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.
Large dogs are sometimes expert counter surfers. Our Leonberger Bronco sometimes stole food, and he could certainly eat a lot. Once he sneaked into the kitchen during the night and ate a 2lbs bag of dog treats, a box of pastries, bread, a grilled chicken, a container of mash, a key-lime pie, and whatever was on that empty plate. He still wanted breakfast. I should mention that he was on a diet, and that’s when stuff like this happens.
A screenshot from my FacebookBronco and our Pug Daisy are sharing a gingerbread house. Bronco opened the gate to the kitchen using his paws and nose.
But how about Thanksgiving and large dogs?
Thanksgiving is a day of thanks, and a day of temptation for large dogs. Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com
Our Labrador Baylor could not eat as much as Bronco, but he was an extremely skilled food thief. Combining speed, patience, stealth, and the element of surprise, he could steal almost any food. Once he made off with the Thanksgiving Turkey. As soon as I realized what had happened, I went looking for him in our backyard. I chased him around and was able to get the Turkey from him. I cleaned it off and asked my wife what the best way would be to serve it after what happened. She told me to forget about serving the remaining Turkey.
A close up of our Labrador Baylor
Would you have served a Turkey half eaten by a dog?
Our Labrador Baylor was a stealthy, opportunist and quick food thief. Food tended to disappear around him as if it never was there. Our German Shepherd on the other hand never stole food and took it upon herself to guard the entrance to the kitchen to the chagrin of Baylor. If she could have spoken, she would have said “you shall not pass”.
Baylor and Baby
Our Leonberger Bronco was our biggest dog, and he could eat a lot. Once we had prepared a big plate with five pounds of roast beef for a dinner party. Bronco finished those five pounds of roast beef with astonishing speed. I saw him do it, but I was not quick enough to stop him. Luckily, he thoughtfully left us the carrots, the broccoli and the dip, so the guests had something to eat. All our dogs were, and are, great dogs, but many dogs have this vice, food theft. I should say that Bronco often willingly shared his loot with other dogs. He was not selfish. Below I am including a few excerpts from my book concerning food theft.
Labrador food theft stories
Photo of our Labrador Baylor
In addition to his hatred for mailmen, Baylor had one more vice, and that was stealing food. He was always hungry, and he was pretty good at culinary theft. On one occasion, I was standing in the kitchen holding a sandwich in my hand. Suddenly the sandwich disappeared from my fingers as if it had been teleported. I didn’t feel a thing—no pull, no touch, no wet nose. It just vanished. I turned around, and behind me stood Baylor, swallowing something. He looked at me, wagging his tail. Was he innocent? Did Captain Kirk beam my sandwich to another dimension? How could I be mad at him when I didn’t have proof?
On another occasion, Baylor jumped up on top of the kitchen table using a chair as a step stool and cleared it of the desserts that Claudia’s grandmother had brought for the kids and the family. That’s how I learned that she had a swear-word vocabulary—and that it was substantial. Fortunately, the kids weren’t nearby. On yet another occasion, Baylor emptied a tray of baklava that had been sitting on the kitchen counter.
His most notable food raid was probably when he stole the Thanksgiving turkey and ran off with it. We salvaged most of it, but knowing that Baylor had been all over it, we decided not to eat what he left us. It wasn’t very appetizing.
Leonberger food theft stories
Our Leonberger Bronco is ready for dinner
I believe dogs have empathy, and sometimes they want to share, at least Bronco did. There was a time when we were in our home eating take-out food and Bronco stole one of our dinners, including meat, vegetables, and a baked potato. He started eating the meat, then he glanced at Daisy, who was sitting in the middle of the floor looking sad. Immediately he took the baked potato in his mouth and carried it over to her and dropped it right at her feet. I was going to get mad at him for stealing, but when I saw his kindhearted and unselfish act, I let it be.
On another occasion, Rachel made a gingerbread house and left it on the kitchen counter. I had forgotten to lock the kitchen gate, and the photograph above shows what greeted me when I got home. Guess who ate half the gingerbread house. I should say that Bronco shared some with Daisy. He was always very generous.
Bronco and our Pug Daisy sharing a gingerbread house
On yet another occasion, Bronco got hold of a box of chocolates in the shape of small gnomes. Each gnome was filled with liquor—some with gin, some with vodka, some with whiskey, and some with rum. It was a gift from Rachel, who had just come back from a visit to China. She had bought the present for us at the airport in Hong Kong. But Bronco ate the entire thing—tinfoil wrappers, chocolate, liquor, and all. We were afraid he might get very sick, and we carefully monitored him, ready to rush him to the emergency clinic if necessary. Fortunately, nothing happened, except he threw up a little bit of tinfoil. I guess he had a stomach of steel.
So, for this Thanksgiving watch your dogs so they don’t run off with your Turkey
Leonberger Life 