A Short Leonberger Book that is Actually Good

In this post I am reviewing Leonberger Dog: Amazing Knowledge About Dog Breed: Leonberger Dog Information Paperback – January 6, 2022 by Stabler Wanda. This paperback is 57 pages, ISBN 979-8796787175, item weight 5 ounces, dimensions 6 x 0.13 x 9 inches. You can buy it from Amazon, as a paperback, or e-Book. The paperback version is currently $6.99 on Amazon, and the Kindle version is $2.99 unless you have Kindle unlimited then it is free.

Photo of the front cover of the book Leonberger Dog, Amazing Knowledge About Dog Breed. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.
Front cover of the book Leonberger Dog, Amazing Knowledge About Dog Breed. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.

Below I am posting my Amazon review of the book Leonberger Dog, Amazing Knowledge About Dog Breed. Click here to see my original Amazon review. BTW I gave the book four stars.

Concise and short but helpful Leonberger book with a few inaccuracies

This is probably the best short Leonberger book I’ve come across. With short I mean less than 60 maybe 70 pages. It is specifically about Leonbergers and not a generic dog book with a couple of pages of Leonberger information. The author is able to pack a lot of helpful Leonberger information into this book without making it dense. The book feature Leonberger information such as temperament, personality, appearance, and Leonberger history, as well as how to care for, train and feed a Leonberger. The book also explores how to get a Leonberger, and if you should get a Leonberger, the cost, the breeders, and Leonberger health.

The book is well written, well edited, the layout/book design looks nice, and it contains 17 beautiful Leonberger photographs (in black and white). I especially enjoyed the chapter on caring for a Leonberger. One thing I found distracting was that the book focused on Leonbergers in the UK and then it focused on North America when discussing how to choose a breeder without having the same discussion for the UK. I didn’t mind too much since I live in the US, but the UK readers may have missed something. I also reacted to the statement that Leonbergers live 6-8 years. That’s an outdated number. Now a day Leonbergers live 8-10 years and our Leonberger lived 13 years, which is exceptional. Thank the Leonberger Health Foundation International for that improvement.

Unfortunately, in the chapter on Leonberger history the book contains some information that is incorrect. The author claims that Heinrich Essig, the creator of the Leonberger breed, was the mayor of the town of Leonberg. Heinrich Essig was a prominent citizen of the town, and he was a successful businessman, farmer, innkeeper, horse and dog trader, large-dog enthusiast, dog breeder, and town councilman, but he was never the mayor of Leonberg.

The author claims that only five Leonbergers survived World War I. It is true that World War I was tough on the breed, but it was not quite that bad. After the war, Karl Stadelmann and Otto Josenhans, worked hard to save the breed, and they were able to find twenty-five Leonbergers whose owners were willing to cooperate in reestablishing the breed. Of these, only five were suitable for breeding. That’s where that info originates, but that’s a little different from saying that only five Leonbergers survived the war.

The author also claims that only eight Leonbergers survived World War II. However, that is once again an exaggeration. There was indeed a “genetic bottleneck” of Leonbergers in the 1940s. This was largely because people repeatedly bred the dogs, they thought were the best specimens in a misguided attempt to improve the breed. Scientific pedigree analyses demonstrate that the Leonberger has twenty-two founder animals, or animal ancestors unrelated to one another (ten males and twelve females). Again, that is a little bit different from “only 8 survived”.

I spent most of my review complaining about incorrect statements that I found, but in truth these incorrect statements are not many and not important. This is still a very good book for being a short book. I give it a four-star rating and I recommend it to anyone interested in the breed who wants a quick but helpful read.

Photo of the back cover of the book Leonberger Dog, Amazing Knowledge About Dog Breed.
Back cover of the book Leonberger Dog, Amazing Knowledge About Dog Breed.

A Leonberger Book for Children

In this post I am reviewing Murphy and the Great Surf Rescue (Puppy Academy, 4) Paperback – August 29, 2017 by Gill Lewis. It is illustrated by Sarah Horne. It is the fourth and latest book in a children’s book series featuring the adventures of different dog breeds at the Puppy Academy. In the Puppy Academy dogs learn a job. In this book the main character is the Leonberger puppy Murphy. Considering that Leonbergers are a rare breed this is a nice surprise. The other books in the series feature a German Shepherd puppy, a Border Collie puppy, and a Labrador. The reading age is 7-9 but I believe it is OK for younger ages as long as a parent is doing the reading.

This paperback is 128 pages, ISBN 978-1627798044, item weight 4.8 ounces, dimensions 5.21 x 0.36 x 7.82 inches. You can buy it from Amazon, as a paperback, hardback or e-Book. The paperback version is currently $9.52 on Amazon, and the hardback is $12.94. The Kindle version is $9.99.

Normally I don’t read children’s books. OK maybe I do, but I read this one because it was about a Leonberger. I sent it friends of ours with young children (our children are grown up). I think this book was very well written and it is filled with life lessons and practical advice ideal for children. It is also quite useful to parents.

Photo of the front cover of the book Murphy and the Great Surf Rescue. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.
Front cover of the book Murphy and the Great Surf Rescue. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.

Below I am posting my Amazon review of Murphy and the Great Surf Rescue. I made some minor updates. Click here to see my original Amazon review. BTW I gave the book five stars.

A Leonberger learns important skills and as well as life lessons.

I bought this book for the children of friends of ours, but I read it myself first because it looked so interesting and the main character of the book, Murphy, is a young Leonberger, and we used to have a Leonberger. I couldn’t help myself, so I read the whole book, but I did not bend the book, so it is as good as brand new. Anyway, a Leonberger is a very large furry dog with big, webbed paws. They are great swimmers, they are protective and sensitive, and they are truly great family dogs.

Murphy is a member of the Puppy Academy where dogs train for all kinds of jobs. Murphy’s specialty is water rescue. In this book Murphy and his friends Scruff, Pip, Star, Major Bones, Boris, Professor Offenbach and Rodrigo are participating in some great water adventures and they are learning some great life lessons, especially Murphy.

The book is teaching children about water safety, the dangers of sea water, jelly fish, rip currents, how get out of a rip current, large waves, etc. The book also teaches children about envy and how to handle such feelings and to not compare yourself with others, and instead focus on learning and improving yourself. Above all, don’t play dangerous games or try to trick people. The book contained one oversimplification referring to Newfoundland dogs as the ancestors of Leonbergers. The St. Bernard is probably the main ancestors of the Leonberger but Newfoundland dogs and Pyrenee dogs are involved too, but that is not important.

I believe this is a really fun book for kids and it was interesting reading for me too. The story is great, and the information is useful and important. I highly recommend this book.

Photo of the back cover of the book Murphy and the Great Surf Rescue.
Back cover of the book Murphy and the Great Surf Rescue.

New Favorite Dog Stories

This is a wonderful review of my book “The life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Thank you so much Jacqui Murray.

Jacqui Murray's avatar

For those of you who love dog stories, you’ll want to check these out

  1. The Life and Times of Le Bronco… — The care and love of a 165 pound rambunctious dog who looks like a bear and acts like a best friend
  2. Standing Dead–I won’t give away what this means, but this is another good story of Mattie and her working dog, Robo.
–a note about my reviews: I only review books I enjoyed. I need to be inspired to write. That’s why so many of my reviews are 4/5 or 5/5

The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger

by Thomas Wikman

It’s obvious from Page 1 of Thomas Wikman’s non-fiction The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger (2022) that the author loves everything…

View original post 973 more words

The Winding Road Is a Story About Survival and Courage

This blog is primarily about Leonbergers, especially our late Leonberger Bronco, or Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, which was his full name. I also review Leonberger books and sometimes I review books that are not about Leonbergers but that I love and want to promote. This post is one of those. I am reviewing The Winding Road: A Journey of Survival Paperback – July 30, 2022 by Miriam Hurdle. This paperback is 148 pages, ISBN 979-8842330812, item weight 9.9 ounces, dimensions 6 x 0.34 x 9 inches. You can buy it from Amazon, as a paperback, hardback or e-Book. The paperback version is currently $6.99 on Amazon, and the hardback is $25.26. The Kindle version is $1.99 or free if you are part of Kindle Unlimited.

This book is a gripping story of Miriam Hurdle’s fight to survive an aggressive cancer. She is a skilled author, and she was able to tell her traumatic story with clarity and honesty.

The front cover of the book The Winding Road: A Journey of Survival by Miriam Hurdle. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.
Front cover of the book The Winding Road: A Journey of Survival by Miriam Hurdle. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.

Below I am posting my Amazon review for The Winding Road.

One Woman’s Encounter with Aggressive Cancer Told with Intelligence, Clarity and Honesty

This book describes the journey of survival of a woman, Miriam Hurdle, who was diagnosed with Melanoma in an internal organ. Melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer that usually does not appear in internal organs, at least not initially. This made the situation both unusual and quite dangerous. The cancer was discovered by chance during a hysterectomy.

Survival was not the only thing that she had to fight for. There was insurance, her work situation, finances, etc., that weighed heavily on her mind and the minds of her family. Add to that the brutal but necessary treatment. Luckily things worked out for her, and her family and her community gave her a lot of support. The book makes it clear how important this is in this kind of situation. The people around you can make a big difference making sure you don’t lose hope.

My mother got multiple myeloma and it was not discovered early, and she died at the age of 56. So, Miriam’s story resonated with me because I recognized a lot things from her story even though their cancers were not the same and the outcome was not the same. What Miriam went though is extremely difficult. I am originally from Sweden, which has national healthcare. Insurance is an additional burden that every American cancer patient must deal with that we were spared from. So, in that regard our journey was easier. Unfortunately, it did not end well for us.

Miriam is a great writer who writes with clarity, intelligence, and honesty about a very traumatic situation. I think this book can serve as a great help to anyone who may face this situation. In fact, cancer is so common that we are all likely to be touched by it at some point. Therefore, I highly recommend this book to everyone in order for all of us to learn something about the journey before facing it.

Photo of the back cover of the book The Winding Road: A Journey of Survival by Miriam Hurdle.
Back cover of the book The Winding Road: A Journey of Survival by Miriam Hurdle.

When Should You Neuter or Spay Your Leonberger

This is a contentious question that can easily lead to heated arguments, which is why I never brought up this issue in my book. I don’t like one-star reviews. A blog post though is a different matter. I can easily delete angry comments as well as the blog post itself.

It is very common for veterinarians and others to recommend that dogs be neutered or spayed between the ages 4-6 months. However, not all dogs are the same and this seems to be bad advice for many giant breeds, especially Leonbergers.

Photo of me with our Leonberger Bronco standing on the sofa.
Is he ready to be neutered? I mean the dog.

With this post I am presenting advice and statements from various sources that I consider to be reliable such as AKC/club certified breeders of the specific breed in question, the corresponding breed organization/club, such as the Leonberger Club of America, and scientists in the specific field. In my experience veterinarians who care for all kinds of dogs and pets typically do not have knowledge that is breed specific enough on this issue.

When we got our late Leonberger Bronco (Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle) 15 years ago our breeder Julie Schaffert told us to wait with neutering him until he was two years old if possible. Julie Schaffert has been an LCA (Leonberger Club of America) certified breeder since 1992 and is arguably the most prominent Leonberger breeder in North America. A few days ago, I sent her this question:

Hello Julie, I hope all is well with you and your Leonbergers. I am currently reading a Leonberger book by Vanessa Ritchie. I’ve read dozens of Leonberger books. It is a very good Leonberger book. However, in the middle of page 30 she is saying something that concerned me. She is saying to neuter/spay your Leonberger at 6 months old. I remember you telling us to wait with ours and we waited until significantly passed one years old. Assuming that is correct, this mistake needs to be pointed out and perhaps corrected. Before saying anything, I wanted to make sure that is correct, that spaying/neutering at 6 months old is indeed too early for a Leonberger.

Thank you for any help

Happy New Years

Thomas Wikman

This was her answer

Happy new year. Yes, it’s now recommended that giant dogs not be neutered or spayed until after 2 years. In the old days it was recommend earlier any time after 6 months. All the new data says wait.

Julie.

Black and white photo of our Leonberger Bronco
The Leonberger puppy Julie sold us

A few months ago I participated in an online discussion (Leonberger Facebook group) on this issue and I mentioned that we neutered our Leonberger passed one years old, close to 18 months, but we did not wait two years. There were people who did not like this saying we needed to wait longer. Some people said that 12-18 months was good enough, but they were in general rebutted. The consensus was that you needed to wait two years or not neuter the dog at all if that was practical. Opinions were strong, and I got the feeling that some people felt neutering before the age of two was animal abuse. Whatever you do, don’t discuss this with Leonberger enthusiasts at the Thanksgiving dinner table.

The reasons we did not wait two years was that our veterinarian at the time wanted to do it sooner and Bronco was moving furniture around because of his excess energy. He was strong, energetic and a bit restless. He dragged sofas, chairs and tables around. He was very friendly and harmless, but he had a lot of energy. Perhaps he should have been a home decorator instead of a dog.

Illustration showing that Bronco had pushed our German Shepherd into a storm drain. I am trying to drag/lift the German Shepherd out of the storm drain while holding onto a misbehaving Bronco.
A rambunctious Bronco

So that’s where I was coming from”. In addition to that I searched on-line today to see what people with expertise in the area are saying. I should say that I know enough about internet search not to trust whatever comes up at the top. You need to first consider credentials and expertise.

This one year old article (click here) from the AKC states that a larger or giant breed may need to wait until they are near or over 12-18 months of age before neutering or spaying. The article also provides the following interesting information.

Research conducted by the University of California – Davis reveals that for some dog breeds, neutering and spaying may be associated with the increased risks of certain health conditions such as joint disorders including hip or elbow dysplasia, cranial cruciate rupture or tear, and some cancers, such as lymphoma, mast cell tumor, hemangiosarcoma, and osteosarcoma. The research conclusions are not surprising. Sex hormones are important in the development of any animal.  We know they affect psychological development as well as the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and the immune system.

I believe this is the University of California – Davis article in question (click here). It is from 2020. Notice that the suggested guidelines for age of neutering is beyond 23 months for several of the giant breeds in the table of 35 breeds (click here). Also notice that the table does not include Leonbergers.

Hillhaven Leonbergers (click here) in Ireland recommend not neutering until at least 2 years of age. They warn against doing it at 6 months old, despite what some veterinarians may recommend.

I did not find an on-line Leonberger Club of America recommendation but this old 2011 article (click here) from the Leonberger Club of America states: Because the Leonberger is a slow maturing breed in general, most breeders will ask puppy owners to wait a year or so before altering their puppies, to allow bones to develop more fully.

Photo of (left to right) Daisy (Pug), Ryu (Japanese Chin) and Bronco (Leonberger)
Daisy (Pug), Ryu (Japanese Chin) and Bronco (Leonberger)

I did find an article from the Saint Bernard Club of America (click here). The Saint Bernard is genetically similar to the Leonberger. This article states: Above all, no giant breed puppy should be altered before the growth plates in the bones have matured and closed, usually between 15 and 24 months of age.

This Newfoundland dog magazine (click here) states : Currently, the recommended age that a Newfoundland dog should be neutered is 18 to 24 months due to the possible health problems that can arise from altering before that age. The Newfoundland is another dog that is genetically similar to the Leonberger.

So in conclusion, even though the expert advice regarding neutering and spaying is not crystal clear and varies, doing it at six months old is too early and can harm the Leonberger’s health.

Very Helpful Guide to Leonbergers, but DO NOT Neuter or Spay a Leonberger at Six Months Doing So Will Harm The Dog

On this blog I’ve previously reviewed six good Leonberger books:

I’ve also reviewed four Leonberger books that I don’t recommend:

With this post I am adding another Leonberger book that I recommend. It is a very good guide for new Leonberger owners with one caveat. It implies that you should neuter/spay your Leonberger at six months old, which would severely harm your dog if you did. The in general recommended six months does not apply to Leonbergers. Vannessa Richie did her research except regarding this. She has written many dog books, interviewed many Leonberger breeders, and she is a skilled author. However, it is obvious that she has never owned a Leonberger. Therefore, I am giving this otherwise great book four stars instead of five.

Photo of the front cover of the book the Complete Guide To Leonbergers by Vanessa Richie. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the book.
Front cover of the book the Complete Guide To Leonbergers by Vanessa Richie. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the book.

The book is The Complete Guide to Leonbergers: Selecting, Training, Feeding, Exercising, Socializing, and Loving Your New Leonberger Puppy Paperback – May 12, 2022 by Vanessa Richie. It is 195 pages, and the current price on Amazon for the paperback is $19.95, the hardback is $26.95, and the Kindle is $9.95. ISBN-13 978-1954288485, weight ‎12.5 ounces and the dimensions ‎are 6 x 0.44 x 9 inches.

This is my review for the book

Complete and Very Helpful Guide to Leonbergers, but DON’T Neuter/Spay a Leonberger at Six Months

As the title promises this book is indeed a complete guide to Leonbergers. It is focused on training and care. First the book examines whether a Leonberger is the right dog for you as well as the history of the breed. The rest of the book includes topics on how to find and prepare your home for a Leonberger, puppy training, socialization, exercise, grooming, nutrition, health, etc. The book has a lot of detail and a lot of useful information. The author clearly did her research. She interviewed ten breeders after all.

The content of the book is almost 100% correct as far as I can tell, and the information is very useful to Leonberger owners. I question the second page of the chapter on history where she claims that Essig bred his Leonbergers from two dogs, a white and black Newfoundland and a long-haired St. Bernard. Essig claimed a third dog was also involved, a Pyrenean Mountain Wolfhound or possibly a Pyrenean Mountain Dog (Great Pyrenees). However, Essig’s claims have been disputed, and this is not important.

The book design is very professionally done with various sorts of sidebars, highlighted headers, professional looking tables, dividers, little corner boxes with graphics for “helpful tips”, “fun facts”, “historical facts”, “Health Alerts”, pros-cons sidebars with graphics, and 62 black and white Leonberger photos. The author is not only a good writer, but she also knows a thing or two about book design.

I’ve read more than a dozen Leonberger books and this is among the best Leonberger books I’ve read. I wish this book had existed when we got our Leonberger. I should say that we did not do everything right, but we got a lot right, and he lived exceptionally long for a Leonberger, 13 years. If we have had this book, maybe he would have lived even longer. I should add that we donated his DNA to Leonberger health research (upon request).

The reason I am not giving this book five stars is because of a problematic blooper in the middle of page 30. It says “….the dog is spayed or neutered once it reaches maturity (typically six months)”. Leonbergers aren’t fully matured until the age of two and should not be neutered/spayed until then. If you spay/neuter a Leonberger much earlier (six months) you will harm the dog. Yes, they are different from most dogs. I should say that we did not wait two years, it was not practical, but we waited about one and half year, which is much better than six months. If the author removes the faulty parenthesis, I will change my rating to five stars and update this paragraph and the title of the review. Assuming the book is print on demand you can update so that future prints here on Amazon will be correct.

So, in conclusion, this is a great Leonberger book with a lot of useful information, and I highly recommend it to Leonberger owners and prospective owners, but the blooper on page 30 prevents me from giving a perfect rating at the moment.

Photo of the back cover of the book the Complete Guide To Leonbergers by Vanessa Richie
Back cover of the book the Complete Guide To Leonbergers by Vanessa Richie.

For more information on neutering and spaying a Leonberger click here

Happy New Year from Velvy’s Leonbergers

Ira Van Order or Velvy TheLion, which is her nick name, is a multiple Leonberger owner, a prominent member of the Leonberger Club of America, a volunteer for the Leonberger Health Foundation International and she is the administrator of the Grey Muzzle Award that was awarded to our Bronco. I think all of you who have visited this blog multiple times or follow this blog or have read my book know about the Grey Muzzle Award. She allowed me to use her beautiful Happy New Year Leonberger photo in my blog post. Thank you Velvy.

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.

Update from Velvy regarding Digory: He is a miracle, Leo. Two years and 8 months ago he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. Osteosarcoma is a very aggressive type of bone cancer. He was five years old at the time and had an amputation and chemo. This will typically give them another year to live. Velvy does not know of any other Leonberger that has lived more than one year post amputation. He is still with us two years and 8 months later. Velvy believes that an experimental treatment using a vaccine that he received via a Yale study is what made the difference. Velvy calls Digory a beacon of hope.

Happy New Year to you all

My Leonberger Blog Goals for 2023

I launched this Leonberger dog blog in March of 2022. The purpose of the blog was to promote my upcoming book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, stories and tips from thirteen years with a Leonberger” and to spread the word about Leonbergers, a rare but very special breed of dog. They are very large, friendly, unafraid but sensitive and loving, protective and strong, energetic and funny, especially when they are young.

Photo of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle at three months old.
Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle at three months old.

In addition, Bronco was a very special Leonberger. Purebred Leonbergers typically live 8-10 years, but Bronco lived almost 13 years. He was two weeks short of 13 when he died from heart failure. Therefore, he received an award for longevity from the Leonberger Health Foundation International and we donated his DNA for research. I can add that I donate all royalties from sales of my book to the Leonberger Health Foundation International. It is a great organization that has improved the health of Leonbergers and other giant dog breeds substantially.

Image showing Bronco’s Grey Muzzle Award presented by the Leonberger Health Foundation International. He received this award because he lived longer than 12 years.
Bronco’s Grey Muzzle Award presented by the Leonberger Health Foundation International. He received this award because he lived longer than 12 years.

My on-line friend Alex Diaz-Granados, who is an experienced blogger (see “A certain point of view”) helped me get started. He suggested that I use wordpress.com, and here we are. I can add that Alex and I have been on-line friends for a long time. It started with epinions.com, a review site that paid reviewers for writing reviews. I joined epinions.com in 2008. He had joined a few years before that. I focused on software, travel, books, computer hardware and electronics. He focused on books, film, travel, and I think on-line stores and a few more topics. He can fill me in. I can add that sometimes epinions.com paid pretty well, so after a while it became more than a hobby for me. It became a source of supplementary income. I joined twitter and Facebook in 2010 and he was already there, and we both eventually joined Instagram. Unfortunately, epinions.com went belly up in 2014.

In March of 2022 I invited friends and Facebook friends to visit and follow my blog if they wished to do so, and many did. I had some traffic and comments in the beginning but then it died down, and it didn’t seem like search engines picked up my blog. In July of 2022 I released my book in honor of Bronco’s birthday on July 3rd. In the beginning I sold many books, well for a Leonberger book anyway, and I also had more visitors to my blog, but after a while the activity on my blog as well as book sales died down.

Alex suggested that I visit, comment and like the posts of other bloggers and in August I started doing that using Alex’ blog as a starting point and now I was getting more visitors and a lot more comments and likes, and search engines started to pick up my blog a lot more. Lately I even had a couple of posts go sort of viral with thousands of visitors in a couple of days. Those unknown visitors tend not to leave comments (or likes) but other wordpress bloggers do. That was not the best part though. The best part was meeting other bloggers and authors on-line, reading their blogs, reading their books, typically great books. This was fun. Blog visits and book sales became secondary. Blogging is now a hobby.

Photo of Bronco in my wife Claudia’s lap.
Bronco in my wife Claudia’s lap.
Photo of Bronco a few weeks after his first heart failure heading towards the end of his life.
Bronco a few weeks after his first heart failure heading towards the end of his life.

So, what are my goals for my Leonberger blog in 2023?

  • Continue my Leonberger blog and keep promoting my book on the blog for at least six more months.
  • Virtual Book Blast For Natural Selection with Jacqui Murray on February 13 2023.
  • I still have a lot to learn more about wordpress.com. I don’t know how to do inline images, I don’t know how to store images for later use, I don’t know how to make those little icons, hearts and clover, etc., that people put in comments, I only know the basics of the 20/20 template, I don’t know other templates. I have a wordpress book that I am planning to read. I need to learn more.
  • I will read more books by authors I know online. Knowing an author and reading their book(s) is a completely different feeling compared to reading someone you’ve never talked to (I have a long TBR list).
  • Post 20-30 book reviews on my blog. I don’t post all my book reviews on my blog. Most of my book reviews are only for Amazon (or Goodreads). On my blog I just post reviews for Leonberger books and reviews for books by fellow bloggers that I love and want to promote.
  • I want to start a second blog that is about facts and insights that could have a high impact on someone’s worldview and yet may not be well known, understood, believed or are controversial, yet are fully backed by the expertise in that field. As someone who have studied modern physics, loves gapminder, and have read a ton of books on all kinds of topics, I’ve come across quite a few, and I have radically changed my view of the world several times. However, I am hoping for good suggestions from visitors so I can expand the collection. I can be in charge of the fact checking, at least to begin with.
Image showing the Leonberger breed standard from the Féderation Cynologique Internationale.
In case you are interested. This is an overview of the Leonberger breed standard from the Féderation Cynologique Internationale.

I wish you all a Happy New Year and a Great 2023!

She and The Wolf

This blog is primarily about Leonbergers, especially our late Leonberger Bronco, or Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, which was his full name. I also review Leonberger books and sometimes I promote books that I love and this post is one of those. This time I am reviewing She & The Wolf: A Flash Fiction Collection Paperback – August 19, 2018 by Sara Kjeldsen. This paperback is 46 pages, ISBN 978-1719801263, item weight 2.88 ounces, dimensions 6 x 0.12 x 9 inches. You can buy it from Amazon, as a paperback or e-Book. The paperback version is currently $9.99 on Amazon. The Kindle version is $3.99 or free if you are part of Kindle Unlimited.

This book is a fascinating collection of historical fiction and fantasy short stories. I wrote a review on Amazon, which can be found here (Beautiful Stories That Will Stay With You), as well as on my social media.

This is a photo of the front cover of the book She & The Wolf by Sara Kljeldsen. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for She & The Wolf.
Front cover of the book She & The Wolf by Sara Kljeldsen. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for She & The Wolf.

Below I am posting my Amazon review for She & The Wolf a flash fiction collection.

Beautiful Stories That Will Stay With You

This book is a collection of 15 short stories mostly about women but also men living during dramatic times in the past, or more recently, as well as people and creatures living in imaginary worlds. The American Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars are examples of historic settings in the book. She & the Wolf, the last story, is an example of an imaginary setting. The focus of the stories isn’t so much the time or the location, or even the events. The stories are about the emotions of the characters living through complicated and extreme experiences. The emotions are often dark, there’s depression, hostility, loss, tragedy, and death, but also hope, compassion and reconciliation (Pacific Ocean, 1814).

The stories are intriguing, poetic and above all beautiful. The characters are fascinating, and they are quite relatable despite their extreme situations. You really feel for them and with them. It’s a book that leaves you with feelings and thoughts about our existence. I highly recommend this unique collection of short stories.

Photo of the back cover of the book She and The Wolf by Sara Kjeldsen.
Back cover of the book She and The Wolf by Sara Kjeldsen.

The Many Faces of Natural Selection, Big Dogs and Humans

This blog is primarily about Leonbergers and our late Leonberger Bronco as well as the book I wrote about him and his dog friends. However, sometimes I review other Leonberger books here as well as books that I love and want to promote. This time I am reviewing Natural Selection, the third and last  book in the Dawn of Humanity series – October 18, 2022, by Jacqui Murray. This paperback is 283 pages, 978-1942101628, item weight 1.09 pounds, dimensions 6 x 0.64 x 9 inches. You can buy it from Amazon, as a paperback or e-Book. The paperback version is currently $15.99 on Amazon. The Kindle version is $4.99 or free if you are part of Kindle Unlimited.

This book is truly great historical fiction, and it features a pre-historic canine called Ump who reminds me of our late Leonberger Bronco. So, I feel there is a special connection. Reading this book was a great joy. I wrote a review on Amazon, which can be found here (The Many Faces of Natural Selection), as well as on my social media.

Photo of the Front cover of the book Natural Selection, book 3 in the dawn of humanity trilogy by Jacqui Murray. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for Natural Selection.
Front cover of the book Natural Selection, book 3 in the dawn of humanity trilogy by Jacqui Murray. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for Natural Selection.

Below I am posting my Amazon review for Natural Selection.

The Many Faces of Natural Selection

The survival of the fittest is an important theme in this book. Keen senses, intelligence, strength, speed, cooperation, and health all help you survive, but as the sixth paragraph on page 240 clearly shows, so does empathy. Read what Vex says. Empathy and caring for others, is not a weakness, even in brutal and treacherous times. It encourages loyalty and cooperation that in turn create strong groups. Strong groups have a better chance of surviving and that is natural selection. Natural selection seems to be a cold and cruel process, and maybe it is, but it created humans with compassion and the ability to empathize and care for others.

The main character is a pre-historic homo habilis woman who lived 1.8 million years ago. She is brave, a great hunter, a healer (using various herbs), and she cares about others. She is the wonder woman of the early Paleolithic age. The premise of the story is that Lucy’s group of homo habilis is enslaved by a cruel but strong group of Homo Erectus, the man-who-preys. Lucy and a few others are able to flee and so begins their long and perilous journey through Africa. Along the way Lucy assembles a very diverse group around herself. However, it turns out that even though diversity can create challenges, especially with respect to communication, it also creates strength.

Other important characters include Xha, an initially cruel Homo Erectus leader whose character develop in interesting ways, and Ump, Lucy’s canine companion. Ump is a large pre-historic canine who is friendly, brave, and very protective of his group. Ump is able to communicate with the hominids using body language in a manner that is similar to how dogs do it today. Ump reminded me of my late Leonberger dog. He was smart, strong, had a keen sense of smell and hearing, he was fierce, yet compassionate, and loving and above all very protective. He saved the members of the group on several occasions, just like our Leonberger protected us and his fellow dogs on a number of occasions.

This book, like the previous two in the series, is filled with action-packed adventure and interesting subplots. You never know what is going to happen next and you have to find out. In other words, it is a real page turner. Without giving anything else away I can say that the book ends on a quite satisfying note but with some twists and turns that you may not expect.

I loved this book, just like I loved the previous two books in the series. It is enjoyable, fun, action packed, the stories are creative and fascinating, and the book is very well written. It is possible to read this book on its own, but I recommend reading the other two books first. Reading the entire series will give you a more complete sense of why the plots are evolving the way they do. I highly recommend this book as well as the whole series.

Photo of the back cover of the book Natural Selection, book 3 in the dawn of humanity trilogy by Jacqui Murray
Back cover of the book Natural Selection, book 3 in the dawn of humanity trilogy by Jacqui Murray