre is a neighborhood, and a hill located in Paris. It is known for its old picturesque buildings, the plaza, the small stores, cafes and restaurants, and the art. At the top of the hills sits one of Paris most famous cathedrals Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre. It is open to visitors, but you may have to stand in line to go inside. The view from the top of the hill is spectacular.

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre is bright white with large roundish cupolas.
This is the front view of Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre. It is one of the most beautiful cathedrals that I have ever seen.
A row of stands where vendors are selling goods, art and other things.
This market in Montmartre is located nearby Sacré-Cœur.
A row of stands where vendors are selling art. There are a lot of people in the photo.
This market in Montmartre is located nearby Sacré-Cœur.

Sights and Shopping in Paris

Nobody walks in LA but in Paris everyone walks. There is so much to see everywhere, everything is close, and there are several restaurants and shops in every block. So, why not walk a few miles every day. It is healthy too. Below are a lot of photos that I took of things we visited as we walked around Paris.

Street sign with the text Avenue des Champs Élysées.
Avenue des Champs Élysées is a long wide street with lots of stores and things to see.
The photo feature a sign saying Louis Vuitton, but it is partially cut off at the ends.
My wife found this purse store called Louis Vuitton. I took the photo as I walked into the store. Husbands sat in comfortable sofa chairs and where served coffee, tea and juice while their wives were shopping. When someone made a purchase, they served you champagne and cocktails. My wife did not buy a purse, but my daughter bought one later. The purses were expensive but cheaper than in the states according to my wife.
The photo shows Arc de Triomphe and the circulation place around it.
Arc de Triomphe is located on Avenue des Champs Élysées. You can walk up to the top. We did not do that this time.
The photo shows Palais Opéra Garnier from the outside.
Palais Opéra Garnier was an opera that we toured. However, it was not the opera where we saw Rigoletto, that was Opera National de Paris. However, Palais Opéra Garnier was without doubt a very impressive building.
The photos show a large auditorium with red chairs inside Palais Opéra Garnier.
The auditorium of the Palais Opéra Garnier.
The back of the auditorium of Palais Opéra Garnier. There are five levels.
Another view of the auditorium of Palais Opéra Garnier.
The photo shows a very large room featuring columns, stairs and balconies. It is the second largest room in Palais Opéra Garnier and close to the entrance.
One of the large rooms in Palais Opéra Garnier.
A very long and large hallway with dozens of chandeliers, golden columns, and enormous paintings. The most beautiful room in Palais Opéra Garnier.
An artistically decorated hallway in Palais Opéra Garnier.
The paintings in the ceiling at Palais Opéra Garnier are astounding.
The ceiling of the hallway in Palais Opéra Garnier.
The back of Palais Opéra Garnier
I took this photo from the terrace of an eight-story shopping mall called Gallery Lafayette located nearby Palais Opéra Garnier. The photo shows the back of Palais Opéra Garnier. My wife and daughter spend a lot of time shopping here.
Photo shows the front and middle of Hôtel des Invalides.
Photo of Hôtel des Invalides / Les Invalides, where Napoleons tomb is located. Hôtel des Invalides is very large, and this photo only shows a small portion of it.
The photo shows some nice looking large buildings.
One of the corners of place de la Concorde.
The photo shows an obelix that has a gold-plated pyramid on top.
The obelix at Place de la Concorde.
The inside of Saint Sulpice is large, with white columns and a tall, rounded ceiling.
Inside a church / cathedral called Saint Sulpice.
The sidewalk is covered by a decorated ceiling and enclosed by columns.
A sidewalk in Paris

Museums and Gardens in Paris

We visited several museums and gardens in Paris. One of the museums we visited was Musée de l’Orangerie which exhibit all kinds of art from ancient times to modern times but especially paintings including several famous painters such as, Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, Henri Rousseau, Walter-Guillaume, Amedeo Modigliano, Marie Laurencine, Maurice Utrillo, Eva Nielsen. Some special exhibits were Monet’s gigantic water lily paintings and “flou” art, intentionally blurry paintings and art because life is blurry. We also visited the Auguste Rodin Museum. The museum had hundreds of Rodin sculptures in the museum building as well as in the surrounding gardens. There were also paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet.

The main building of Jardin Du Luxembourg is a gorgeous building with statues.
Jardin Du Luxembourg feature several buildings including this one. The garden is huge and difficult to show in a photo, but you can get an idea by looking at the fourth photo (aerial view from the Eiffel Tower) in the Eiffel Tower section above.
The photo shows a painting which covers an entire wall.
Musée de l’Orangerie featured many large paintings of water lilies by Claude Monte.
The photo shows four ancient wooden statues on display in the Musée de l'Orangerie.
Ancient African statues in the Musée de l’Orangerie.
A blurry painting of a woman in a blue dress at the Musée de l'Orangerie.
An intentionally blurry painting. As mentioned above, this style is referred to as Flou. The paintings are blurry because life is blurry.
The photo shows the Auguste Rodin Museum in the distance and a large garden in the front.
The Auguste Rodin Museum featured one relatively small museum buildings surrounded by a huge garden. Both the garden and the building contained hundreds of statues, mostly by Auguste Rodin as well as paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet.
The statue is of a naked man sitting and thinking.
The famous Rodin bronze statue the thinker, located in the garden.
Inside the Rodin Museum; a naked woman and gnome with a tall hat riding a deer.
Two of the statues inside the building.

Dessert Places in Paris

There are thousands of Cafes, bakeries and pastry shops in Paris and the cakes, pastries, desserts, tarts and other baked goods are probably the best in the world. We visited a number of these stores and creperies and we had desserts at various restaurants. You can find wonderful baked goods in Italy and in the Scandinavian countries, but I have to say that France, and Paris, takes the cake (pun intended). At Angelina’s I had delicious coffee and I had some of their thick and creamy hot chocolate with whipped cream as well as two incredible cakes. At Berthilon I had amazing rhubarb and wild strawberry ice cream.

The photo shows rhubarb and wild strawberry ice cream with a big wafer in a silver goblet. There is also a coffee cup and a teapot.
Rhubarb and wild strawberry ice cream with a wafer at Berthilon.
Glass counter featuring colorful pastries at Angelina, Paris, France.
Small section of the to go counter at Angelina (a sit-down pastry shop).

Violin d’Ingres Michelin Star Restaurant

We celebrated a couple of birthdays at a Michelin star restaurant called Violin d’Ingres. In terms of eating that was probably the highlight of the trip. Out of Paris’ 44,000 restaurants only 123 are Michelin star restaurants (10 three-star restaurants, 17 two-star restaurants, and 96 one-star restaurants). I ordered Pigeon, something I’ve never had before. It does not sound appetizing. I joked that you had to go out in the street and kill the Pigeon yourself. However, it was probably the best meal I’ve had so far this year. It was truly delicious.

The Violin d’Ingres menu features Entrées, which is starters, then Plats which is the main course and finally desserts.
The menu at Violin d’Ingres. Notice that Entrées means starters or appetizers, just like the word implies. Somehow this got mistranslated into the English language to mean main course.
The shape of the Pigeon on my plate at Violin d’Ingres is like that of small whole chicken. It is garnished with arugula and other greens.
This is my main course, Pigeon in lightly fried bread. It was delicious.

Traffic in Paris

Traffic in Paris is horrendous. Paris has successfully promoted the use of bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, buses and the metro. As a result, the air is much cleaner than it used to be, but the traffic is still bad. One of the reasons is that it has become quite popular to disturb the traffic in various sorts of protests. When we were there the taxi drivers were on strike. You may think that you could just take an Uber instead, but the taxi drivers were blocking other traffic as well, including blocking the entrance to train stations. We were afraid they might block the entrance to the airport on our return day. I have a hard time understanding this since this kind of behavior is obstruction and is illegal in the United States as well as in Sweden.

However, the striking tax drivers were not the only problem. One day when I was accompanying my wife and daughter shopping, I got bored and decided to walk back to the hotel. It was two miles, and it took me one hour. Since the sidewalks are of such high quality and there is so much to see along the way and so many opportunities to stop if you need, this is easy to do.

Along the way I saw two large demonstrations. One was “dépénaliser cannabis” and there were hundreds of people, many with green hair and weird clothes, carrying flags with green leaves on them, marching down the street and playing music. There were also hundreds of police and the entire street, Rue Voltaire, which is a major street, was blocked. Then came the bicycle demonstration. Hundreds of bicycles blocking traffic and lots of police. Well at least it was not a boring walk. Oh, what I saw on Rue Voltaire!

Have you ever been to Paris?

What Everyone Should Know About Climate Change

This is a Leonberger blog but sometimes I post about other topics that interest me. This post is about five facts about Climate Change that I think everyone should know. It is also an opportunity for me to bring attention to my new blog. I should say that I am posting this on this blog because my Leonberger blog is the one that gets the most attention.

Climate Change, or if you call it Global Warming, is a huge problem that has been getting a lot of attention, but despite this fact a lot of people don’t understand the simple basics. The confusion and misinformation are especially widespread here in the US. You can thank the fossil fuel industry propaganda and right wing think tanks for that. I was bamboozled and misled myself until I took a deep dive into the subject and learned what the facts were. It helped me a bit that I have a strong science background. The five facts I have in mind are:

  • (1) We know that climate change is happening
  • (2) We know that we humans are the cause
  • (3) Nearly 100 percent of climate scientists agree that we are the cause
  • (4) Climate change has always been around but that does not change the facts above
  • (5) It is not important whether you call it Global Warming or Climate Change

We Know that Climate Change is Happening

The evidence that Global Warming (or Climate Change) is happening is overwhelming, in fact conclusive. It includes the temperature records collected by numerous organizations, NOAA, NASA, the Hadley Centre, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, the Japanese Meteorological Agency, the World Meteorological Organization, and many more. These organizations collect data from land-based weather stations, ocean buoys, satellite measurements, and other sources to monitor Earth’s climate. Comparison with the palaeoclimatological record shows that the rise in average global temperatures is extremely fast.

Other evidence is the measurements of global sea levels, the fact that glaciers are retreating, that the arctic ice is melting, that the Antarctic ice sheet is losing ice, that eco zones are generally shifting northward, that the climate is changing, and that snow seasons are getting shorter, something that is directly visible to old guys from northern climates like me. You can read more about this evidence by clicking here. Below are two 45 second videos from NASA illustrating global warming.

Historical global temperature map
To see the NASA web page from where the YouTube video of the shrinking arctic ice is taken click here.

We Know that we Humans are the Cause

Climate scientists have done thorough studies of atmospheric physics, paleoclimatology (past climate), oceanography, geology, and biology related to climate change, as well as climate modeling, and have produced tens of thousands of research papers in the process. The evidence they have collected points to us as the culprit behind the recent rapid rise in overall global temperatures and other climate change.

The evidence that we are the cause behind climate change includes the climate models, which have gotten extremely good. What we see is pretty much exactly what you expect from our fossil fuel emissions. The upper troposphere is cooling, which shows that the global heating is from greenhouse gases and not from the sun or from earth’s orbital cycles. To understand how the lower atmosphere is warming while the upper is cooling, think of the greenhouse gases as a blanket. The fact that winters and nights are generally warming faster is another indicator that the cause for the warming is greenhouse gases. The speed of the warming is so fast that there is no known natural forcing that could cause it. Isotope studies show that the origin of the greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere are from burning fossil fuels. To read more about this evidence click here.

This is a short one-minute overview of the causes behind global warming.
This video from NASA is a bit longer, 13 minutes, but it is very informative. Click here to see the page this is coming from.

Nearly 100 Percent of Climate Scientists Agree that we are the Cause

Climate Scientists agree that Global Warming or if you call it Climate Change is happening, and that it is caused by us primarily because of our burning of fossil fuels. There is a long-standing scientific consensus on these two facts because the evidence is conclusive. Typically, studies show an agreement of at least 97% or 98% among climate scientists. To read more about this topic click here.

Climate Change Has Always Been Around But that does not Change the Facts Above

Climate has changed for natural reasons, for as long as our planet has been around (pun not intended). The sun’s irradiance has changed, life evolving effect climate, especially microbe evolution, crashing asteroids can affect climate, earth has three orbital cycles, orbital eccentricity, change in axial tilt, and axial precession, and volcanoes spew out carbon dioxide and aerosols. However, past climate change is not a reason to dismiss human caused climate change. First, our scientific organizations keep track of natural causes and if you remove our greenhouse gas emissions from the equation it should not be getting warmer right now. Second, the different causes of climate change have different effects, different fingerprints if you will, and the way climate change is happening is pointing to human greenhouse gas emissions (a fingerprint match), not anything else.

A very common objection to human-caused climate change is that climate has always changed, it’s been warmer before, a 100 million years ago it was much warmer, carbon dioxide levels were much higher before, etc. This is a very bad objection that reveals the ignorance of the objector on this topic, as well as him/her not thinking through what they are saying. Think about it, the experts on past climate are the ones telling us that climate change is not natural this time. If you use this objection, you should ask yourself, maybe there is something you are missing.

This is how the well-known Climate Scientist Katherine Hayhoe introduces herself: “Hi, I’m a climate scientist. You may know me from my greatest hits including, “No, it’s not a natural cycle,” “Yes, I know it’s been warmer before (and the only reason YOU know is because we scientists told you so),”

In my post “Global Warming is Happening and is Caused by us” I wrote a lot about natural causes behind past climate change. To read more click here.

It is not Important Whether you call it Global Warming or Climate Change

Finally, I have come across a lot of people who instantly object if you use both the phrase Global Warming and Climate Change. They think it is proof that there is something sinister going on. A conspiracy. We used to have a big dog, a Leonberger called Bronco. Just because I just called him “a big dog” instead of a Leonberger does not mean that I am lying about having a Leonberger. It is just two descriptions for the same dog. Actually, one time I called him Henry by mistake. There is still no conspiracy.

Climate Change is a broader term. The average global temperature is rising but there are a lot of other things going on as well, weather patterns are changing, some places are getting dryer, some wetter, the carbon emissions are causing ocean acidification, etc. However, both Global Warming and Climate Change are acceptable terms. Whether you use the phrases Global Warming, Climate Change, Climate Disruption, Global Heating, is a personal preference. The popularity of the different monikers has changed with culture, and not just because of popularity among scientists. Implying conspiracies or dishonesty because of different monikers is a popular thing to do but it is silly.