Dogs Are Better Than Husbands

The focus of this blog is Leonbergers but sometimes I post about books that are not about Leonbergers and when I do it is books that I want to promote. This is another one of those. I just read The Good Dog: A Novella Paperback – March 30, 2023, by Laura Stamps. It is a book that I loved and therefore I want to promote it.

Paperback –  Publisher : Prolific Pulse Press LLC (March 30, 2023), ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BXK1Y9FB, ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8987520024, 62 pages, Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.03 ounces, Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.83 x 0.14 x 8.27 inches, it cost $10.00 on US Amazon. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.

The front cover of the book shows a brown Chihuahua sitting in a red purse
Front cover of  The Good Dog. Click here or on the picture to visit the Amazon.com page for the book.

Amazon’s description of the book

Ashley is not a dog person. She’s not. Just ask her. Yet for some reason she’s obsessed with Chihuahuas. And she’s not happy about it. No, not at all. Not when she has other issues to deal with. Like chronic anxiety. And panic attacks. And a crazy ex-husband who can’t stop stalking her. Yeah, the last thing Ashley needs is a dog. Or so she thinks. Until a stranger at PetSmart tells her a dog is better than a husband. Could this be true? Ready or not, Ashley is about to find out! Endearing, empowering, entertaining, and laugh-out-loud funny. “The Good Dog” is all of this and more!

If you’ve ever had even the remotest wish to be wild and crazy, take a twirl with Walter and Ashley in this adorable novella. Find out how one little dog can change someone’s life in big ways just by listening and barking a couple of times. THE GOOD DOG will leave you begging for more!

– Nolcha Fox, Author of Memory is That Raccoon

Anyone who takes guilty pleasure in tiny dog sweaters and pup handbags will enjoy this sweet romp into Chihuahua love. Even if you’re a cat person or a bona fide foe of fuzzy, needy critters, you’ll find yourself falling for Walter. Laura Stamps does warm and funny like no one else.

– Lorette C. Luzajic, Author of Winter in June

Like a Chihuahua, THE GOOD DOG may be small, but it is perfectly formed. And like Walter, the good dog himself, this novella has a big heart. Stamps deftly and delicately creates characters to care and root for, as well as handling complex subjects. Written in her trademark short and snappy style, Stamps’ latest novella is a compelling read – one I finished in a single sitting!

– Laura Besley, Author of 100neHundred

My Amazon Review of The Good Dog

Dogs are better than Husbands

Ashley is not interested in getting a dog, but she is obsessed with Chihuahuas, and she goes to PetSmart just to look at them. After a staff member at the store tells her that dogs are better than husbands and that a Chihuahua named Walter did not get a single like on his Facebook page, she buys Walter. How can you reject someone who has been so tragically rejected? Walter turns out to be a very good dog. A second thread in the story is Earl, her emotionally manipulative hypochondriac ex-husband who is stalking her. He doesn’t like dogs. He also thinks that a little red bump on his skin is cancer and that he is going to die soon.

This book is hilarious, and I found myself laughing out loud on many occasions. The book also managed to pull at my heartstrings quite a bit and it had a serious side to it as well. The book is beautifully written and very entertaining. Above all it tells a great story. It is fast paced, and a real page turner, which is why I read it today in one sitting in less than two hours. I highly recommend this book.

Back cover of the book displays the text for Amazon description of the book. Below the text is a brown Chihuahua
Back cover of  The Good Dog.

About the Author

Laura Stamps is a poet and novelist who loves to create experimental forms for her poetry and fiction. Author of over 50 novels, novellas, and poetry books. Winner of the Muses Prize. Recipient of a Pulitzer Prize nomination and 7 Pushcart Prize nominations. Published in more than 2000 literary magazines and anthologies worldwide. Lover of Chihuahuas, Yorkies, and cats.

National Love Your Pet Day with Leonbergers and Other Dogs

Today, Tuesday, February 20, 2024, is National Love Your Pet Day. So, I thought I would show some photos of our current dogs and dogs from the past, naturally including our late Leonberger Bronco. I think the photos I am displaying show some of our love for them.

Photo of a Leonberger puppy looking into the camera
Our Leonberger Bronco when he was a three-month-old puppy.
A yellow lab on the left and the dark brown German Shepherd on the right
On the left our Labrador Baylor and on the right our German Shepherd Baby. Baby took care of and protected Bronco when he was a pup, just like a good mother.
Our Leonberger Bronco is standing on our red sofa and giving me a hug and a kiss
Our young Leonberger Bronco is giving me a hug.
Jessica is on the left and she is giving our Leonberger Bronco a kiss
Our niece Jessica giving Bronco a kiss
Our 167-pound Leonberger is sitting in my wife’s lap and she is disappearing behind him.
Our Leonberger Bronco sitting in my wife Claudia’s lap. He was the perfect lap dog.
Our Japanese Shin Ryu is sitting in the middle of the floor
Our Japanese Shin Ryu
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy is lying on a blanket on the floor while turning his head and looking into the camera.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo as a puppy.
Our 20-year-old daughter is sitting in between our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo (left) and our pug Daisy (right) while petting them both
Our daughter petting Rollo and our pug Daisy
Our pug Daisy’s 15th birthday.
Our dogs are sitting on a very nice leather sofa chair. Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is sitting on the left and our pug Daisy on the right. They are looking into the camera.
Rollo and Daisy own the best furniture.
Photo of 32 Leonberger faces
The 2019-2020 Grey Muzzle Awardees. Bronco is on the second row from the top and second from left. Click on the picture to visit the YouTube video. Bronco is at two minutes.
Video showing 32 2019 & 2020 Grey Muzzle Awardees (Leonbergers). Bronco at two minutes in.

Dallas On April 8 2024

This post is a brief reminder of the total solar eclipse happening April 8, 2024. Dallas, Texas, where I live, will experience totality, and the total time in totality in Dallas will be 3 minutes and 51 seconds (1:40:43 PM CDT to 1:44:34 PM CDT), one of the longest durations across the country. If you are content with just a partial eclipse you can see that from any of the 48 states, and it will last for hours. This event is less than two months away.

Map of north America showing the path of the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Several cities in the path of totality are marked.
Path of totality (total solar eclipse). I am allowed to use this image as long as I link back to the National Eclipse. Click on the image to visit the National Eclipse.
Map of north America showing the path of the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Several cities in the path of totality are marked.
Alternative map showing the path of totality from Travel + Leisure.

According to those who have experienced a total solar eclipse it is a lot more profound experience than a partial solar or an annular eclipse. A partial eclipse is definitely cool. You can see the crescent shadows of tree leaves and if you have the right glasses, you can see the sun partially covered by the moon. However, it won’t get dark. In a total solar eclipse, it will get dark, and many say that the birds will stop singing, it will become quiet. This is the last total solar eclipse in the United States until 2044. It will be my first total solar eclipse (I saw a partial in 2017). Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Illustration showing planet earth, the path of totality, partiality lines (in percentages), and times.
Overview of path of totality and partial solar eclipse worldwide. Public domain – NASA. Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak.
Blue planet earth with a small moving dot for totality and a big blue shadow showing the extent of partial solar eclipse.
Gif animation illustrating totality and extent of partial solar eclipse. Official work for NASA.
Photo of my 10 solar eclipse glasses.
My solar eclipse glasses that I bought on Amazon.

Click here or here to read more about the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

Another 25 Leonberger Photos and Illustrations

My blog is primarily about Leonbergers, an unusual and fascinating dog breed that is known for its size, affectionate nature, and intelligence. I know a lot about Leonbergers because we were lucky enough to live with one for thirteen years. His name was Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle—but we called him “Bronco” for short. I also wrote a book about Leonbergers and about Bronco’s many adventures : The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle. If you are on a desktop computer you’ll see the book on the right, and if you are on a phone you have to scroll to the bottom of the page. You can also click here.

This post features 25 photos and illustrations. Most of the photos are of our Leonberger Bronco, a few are photos by friends and the illustrations were created by Naomi Rosenblatt. If you want to see another set of 25 Leonberger photos click here. If you want to see Leonberger puppy photos, then click here.

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.
Photo of a Leonberger swimming in a lake.
Bronco our Leonberger is swimming in White Rock Lake.
Bronco our Leonberger is standing in lake water.
Bronco is standing in the water in White Rock Lake.
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.
Photo of our Leonberger lying on his back and taking up all the room in the sofa
Our Leonberger Bronco is sleeping on our big leather sofa.
Our Leonberger Bronco is lying on top of our red leather sofa as our Pug Daisy is walking next to him and away from him
Bronco with our Pug Daisy. They were sharing the sofa until Daisy decided to move.
Illustration showing our daughter lying on the ground while holding onto a leash. Our Leonberger Bronco is dragging her.
Bronco is pulling our daughter along the ground as she is desperately trying to hold on to him. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
Colorful illustration showing a big dog wearing a cast on his front left leg and running with it.
Illustration showing Bronco running down the street while wearing a cast. He was not supposed to bump the cast. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
The photo is showing a beige pug on the left and next to her a black and white Japanese Shin and to the right of them both our Leonberger Bronco.
Our Leonberger Bronco with two small dogs, our Japanese Shin Ryu and our pug Daisy.
The photo shows our Leonberger Bronco wearing a cone shaped party hat.
It is Bronco’s birthday.
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.
The photo shows a Leonberger in a bathtub.
Digory Jen O’Keefe’s Leonberger. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
The photo shows a Leonberger standing in water.
Swimming time for Digory Jen O’Keefe’s Leonberger. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
The photo shows two Leonbergers sitting next to each other.
Digory got bone cancer, had an amputation, and this photo is two years later. He lived long for a Leonberger with this condition. Here is with a Leonberger friend. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
The photo shows a Leonberger standing and looking into the camera.
Bronco our Leonberger is standing in front of our hallway. He is pretty old in this photo.
Our Leonberger Bronco is lying in the grass in the front yard.
Bronco in our front yard.
Photo shows our Leonberger Bronco standing in the backyard as a sun ray shines down upon him.
Bronco saved our pug’s life. He is a saint.
Photo shows our Leonberger Bronco standing next to my wife Claudia. She is holding the grey-muzzle award.
Bronco lived very long for a Leonberger. The typical lifespan is 8-9 years. The Leonberger Health Foundation International gives out a grey-muzzle award to Leonbergers who has lived 12 years or longer. Here Bronco is receiving his grey-muzzle award.
The Grey Muzzle Award states “For Leonberger longevity is presented with gratitude by the Leonberger Health Foundation Internation To Bronco for Offering Hope and Potential for longer Lives for Leonbergers throughout the world.
The Grey Muzzle Award.
The photo shows our big Leonberger on the left and our little pug Daisy on the right.
Bronco and our pug Daisy.
The photo shows our big Leonberger on the left and our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo on the right.
Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
The photo shows our Leonberger Bronco lying in our backyard in front of our broken fence. He has a plastic bag over his foot where he has a bandage.
A tornado ravaged our neighborhood. Several of our neighbor’s houses were destroyed. Our house stood but the chimney, roof, attic, garage, and fence were severely damaged. It was a tough time for Bronco. He had just had a toe amputation due to cancer; he had ulcerous sores on his foot, then came the tornado and less than a week later he had a heart failure. He is not in good shape in this picture.
The photo shows our Leonberger Bronco wearing a large soft cone. He has just pulled the content on a table off the table onto the floor.
Bronco is walking around the house with his giant soft cone and pulling things off tables.
A very old Bronco lying in the grass and looking straight into the camera.
One of the last photos of Bronco.
The illustration shows a mini-Australian Shepherd on the right, a pug on the left, and a Leonberger in the middle. The mini-Australian Shepherd says, “They still talk about you”. The Leonberger answers “I know”
We will always remember Bronco. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.

A Sad but Poignant True Story That Serves as a Warning To Us All

This is a Leonberger blog but sometimes I post about books that are not about Leonbergers, and in those cases it is books that I really like and that I want to recommend. This is another one of those. I recently read Induced Coma Paperback – by Tanya Taylor Morris.

  • Paperback –  December 11, 2023, ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CQ6CY13Q, ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8218304096, 150 pages, Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces, dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.34 x 8.5 inches, it cost $10.99 on US Amazon. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
  • Kindle – December 7, 2023, ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CPTQMK6L, 146 pages. It is currently $4.99 on Amazon.com or free with Kindle Unlimited. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.

Front cover of the book INDUCED COMA: How Drugs Destroyed My Family's Dream by Tanya Taylor Morris. The cover feature a drug addict standing in the shadows on the street.
INDUCED COMA: How Drugs Destroyed My Family’s Dream Paperback by Tanya Taylor Morris. Click here or on the picture to visit the Amazon.com page for the paperback version of the book.

Amazon’s description of the book

The true story of a mother’s desperate attempt to save her family from the deadly grip of drugs and the destruction of her family. Intelligent, handsome, and loving Austin chooses drugs at a young age. After a tragic accident at seventeen and many attempts to overcome his addiction to Heroin and Methamphetamines, he succumbs to the “monkey on his back”.

He is determined to beat his addiction, but he has another addiction affecting his family. Their drug addiction leads to a broken family, a divorced mother, suicide and the loss of their dreams.

My Amazon Review of Induced Coma

A Series of Very Unfortunate Events and One Woman’s Impossible Fight

I briefly met the author at a book signing event. She is a very nice lady. In this intense book she is sharing her personal and very painful story about how drug addiction destroyed her family. The book starts out with her husband of 20 years wanting a divorce. Soon after that unexpected revelation, she finds out that he has a much younger girlfriend, who is a drug addict, a prostitute, and a criminal and she is going to jail. As it turns out, he is also a drug addict, he commits crimes, and he is a drug dealer and a pimp, and he also goes to jail. Gone are all the plans they had for the future.

He lies to her, betrays her, tricks her, steals from her, accumulates debts that are in the hundreds of thousands (they were middle class), destroys the business they built together, and he is cruel to her. One of his prostitutes accosts her publicly and the police must save her. All her former husband seems to care about is getting money for the next fix, no matter whom he hurts in the process. After all that, things got a lot worse. She tries to make things OK again, and she seems to still love him despite it all, and she writes about his positive qualities. Eventually she learns to protect herself. Their son is also a drug addict who committed a couple of horrific crimes that landed him in jail for a very long time. She writes lovingly about him despite his actions, which some may find problematic. However, the way I see it is; that’s the way mothers are, and it’s the way we want them to be.

The author certainly went through hell, and she did her best to turn things around. Despite that fact, some family members were hostile towards her. I am not too surprised. It is very difficult to see things from a different perspective than your own self-serving perspective, which is why victims often are victimized again by judgmental people and it is also why families fight with each other, and blame each other, instead of supporting each other. The author is certainly a very brave and strong woman.

The book was a real eye opener to me. I knew about the devastation drugs are causing in the United States, but this book made it more personal to me and it made it clear to me how devastating it can be. Drug addiction can turn normal people into monsters who are a danger to their families and to society. The author warns parents about the danger of drugs, especially Fentanyl and she states that between 2000 and 2022 one million Americans died from overdose. Drug overdoses increased by 255% between 2000 and 2019. To that I can add that according to Wikipedia 41,034 people have died in the war between the drug cartels and the Mexican government since 2006. I have never taken an illicit drug, which some think is being a killjoy, but considering the devastation drugs are causing in the US we could probably do well without any recreational drug use. I highly recommend this book because it is a great read, a real page turner, but it also has an important message to us all about the drug addiction pandemic ravaging the land.

The Back Cover of Induced Coma: How Drugs Destroyed My Family's Dream Paperback by Tanya Taylor Morris. The back cover feature the Amazon description of the book and bar codes and QR codes
The Back Cover of Induced Coma: How Drugs Destroyed My Family’s Dream Paperback by Tanya Taylor Morris. Click here or on the picture to visit the Amazon.com page for the kindle version of the book.

Another Canadian Leonberger with My Book

With today’s post I just wanted to show a photo of a beautiful Leonberger called Mak with my book. Debbie Ireland allowed me to use the photo, which I took from her post on Facebook. Another post showing another Canadian Leonberger (Hachi) with my book can be seen here.

A Leonberger sitting lying on a sofa with my book resting on his chest.
Photo of Mak a Leonberger in Canada. Photo by Debbie Ireland.

Indy Author Day at Your CBD Store

So today (or rather yesterday) Saturday February 3rd, 2024, 1:00PM – 3:00PM I was participating in a book signing in Southlake Texas. It was an independent author’s book sale at “Your CBD Store, Sunmed” in South Lake. It was a friend of mine from another independent author’s book sale event at a library who invited. It was well done but a little slow. However, I still sold a few books, and I donated one to the very nice store manager Julia. Above all it was fun. I also bought a book from the woman sitting across from me (Tanya Taylor Morris) and it turned out to be a very poignant and eye-opening book that I am really glad that I came across. More on that later.

Photo of me sitting at my book signing table at Your CBD Store, Sunmed in Southlake, Texas. I am wearing a blue polo and my table feature several samples of my book, a metal box with money, and a sheet with QR codes.
Me at my book signing table at Your CBD Store, Sunmed in Southlake, Texas. I am trying to sell “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”.

To check out and maybe buy my book visit the Amazon or Barnes and Noble location for the book. You can do that by clicking on the book cover images to the right if you are on a computer or at the bottom of the page if you are on a mobile. As you know if you’ve followed my blog the proceeds from my book sales are donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International.

25 Leonberger Photos and Illustrations

First, check out my Leonberger book and consider purchasing it. It features amusing and amazing stories about our truly remarkable Leonberger Bronco, as well as information about Leonbergers. It is a great book for all dog lovers. All royalties/proceeds from sales are donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International. To check out my book click on the book cover images on the right.

This post has 25 photos and illustrations. Most of the photos are of our late Leonberger Bronco (Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle) but there are also Leonberger photos by friends as well as a few Shutterstock photos. The illustrations are from my book. The illustrations for my book were made by Naomi Rosenblatt (I don’t know how to draw).

On the left there is a color photo of our Leonberger as a puppy. He is wearing a scarf. On the right he is big, old and gray and lying in the grass looking into the camera.
On the left our Leonberger Bronco three months old. On the right Bronco as an unusually old Leonberger at almost 13.
Bronco is standing on our red leather sofa giving me hug and a kiss.
Bronco our Leonberger is giving me a kiss. He is about one year old and not yet fully grown.
Old black and white photo showing a man holding a Leonberger with a leash.
Bronco’s direct ancestor on the male side Leo von der Sagmuhle in Germany about 100 years ago (18 generations).
Claudia my wife sitting in a red sofa with our very big dog in her lap.
Our Leonberger Bronco sitting in my wife’s lap. He was 167 pounds at the time.
A Leonberger is lying on the floor and my book is leaning against the dog.
Hachi a one-year-old Canadian Leonberger with my book. The owner and photographer is Brenda Saito and her husband.
A photo a majestic Leonberger sitting in grass.
A majestic Leonberger. Shutterstock-ID: 731020957 by Peter Josto.
Brown big dog chasing a man running.
Bronco is chasing off a peeping Tom who was terrorizing the women in the neighborhood including my wife. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
Bronco’s face has puffy cheeks.
Bronco’s puffy cheeks hold two hamsters he probably was trying to save. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
I am lying on the ground holding Baby and trying to drag her out of the storm drain, while at the same time holding Bronco’s leash.
Bronco accidentally pushed our German Shepherd Baby into a storm drain. I am trying to drag Baby out of the storm drain while holding Bronco as he is very excited about a dog across the street. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
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.
On the right is our Leonberger Bronco’s behind and to the right is Rollo biting and pulling his tail.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is biting Bronco’s tail. He even swung it in as if it was a swing.
The photo shows our pug Daisy on the left and our Leonberger Bronco on the right. They are both looking into the camera. Pieces of the gingerbread house are lying on the floor.
Bronco got into the kitchen, and he grabbed a gingerbread house. He and our pug Daisy are sharing the gingerbread house.
Bronco is standing in a blue kiddie pool.
Bronco is getting a bath in the kiddie pool.
The photo shows a Leonberger standing in the snow in the forest.
Leonberger standing in snow. Shutterstock-ID: 705193912 by Eric Isselee.
Amie is standing on top of a wooden bench on a mountain top.
Amie a Leonberger in Sweden who was at the top of a mountain that we hiked up to (Skule Berget). She must have been very athletic.
Seven Leonbergers lying or sitting on the sand on a beach.
Seven Leonbergers by the beach. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
Close up of two Leonberger faces. All Leonbergers have a black face mask.
Digory and Obi two Leonbergers. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
Five Leonbergers lying in the grass. They are wearing hats showing the American flag.
Five Leonbergers including Digory on 4th of July 2023. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
Little Rollo is lying in front of Bronco. Rollo is on the left. Bronco is on the right.
Bronco and Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd.
Close up of Bronco’s face. He is looking straight into the camera.
Close up of Bronco about 12 years old. Leonbergers typically live 8-9 years.
Bronco is wearing a very large soft cone. It barely fit through the bathroom door. He is looking straight at me.
Bronco our Leonberger kept following me around while he was recovering from a couple of sores that took a long time to heal. They get a very attached when they are not feeling well. Here he is barging into the bathroom. Rollo was terrified of the huge cone.
Six Leonbergers with celebration hats are looking straight into the camera.
Six Leonbergers and a birthday celebration. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
A Leonberger photographed from the side. In the background there is a lake and a snowcapped mountain.
Sitting Leonberger. Shutterstock-ID:1333669760 by Britta Paasch.
In a snowy forest a Leonberger and a pug are running towards the left.
Leonberger and pug running in the snow. Shutterstock- ID:1659034960 by AnetaZabranska.
It is a picture of a Leonberger with 18 specifications in black text.
Overview of the physical aspects of the Leonberger breed standard.

A Leonberger Therapy Dog Called Scout

Here is an interesting video about a Leonberger called Scout by CBC news in Canada. This Leonberger is helping residents at Hamilton mental health hospital. He was bred by Concorde Ridge Leonbergers. They have a website and a blog which I follow. The 8-minute video is shown on the website below.

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.6835161