Tag: Japanese Chin

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Bronco's Adventures

Illustrations by Naomi Rosenblatt for my Book and This is Blog Post 100

My book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger” feature 58 photos and 16 illustrations, all in color. The illustrations were made by Naomi Rosenblatt. Some of the stories in my book I think are funny, exciting, or touching but like it is for most people, the best moments you don’t record with photos or video. You miss them. Some of the stories in my book I believe would have gone viral if they had been recorded, but they weren’t, and that’s why I needed someone who knew how to create an illustration of the events (without charging too much). I don’t know how to draw so I couldn’t do it. I think she did a good job.

This is my 100th post since I started my Leoberger blog back in March 2022.  I think showing the 16 illustrations made by Naomi Rosenblatt is a good 100th post. I also included links to stories related to the illustrations of the event if I’ve made a blog post about it, usually in the form of an excerpt from my book. To read the stories related to the illustrations that does not have a link, you’ll have to get my book. Anyway, I’ll hope you will enjoy the illustrations below.

My wife was harassed by a peeping Tom at night. In fact, he was harassing women all over the neighborhood. I hired private detectives to catch him but to no avail. Can you guess who solved the problem? To read about it click here or here.

Illustration showing a peeping Tom looking through our bedroom window. He is sitting on a garden chair.
Peeping Tom by our bedroom window
Illustration of Leonberger chasing off a peeping Tom.
Bronco saving the neighborhood.
Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing a Leonberger dragging a woman, my wife or my daughter, both happened.
Oops! What happens when a Leonberger doesn’t listen to you? See the book for the story.

Leonbergers have an excellent sense of smell. Our Leonberger Bronco sniffed out and found our run away hamsters on a number of occasions. He had a hamster search and rescue operation going, On one occasion his special superpower became somewhat embarrassing. Please don’t tell anyone. The victims still don’t know what happened. Click here or here to find out what happened.

Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing a Leonberger with two hamsters in his mouth.
Don’t worry he didn’t eat the hamsters. He most likely saved them.
Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing CPR on a hamster. He came back alive,.
Wouldn’t you be somewhat distressed if a big dog put you in his mouth? Hamster CPR was needed but the hamsters were just fine. Again, please don’t tell the owners of the hamsters.

Bronco’s attack on the laptop made the  Best Buy Geek Squad technicians’ day. It was something e had never seen before. You shouldn’t ignore your dog while playing computers games, it’s upsetting and what if he crushes or eats your computer. To read about it click here.

Illustration of Geek Squad technician being very excited about the story he just heard.
That’s the best story I’ve ever heard. With a good story the warranty will always apply. Remember that!

I can’t believe Bronco did this to me. Pushing our German Shepherd into the storm drain while barking and acting like crazy because he saw a dog across the street. The man lifted up his dog and fled down the street and left me with a mess. To read this crazy story click here.

Illustration showing our German Shepherd Baby in the storm drain. Me trying to handle the situation. After this Baby decided that I had to walk her separately from Bronco. She loved Bronco very much, but I guess she had some misgivings after this event.
Our German Shepherd Baby in the storm drain. Me trying to handle the situation. After this Baby decided that I had to walk her separately from Bronco. She loved Bronco very much, but I guess she had some misgivings after this event.
Illustration of me and our Leonberger Bronco chasing a rabbit. Rabbits are fun to chase, aren’t they? Some people think watching such games is hilarious.
Rabbits are fun to chase, aren’t they? Some people think watching such games is hilarious.
Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing our Labrador Baylor crossing the rainbow bridge.
Our Labrador left us tragically and unexpectantly. Evidence that we humans our cruel.
Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing our late German Shepherd Baby under a star.
Sometimes not thinking things through is cruel. Watch your emotions. We could have done better for our brave German Shepherd Baby.
Hurry and run Claudia. Catch the runaway Leonberger. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
Sometimes Bronco gave you a reason to run as fast as you could.
Bronco our Leonberger in a full leg cast running down the street. Oops you are not supposed to bump it. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
One time Bronco had to wear a full leg cast that could not be bumped. Well, he turned into a cast wearing monster chasing people and dogs around the neighborhood. Never mind not bumping the cast.
Illustration of neighbor running down the street with his corgis. Run for your life, yes run for your life dear. On the rare  occasions that Bronco was not well behaved it was better to flee. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
Run for your life, yes run for your life dear. On the rare  occasions that Bronco was not well behaved it was better to flee.
Drawing of Ryu our smart little Japanese Chin. Our smart little angel was unlucky with cancer and I was not there for him.
Our smart little angel was unlucky with cancer and I was not there for him.
Illustration showing Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd, Bronco our Leonberger, and Daisy our Pug. Bronco lived a very long life for a Leonberger. Giant breeds don’t live long. The Leonberger Health Foundation International is trying to fix that. Bronco’s longevity is an inspiration for all Leonbergers and giant breeds around the world. Hopefully his DNA sample will be of some help.
Bronco lived a very long life for a Leonberger. Giant breeds don’t live long. The Leonberger Health Foundation International is trying to fix that. Bronco’s longevity is an inspiration for all Leonbergers and giant breeds around the world. Hopefully his DNA sample will be of some help.
Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing a paw print in the sky.
The paw prints that dogs leave in your heart are eternal.

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Finally, if you would like to learn about more about my book and find out where to buy it, click here or here. You can also click the image below to buy it from Amazon.

This image shows the front cover of the book "The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle". Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger. It is beige and brown and has an old Leonberger in the middle. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.
This is the front cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.
Categories
Bronco's Adventures

Coyotes Dogs and Leonbergers

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 Yellowstone. Very green grass with a coyote in the middle.
Photo of a coyote taken on our younger son’s class trip to Yellowstone
This is a photo showing the math teacher Frank Jordan in Yellowstone and Grand Teton in 2007. Grand Teton the background. If 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).
If 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.

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Finally, if you would like to learn about more about my book and find out where to buy it, click here or here. You can also click the image below to buy it from Amazon.com.

The image shows the front cover of the book "The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle". Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger. The cover is beige and brown and it has the face of an old Leonberger in the middle. Author is Thomas Wikman. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com paperback location for the book.
This is the front cover of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com location for the book.

Categories
Photos

Our Leonberger and His Japanese Chin Friend

This blog post is focused on Ryu one of the dogs that Bronco grew up with.

Photo of Ryu a Japanese Chin. He was our Leonberger Bronco's little brother.
Ryu a Japanese Chin

Around a year after we got Bronco, we got a fourth dog, a Japanese Chin. He was a gift for our daughter, Rachel, who named him Ryu after a Japanese ninja warrior. Ryu was a very energetic dog, quick and brave—except that he was terrified of thunderstorms. At seventeen or eighteen pounds, he was bigger than most Japanese Chins, but he was still a small dog. He got along very well with Bronco.

Photo of our daughter Rachel with Ryu her Japanese Chin. They are sitting on a chair at the dogpark.
Rachel and Ryu, the Japanese Shin at the dogpark.

One of the things that stood out about Ryu was his singing. Japanese Chins are famous for their singing—well, actually, it’s closer to howling, but Ryu’s was a beautiful howl, and he was very proud of it.

Photo Ryu a Japanese Chin. He is ready to sing or howl, whatever.
Ryu the howling opera singer.

As soon as he discovered that he got a lot of attention for it, he started doing it quite often. Whenever we came home, he would sit politely, look at us intently—it seemed like he was clearing his throat too and howl. Like an opera singer, he would slowly turn his head to look at us, as if he were performing. In fact, I think Ryu’s howling sounded just like a night at the opera—especially when the lyrics are sung in Italian.

Photo of Ryu standing with Rachel. Ruy loved dancing and singing and Bronco partially visible on the left was his big brother and protector.
Ryu loved dancing and singing and Bronco partially visible on the left was his big brother and protector.

We would say, “Good boy, Ryu,” and clap, and he looked mighty proud. Other people thought it was cute and wonderful, too, and they gave him lots of praise, and of course he loved doing it and got good at it. When Rachel played the harmonica, Ryu would howl along. They made quite a duo.

“Good boy” might not be the kind of praise Andrea Bocelli would want, but Ryu was perfectly happy with it.

Left to right in photo, Daisy a Pug, Ryu a Japanese Chin, Bronco a Leonberger.
Daisy (Pug), Ryu (Japanese Chin), Bronco (Leonberger)

The interaction between Ryu and Bronco was sometimes truly amazing to watch. I remember one instance in which Bronco was sleeping in the house and Ryu was outside in our fenced backyard. The door to the backyard was open. I heard Ryu bark a few times. He had evidently seen something he wanted us to notice—or something he wanted other people to notice.

Left to right in photot Daisy (Pug), Ryu (Japanese Chin), and then our Leonberger Bronco.
On the left Daisy (Pug) and Ryu (Japanese Chin). On the right Bronco our Leonberger.

Then I saw Ryu running in through the back door. He was a fast runner. He ran to Bronco, jumped on his stomach, and barked at him. Bronco woke up, looking drowsy and confused. Ryu waited for Bronco to shake off his grogginess and get up, then he ran out the back door with Bronco in tow. They both hurried to the gate that leads to the street. Ryu yapped, and Bronco barked his loud, booming bark. Ryu had enlisted help to multiply his bark power.

Photo of three dogs resting thinking up mischief. Ryu a clever little dog enlisting big brother's help. Ryu is a Japanese Chin, Daisy a Pug, and Bronco a Leonberger.
Three dogs resting and probably thinking up mischief. Ryu a clever little dog enlisting big brother’s help.
From left to right in photo; Bronco a Leonberger, Ryu a Japanese Chin, Daisy a Pug.
Bronco our Leonberger was very protective of his little siblings Ryu our Japanese Shin and Daisy our Pug. He saved Daisy’s life when he got in between her and an attacking loose big dog.
Ryu a Japanese Chin is licking Daisy's ear. Daisy is a Pug.
Ryu loved Daisy
Photo of Ryu (Japanese Chin) and Daisy (Pug). Bronco our Leoberger is partially visible on the left.
Daisy and Ryu, Bronco in the corner.
Photo of a Pug (Daisy) and a Japanese Chin (Ry) sleeping.
Sleeping little dogs
Photo of a table with a cake for the dogs and Bronco and Ryu are ready to eat.
Ryu’s birthday. Bronco is helping with the celebrations.
Photo of Ryu a Japanese Chin being under the weather.
Not every day was great.

Finally, I would like to promote my book about Bronco and Leonbergers.

This is the front cover of the book "The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle". Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com location for the book.
This is the front cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com location for the book.
This is the back cover of the book "The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle". Click on the image to go to the Amazon.se location for the book.
This is the back cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.se location for the book.
This is an image showing the endorsements for the book. Click on the image to got to the Barnes and Noble location for the book.
These are the endorsements for the book. Click on the image to got to the Barnes and Noble location for the book.

Below is a list of where you can find the book. Click on the links to go to the respective store. However, if your favorite bookstore is not listed below you can search for it using the ISBN or ASIN numbers.

ISBN number for printed edition: 978-0998084954

ASIN number for the e-book edition: B0B5NN32SR