This blog feature amusing and heartwarming stories about our late Leonberger dog Bronco, as well as other Leonbergers. It also has a lot of information about the Leonberger breed, the history, care, training, Leonberger organizations, etc. I also wrote a Leonberger book, which I am featuring in the sidebar.
Last Friday I got a few phone calls from NBC Universal. NBC Universal is a large media company that is a merger between NBC news and Universal Studios. I did not expect a phone call from them and since I am getting a lot of spam calls, I assumed it was bogus, so I ignored them. However, unlike most spammers they eventually left a message, which I listened to during the weekend. They said that they had been reading my Leonberger blog and were interested in a post that I had made about the tornado that ripped through Dallas on October 20, 2019. They wanted to interview me and asked for permission to use a few of my photos. I can add it was not my latest tornado post but a previous one.
Seeing myself on the TV was a bit surreal. Click on the image to see the interview. My interview starts at 1 minute and 11 seconds.Here I am with NBC journalist Katie Blake. Click on the image to see the interview. My interview starts at 1 minute and 11 seconds.
I would like to stress that there are thousands of people whom they could have interviewed. Thousands of people who probably would have been better candidates. What made all the difference was the post I made on my blog. Therefore, fellow bloggers, perhaps this is an example of the fact that blogs bring attention. By the way, the photos below were taken with my old Samsung Galaxy S8+ phone.
NBC used this photo. A neighbor’s house the morning of October 21st, 2019. Again, click on the image to see the interview.NBC used this photo as well. Inside Claudia’s (my wife) parents’ house. This was the morning after. In the photo we are walking into their house to check on them (that’s my wife). Again, click on the image to see the interview.
Today, October 20, 2024, is the 5-year anniversary of the EF3 Tornado that ravaged our neighborhood. Our chimney was smashed by a piece of concrete flying off a neighbor’s house, our roof was damaged and needed to be replaced, our garage door was destroyed, and the wiring and pipes in the attic were destroyed. In addition, our fence was damaged, and my grill flew across the yard. The cost of the repairs was $50,000.00. However, we were lucky compared to many of our neighbors whose houses were destroyed.
A neighbor’s house the morning of October 21st, 2019.Another neighbor’s house. This house was about 100 yards from our house. It took a direct hit from the tornado.
The house of my wife’s parents was more severely damaged than our house. The wind from the Tornado lifted my 89-year-old father-in-law up in the air and he was hit by a broken marble table that injured his back. He had a sore that was about one foot long. He did not go to the hospital. The school where our boys used to go, St. Marks School of Texas, was badly damaged and the walls of the gymnasium blew away. The neighborhood looked terrible afterwards.
Inside Claudia’s parents’ house. This was the morning after. We are walking into their house to check on them (that’s my wife).
It was also a tough time for our Leonberger dog Bronco. He was more than 12 years old, which is old for a Leonberger, and he had various age-related illnesses. Earlier in October he had amputated a toe due to a type of cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. One week after that we discovered a large deep ulcerous sore on the same paw a few inches above the surgical scar. Fortunately, it was not cancerous, as we first thought, but we would have to treat this sore in addition to nursing him back from his amputation. In addition, he also had the first signs of geriatric-onset laryngeal paralysis polyneuropathy (or GOLPP).
Bronco our Leonberger and Daisy our Pug the evening before the big storm. None of us suspected what was about to happen.
We lost power for four days due to the tornado and about one week after the tornado Bronco had a congestive heart failure. He eventually recovered but October 2019 was a very difficult month for him.
Bronco had just had a toe amputation. He did not blow down our fence.We had to change Bronco’s bandages every now and then but Rollo, our mini–Australian Shepherd made sure we did it right.Bronco and Rollo a few days after the Tornado.
I remember October 20, 2019, as if it was yesterday. I was sitting outside in my backyard drinking my favorite SMASH IPA, Yellow Rose, from Lone Pint, Texas, ABV 6.8%. IPA stands for India Pale Ale, a type of beer that contains a lot of hops. SMASH IPA is an IPA brewed with one type of Malts and one type of Hops (Single Malt, Single Hop). The single hop in this case is Mosaic. My phone started making a loud sound. It was an alarm announcing a tornado warning and, in the distance, I could hear a faint tornado siren. At first, I thought it was nothing but when I saw the lightning approaching, I decided to go inside. Two minutes later a hailstorm made things very loud, the wind was strong, and the house shook, and then we heard a loud explosion. That was a concrete block that had smashed our chimney.
I was sitting in my backyard drinking Yellow Rose my favorite SMASH IPA, not knowing that a tornado was advancing down the street nearby.
After the wind had died down a bit, I opened the door to the backyard, and what I saw shocked me. My gas grill had flown across the patio. There were bricks and pieces of concrete all over the patio and the lawn. There was a big sheet of metal lying on the patio. Big tree branches covered the lawn. There was debris everywhere. We had also lost power. It turns out that the EF3 tornado had gone through our neighborhood and passed within fifty to one hundred yards of our house.
Another neighbor’s house (a bit further away from us).
My wife Claudia asked me to go check on her parents. I drove about 50-100 yards when a neighbor’s roof lying across the road stopped me. I turned around but this time I was stopped by a large pile of trees lying across the street. So, I started walking, but this time I was stopped by a group of firemen telling me that it was too dangerous to be outside. They told me to go back home, and I did.
This is the next-door neighbor of Claudia’s (my wife) parents.
I can add that we got some unexpected help from our congressman at the time, Colin Allred, congressional district 32. My wife left the neighborhood in her car, but the police would not let anyone back in. This made it difficult to, for example, go shopping. I complained about this on Colin Allred’s Facebook page and within hours I received an email from Colin Allred’s legislative director (Judith). They had contacted city hall and the police and now the police would allow residents back in the neighborhood as long as they could show ID. Colin Allred’s office had my email from a previous communication. I did not leave that with my Facebook comment. My wife was happy since she now could go shopping.
Below are some additional photos that I took, showing the carnage in the neighborhood.
The remains of the Gap, a store at a nearby shopping center.Destroyed house in the neighborhood.View of the shopping center in our neighborhood.This was a school bus belonging to the school where my boys went.Streetview from the neighborhood.Another house in the neighborhood.The remains of the veterinary clinic where we used to take our dogs. Luckily there were no animals staying overnight at this time.Our street, just two/three houses down from us.
What we saw today. Solar Eclipse Stock Photo ID: 2344355767 by aeonWAVE
When I made my blog post Dallas On April 8 2024 I promised to follow up with what happened. We had a small solar eclipse barbeque. It was just me and my wife, our daughter, grandpa and grandma and our dog Rollo. Our daughter dressed up Rollo in a vampire dog cap and put bows on the beer glasses, my wife prepared the food, and I grilled chicken and hot dogs. Then we enjoyed the show. It was a great show, and we were lucky with the weather.
Grilling and drinking a Westvleteren 12 a Belgian Ale Quadrupel from Brouwerij de Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren in Belgium, ABV 10.2%.Our patio table. The little brown packages contain AAS / ISO certified solar eclipse glasses.Our daughter holding a Westvleteren 12 glass with a bow. Grandpa and grandma in the background.Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd on the patio.
The Partial Eclipse
It was partially cloudy during the partial eclipse, but we were able to get a good look at the eclipse as it progressed. To see the partial eclipse, you have to use good solar eclipse glasses. It is primarily for safety reasons, but it is also pointless to look at the sun during a partial eclipse. You won’t see the eclipse because the powerful light from the sun overwhelms your view. I had a little filter that was placed in front of my phone camera as I took a few pictures. Admittedly they were pretty bad. I have an old Samsung Galaxy S8+ but even using newer phones it is difficult to get decent photos of something like this. This is why I need to invest in a real camera.
Partial eclipse photo taken with my old Samsung Galaxy phone and a filter.
The Total Eclipse
1:40PM Dallas time the total solar eclipse happened and luckily it was not covered by clouds. At this point it suddenly got dark and it was safe to look straight at the sun without using the eclipse glasses. The total eclipse lasted four minutes. I have included a shutter stock photo below which closely represents what we actually saw. We saw a black circle and around the black circle was a wispy white fog like light. This was the sun’s corona and it shone with about the same power as the full moon. It kind of looked like a black hole. Our phone cameras distorted what we saw quite a bit, especially mine. The corona was blown up to 3 times its actually size and it looked messy, perhaps because it got dark. One thing this photo does not show is that the stars came out, which provided us with a little surprise.
What we saw today. Solar Eclipse Stock Photo ID: 2344355767 by aeonWAVE
The Venus Surprise
Below is a photo my daughter took with her phone. The sun looks tiny (it wasn’t) and the corona is overblown and does look like it actually did. However, you can see a star looking object down on the right above and on the left of the cloud and left of the airplane contrail. I used the Google Sky Map App to find out what star it was, but it wasn’t a star. It was the planet, Venus. It was located straight south high in the sky three quarters to zenith. I have certainly never seen Venus in that position in the sky before, and it was unusually luminous as well. I’ve seen Venus many times low in sky in the west soon after sundown (then called the evening star) and I’ve seen Venus many times low in sky in the east in the morning (then called the morning star), but never like this. The total solar eclipse provided an unexpected Venus show.
Total solar eclipse photo that my daughter took. Can you find Venus?
Total Eclipse Photos
These eight pictures above were taken with cell phones by my daughter Rachel, Denise Mosier-Wanken, and Margaret Weiss Bloebaum.
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.
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.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.
Overview of path of totality and partial solar eclipse worldwide. Public domain – NASA. Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak.Gif animation illustrating totality and extent of partial solar eclipse. Official work for NASA.My solar eclipse glasses that I bought on Amazon.
Click here or here to read more about the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
October 2019 was a tough month for us and especially for our Leonberger Bronco. He had a toe amputation due to a cancer growth on his toe, mysteries sores on his paw that wouldn’t heal for a long time, a tornado destroyed our neighborhood and damaged our house (cost $50,000.00), and then Bronco had a heart failure. All in one month.
Bronco lying in front of our fence, which was damaged by the tornado. His paw is in a bandage and there’s a plastic bag around it. I can add that we only put the plastic bag on while he was outside. If you keep it on longer than 15 minutes you may have problems with condensation.
Our veterinarian’s office had been destroyed by the tornado, so we took Bronco to the veterinary surgical center (where he had his toe amputated) for bandage changes (amputated toe and mysterious sores). After a few visits, the technicians suggested that we do it at home to save time and money. More important, it would be easier on Bronco. So, they gave us instructions, and we started doing it at home.
Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt of Bronco running with a cast.
But changing Bronco’s bandages wasn’t as easy as just rolling out some gauze and tape. First, we had to clean the sores with chlorhexidine, an antiseptic solution. Then we had to apply a healing ointment, such as manuka honey or QuickDerm. This involved spreading it on an Adaptic pad (breathable and nonstick), then wrapping the pad with a Telfa pad (or gauze pad). After that came the soft bandage, then the outer bandage, then something sticky to hold it all together. The latter was necessary because bandages easily slip off dog hair.
Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd on the left. Le Bronco our Leonberger on the right. The outer bandage is purple in this picture but we also used green.
I did most of the bandage changes, but my wife Claudia and the children helped, and even Rollo, our mini-Australian Shepherd helped. He was very curious: he stood by and watched everything I did as if he were checking to see that I didn’t forget anything. He loved Bronco’s bandage changes and seemed to think that they were very interesting. He followed every move I made with my hands and it seemed like he wanted to help. It was never a problem—except for the time he drank the chlorhexidine.
Rollo carefully inspecting the bandage change.Rollo making sure I don’t forget anything.Rollo thinks the Hypafix tape, chlorhexidine and manuka honey is very interesting.
Therefore, I think that Rollo was a little bit like a dog nurse.
Today, October 20, 2023, is the 4-year anniversary of the EF3 Tornado that ravaged our neighborhood. Our house was damaged. Our chimney was smashed by a piece of concrete flying off a neighbor’s house, and our roof was damaged and needed to be replaced. In addition, our garage door was destroyed, and the wiring and pipes in the attic were destroyed, our fence was damaged, and my grill flew across the yard. The cost of the repairs was $50,000.00.
Bronco had just had a toe amputation. He did not blow down our fence.
However, we were lucky. Several of our neighbors’ houses were demolished and my wife’s parents house was a lot more damaged than our house was. The wind from the Tornado lifted my 89-year-old father-in-law up in the air and he was hit by a broken marble table that injured his back. The school where our boys used to go, St. Marks School of Texas, was badly damaged and the walls of the gymnasium blew away.
A neighbor’s house the morning of October 21st, 2019.
I remember this fateful day as if it was yesterday. I was sitting outside in my backyard drinking my favorite SMASH IPA, Yellow Rose, from Lone Pint, Texas, ABV 6.8%. IPA stands for India Pale Ale, a type of beer that contains a lot of hops. SMASH IPA is an IPA brewed with one type of Malts and one type of Hops (Single Malt, Single Hop). The single hop in this case is Mosaic.
On October 20 2019, four years ago today, I was sitting in my backyard drinking my favorite SMASH IPA, Yellow Rose from Lone Pint Brewery, Texas, ABV 6.8%, IBU 62, as an EF3 Tornado was ravaging our neighborhood. I walked in right before it got crazy. The flavor is mango, pineapple, orange, blueberry and then there is a grapefruit rind and a pine resin like bitterness at the end. It is my favorite bad weather beer.
Anyway, my phone started making a loud sound. It was an alarm announcing a tornado warning and, in the distance, I could hear a faint tornado siren. At first, I thought it was nothing but when I saw the lightning approaching, I decided to go inside. Two minutes later a hailstorm made things very loud, the wind was strong, and the house shook, and then we heard a loud explosion. That was our chimney being smashed.
Another neighbor’s house. This house was about 100 yards from our house. It took a direct hit from the tornado.
After the wind had died down a bit, I opened the door to the backyard, and what I saw shocked me. My gas grill had flown across the patio. There were bricks and pieces of concrete all over the patio and the lawn. There was a big sheet of metal lying on the patio. Big tree branches covered the lawn. There was debris everywhere. We had also lost power. It turns out that the EF3 tornado had gone through our neighborhood and passed within fifty to one hundred yards of our house.
Another neighbor’s house.
My wife Claudia asked me to go check on her parents. I drove about 50-100 yards when a neighbor’s roof lying across the road stopped me. I turned around but this time I was stopped by a large pile of trees lying across the street. So, I started walking, but this time I was stopped by a group of firemen telling me that it was too dangerous to be outside. They told me to go back home, and I did.
Inside Claudia’s parents’ house. This was the morning after. We are walking into their house to check on them (that’s my wife).
October of 2019 was a very difficult month for our Leonberger Bronco. He was getting old. He was twelve years old, and he had the first signs of geriatric-onset laryngeal paralysis polyneuropathy (or GOLPP), which made his breathing a bit labored and affected his gait. In addition, he had developed another case of squamous cell carcinoma, a toe-nail cancer, and this time on his right rear paw. We amputated his toe on October 3—the day he turned twelve years and three months old.
We had to change Bronco’s bandages every now and then but Rollo, our mini–Australian Shepherd made sure we did it right.A store at a nearby shopping center (it’s the GAP).
The coyote (Canis latrans) is a close relative of the wolf (Canis lupus) and the dog (Canis lupus familiaris). Coyotes live in every US state except Hawaii. It is estimated that there are between one million and ten million coyotes. Coyotes kill a lot of cats and dogs as well as livestock including 135,000 sheep per year (see this link). A lot of coyotes roam the neighborhoods in Dallas. I see them all the time and I’ve had close encounters with them while walking the dogs. Recently a two-year-old in Dallas was injured by a coyote attack (see the video below).
This means that dog owners need to pay attention to the coyotes. Don’t leave small dogs and cats outside if you don’t have a fence that coyotes cannot get through. When walking small dogs, you may want to bring maze or bear spray with you. I admit, I don’t, but it is an option worth thinking about.
Photo of a coyote taken on our younger son’s class trip to YellowstoneIf you want to see wildlife photos from the Yellowstone/Grand Teton class trip click on the image. I was there too. It is a website that I created a long time ago. The trip was led by the math teacher (Frank Jordan).
This informational video was created by a local news organization after the coyote attack on the two-year-old boy. DFW stands for Dallas Forth Worth.
Below I am including an excerpt from my book about a close coyote encounter while walking the dogs.
Our neighborhood is generously populated with coyotes as well as rabbits. Bronco (our Leonberger) used to bark at them, so they never got close to us. I assume they were afraid of him, but they certainly weren’t afraid of Daisy (Pug) or Ryu (Japanese Chin).
One day I saw a coyote coming around the corner at the end of our street as I was walking Daisy and Ryu. He saw us and proceeded straight toward us without hesitation and with no sign of fear. He wasn’t running, but coyotes have long legs, and he was sort of trotting along and moving pretty fast. I wasn’t worried for myself—an adult human can easily handle a lone coyote. I was worried for Daisy and Ryu. I didn’t want them to be the coyote’s dinner.
As the coyote came closer, I stopped and stared at him. When he was around fifteen feet away, he stopped and stared back at me. Ryu and Daisy were staring at the coyote, too. I could see that they were frightened, but they didn’t bark.
Meanwhile, I was calculating how best I could fight the animal. It wasn’t practical to lift both dogs in my arms and try to fight at the same time. So I had to let the dogs stay on the ground.
Before I could strategize further, though, the coyote continued on his way and disappeared behind some houses farther down the road.
Coyotes are pretty common almost everywhere in the United States, so if you need another reason to avoid letting your cats and small dogs run loose, remind yourself of this story.
Leonberger Life 