Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle – Page 6

Reviewing The Climate Casino by William D. Nordhaus

Normally the focus of my blog is on Leonbergers, especially our late Leonberger Bronco, but sometimes I present a good book which I want to promote. Today I would like to present and review The Climate Casino: Risk, Uncertainty, and Economics for a Warming World, Hardcover – October 22, 2013 and paperback– February 24, 2015 by William D. Nordhaus. The hardcover version has the dimensions 6.13 x 1.06 x 9.25 inches and the weight 1.54 pounds and currently cost $13.41 on Amazon.

Nordhaus received the Nobel prize in economics 2018 “for integrating climate change into long-run macroeconomic analysis” (Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences). Nordhaus is one of the most prominent economists in the world and without doubt a genius. He is worth listening to.

Before I present my Amazon review, I would like to point out that this book is very important for a few reasons.

Nordhaus has been referenced, for example, in articles in the Wall Street Journal as someone who claims that climate change / global warming is costlier to mitigate than to allow to happen and that it might even be beneficial. He vehemently denies that he ever said something along these lines, and it is important to understand how this misunderstanding came to be.
Nordhaus believes that climate change / global warming is happening, that it is dangerous, costly and that we humans are the cause of it.
When calculating the potential cost of climate change Nordhaus does not take into account things like the extinction of species, not because it doesn’t matter, but because it is so difficult to put an economic value on it. Therefore, his calculations should be viewed as a baseline, a minimum to consider. If death is free of charge, it is not included, which he makes clear.
Nordhaus takes into account the fact that technological progress and economic progress is making us more resilient. For example, despite the fact that natural disasters are getting worse, much fewer people are dying from them because we have become much better at preventing casualties. For example, WHO calculated that if global warming continues unabated 80 million additional people will die from malaria by 2050 due to the extended geographical spread of mosquitoes carrying malaria. Nordhaus takes into account the fact that future medical technology will be much better so that this may not be a big problem.
Nordhaus also takes into account discounting. The fact that money is more valuable today than it is tomorrow. Twenty thousand dollars may be worth one hundred thousand dollars fifty years from now if you let it earn interest. Therefore, we should not spend too much money today to fix future problems (despite that fact we should still spend money today). The annual discount rate he is using is 4%. Some say that is too high.
All that is mentioned above causes many environmentalists to jump to the conclusion that he is downplaying the cost of climate change / global warming. It also makes fossil fuel industry apologists falsely conclude that he is on their side. Thereof the confusion in Wall Street Journal articles.
What he is doing is making his economic arguments for action today unassailable. No matter how you downplay the risks they should be addressed today based on purely economic rationale.
He stresses the concept of economic externalities, something a lot of people don’t understand, especially people who learned economics from talk show hosts and politicians instead of taking classes in economics. An externality is an indirect cost or benefit to an uninvolved third party that arises as an effect of another party’s activity. It makes the free market fail and allows regulation to improve economic efficiency. It’s a big deal.

It should be noted that he is the world’s topmost expert on the economics of climate change / global warming. To see my original review, click here.

The blue front cover of the book The Climate Casino: Risk, Uncertainty, and Economics for a Warming World by Nobel Prize Winner in economics William Nordhaus. Click on the picture to go to the Amazon location for the hardcover of the book. — Front cover of the book The Climate Casino: Risk, Uncertainty, and Economics for a Warming World by Nobel Prize Winner in economics William Nordhaus. Click on the picture to go to the Amazon location for the hardcover of the book.

My Amazon Review

About The Thorniest of Externalities

In this book Nobel Prize Laurate in Economics (2018) William Nordhaus analyses the economic consequences of global warming. Nordhaus takes seriously the potentially catastrophic impacts of climate change, but he avoids all exaggeration and tries to be as realistic and conservative in his estimates as possible. He stresses that global warming is a major threat to humans and the natural world. That past climates were driven by natural sources, but that current climate change is increasingly caused by human activities. He gives us a brief introduction to climate science and the conclusions presented by the IPCC. He states that potential damage will be concentrated to low-income and tropical regions and explains that there are dangerous tipping points.

He explains that his economic analysis leaves out some potentially important consequences of climate change because they are difficult to quantity or because economic concerns are not the primary concern in those cases. He states that the most damaging impacts of climate change – in unmanaged and unmanageable human and natural systems – lie well outside the conventional marketplace. An example is species extinctions. There is no price tag on the value of a species. He explains that there have been five mass extinctions over the last 500 million years and now a sixth one is developing. That is a serious scenario he could not include in his economic analysis.

In his economic analysis he takes into account that many northern developed nations will be economically advantaged by global warming, as long as the temperatures do not rise too much. He takes into account that future generations will be wealthier, have better medicine, and will possess technologies that will help them adapt better to climate change. For example, the area in which malaria is endemic is likely to grow because of global warming thus potentially killing tens or hundreds of millions of people assuming today’s medical technology, but in the future medical technology will be better so that is not likely to happen. In fact, many of the health impacts of climate change are likely to be manageable in a future wealthier world. This is one reason why trying to slow economic growth to stop global warming is a bad idea that is counterproductive. There are much better ways.

Another important feature of his analysis is discounting. Money is more valuable today than tomorrow. Twenty thousand dollars may be worth one hundred thousand dollars fifty years from now if you let it earn interest. Therefore, it may not be worth paying a thousand dollars today to save future generations five thousand dollars. He uses a significant discount rate that has been criticized, but the important thing to remember is that this way he is not exaggerating. As it turns out, climate change is still expensive to future generations depending on how far we allow it to go. It is definitely worth investing today in slowing climate change. His graphs demonstrate that economic losses quickly become gigantic if you go too far beyond the temperature optimum (which depends on the assumptions behind the graph). One graph was 2 ¼ Celsius, another 3 ½ Celsius. Note, that is without considering unquantifiable consequences.

All his talk about discounting, certain economically positive consequences of climate change, that we will get better at adapting, etc., has led to misunderstandings by those with imperfect reading comprehension. Some environmentalists have concluded that he is underestimating climate change, and some climate skeptics have incorrectly concluded he is on their side. An article in the Wall Street Journal incorrectly claimed that William Nordhaus predicted that climate change would be economically beneficial.

Perhaps the most central concept in his analysis of how to approach the problem is externalities. An externality is an indirect cost or benefit to an uninvolved third party that arises as an effect of another party’s activity. For example, those who produce emissions/pollution do not pay for that privilege, and those who are harmed are not compensated. Global warming is a particularly thorny externality because it is global. Inventions correspond to positive externalities. Innovators are frequently paid only a small fraction of the benefits their innovations bring, while benefiting all of society. This is why subsidizing technology and innovation can be beneficial to the economy.

He states that economics teaches us that unregulated markets will not put the correct price on externalities like CO2. To make the market more fair, efficient, and grow the economy faster you try to correct for the externality and the best way to do that is a Pigouvian tax. Market fundamentalists who’ve learned economics from talk show hosts but never taken an economics class may balk at this, but it is a basic concept in economics, like supply and demand. Towards the end he strongly argues for some sort of a carbon price, which I saw as the conclusion of the book. I thought his book was very informative, excellent analysis, and very well written.

Back cover of the book The Climate Casino: Risk, Uncertainty, and Economics for a Warming World.

The Day Surstromming Gave American Students a Culture Shock in Their Own Country

In my recent post called “Culture Shock Sweden USA” I included a photo of myself opening and smelling a can of north Swedish fermented herring, or as it is properly called “surströmming”. It is a specialty from the north Swedish Highcoast where I grew up. Underneath the photo I wrote “Unfortunately, all the Americans experienced a culture shock from the fermented herring.” See the excerpt below. What I should maybe have mentioned in my post is that even though it was a joke, it was still true. People were not ready for what was coming.

I am standing in the middle holding a can of surströmming. I am surrounded by other Swedes. — Four Swedes inviting Americans to a fermented herring party. Fermented herring is a north Swedish specialty. Unfortunately, all the Americans experienced a culture shock from the fermented herring. I am the guy smelling the fermented herring can.

After I had posted “Culture Shock Sweden USA”, I posted a link to my blog on my Facebook and I received a few comments including comments from two people who actually were there at the fermented herring party in 1987. I’ve included the comments below.

Surströmming first-timer videos are getting pretty common these days, but I still always end up laughing until I can barely breathe when they start the uncontrollable retching! Always reminds of the Surströmming party and that nasty prank we pulled on the residents of Glaser House! 🤣 — Lee

Delicious memories….NOT!!! 🤢🤮 — Alyce

What happened was that as soon as I opened the can, all Americans dashed for the windows or doors trying to escape the smell. In the party invitation we had left out one or two details, like that surströmming is often said to be the worst smelling food in the world. The “nasty prank” Lee was referring to was me and him going around the dorm and placing left over surströmming in the ventilation drums of the dorm. I admit that was immature. Luckily, it did not work as well as we had hoped, or we probably would have both been expelled.

A dozen herrings and a fish called simpa. — Herrings that we caught in northern Sweden. Plus, a fish called Simpa.

This is an excerpt from Wikipedia on the topic:

Since gaining notoriety as one of the world’s smelliest foods, surströmming has become the focus of a number of “challenge” videos on YouTube and other platforms where people uninitiated to the food show themselves opening a can for the first time, usually to visceral reaction, and then try to eat the fish without additional preparation. Often the videos show the participants gagging, swearing, holding their nose, or vomiting.

To read more about surströmming on the disgusting food museum’s webpage click here.

In the end we had a good time. The smell dissipated and people ate and drank other things we offered. We swedes ate the surströmming but a few others tasted a little bit as well. We knew what the reaction would be, and we did not offer the fermented herring in the hopes that people would love it. It became a good source of conversation and jokes, and that’s what we hoped for. I should say that you normally open the cans outside and let the smell dissipate before you eat them. The surströmming taste mostly like pickled herring with lemon and lots of salt and you typically eat with onion and potato or rolled in soft and thin bread (tunnbröd).

My niece Alma holding a herring. My dad in the background.

Have you eaten any weird foods?

A Very Good Old Leonberger Book

I recently finished reading “The Leonberger Hardcover version – April 1, 2000”, by Angela White. Currently it is only the hardback version that is available on Amazon, and it is 208 pages. I could not find it on Barnes and Noble or Chapters Indigo. The dimensions of this hardback are 7.25 x 0.75 x 10.5 inches, and the weight is 1.63 pounds, ISBN 978-1852790646, and on Amazon it currently costs between $4.95 and $91.85 depending on the quality of the book. It is currently out of print, so you have to buy a used copy. I bought mine for around $20.00 and except for a few scribbles on the inside cover it was in good condition.

A scan of the front cover of “The Leonberger” by Angela White. It consist of a Leonberger standing on snow. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book. — Front cover of “The Leonberger” by Angela White (scanned). Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.

In summary: Angela White is an experienced British author, an expert dog trainer and a Leonberger owner, well she was at the time. This book was great, much better than I expected. However, it is somewhat outdated and as I mentioned it is out of print. It does not have a great overall rating, but it seems like everyone who downrated it did so because it was out of print. I don’t downrate a book because it is out of print because that is a problem unrelated to the content of the book. Therefore, I gave it five stars.

Below is my review of The Leonberger by Angela White.

It’s Old but It Is the Most Professional Leonberger Book I’ve Come Across

I bought a used copy of the Leonberger by Angela White. Unfortunately, it is no longer in print. The author is a dog trainer and a Leonberger owner. As far as I can tell she is an expert dog trainer. In 208 pages the book covers, in detail, the origins and the history of the Leonberger breed, owning a Leonberger and the care of a Leonberger, showing your Leonberger, nutrition and health, breeding Leonbergers, and training Leonbergers. The author is British, so naturally the book is written from a British perspective. For example, she talks extensively about the (British) Kennel Club, but she does not mention the Leonberger Club of America.

The author is extremely knowledgeable, science oriented, and she knows and understands dogs, especially Leonbergers, exceptionally well. She is also a very good author and I think this book is very well written. It is jam packed with useful information, much of it I did not know. Therefore, I learned a lot from this book. It is well organized and there’s no repetition. I counted more than 180 colorful Leonberger photos that were all helpful and informative in their respective context, from whelping to old age.

I’ve read more than 30 Leonberger books, as well as other dog training books, and this book is hands down the best book on training a Leonberger that I’ve come across. The 80 pages on training Leonbergers is fabulously written with lots of helpful information. I think I can say with confidence that there is no better Leonberger book out there with respect to training. I was also impressed by the chapter on breeding Leonbergers. I am not very interested in this topic, but I’ve noticed that most Leonberger books that claim to cover breeding do not say much useful on the topic, if anything at all. This book gives a 32-page overview of the important aspects of breeding, how to do it, paperwork, etc., while referring to more in-depth sources for details.

The book was written a long time ago in 1998 (hardcover released 2000). Therefore, portions of it are outdated. This shows when the author writes about certain illnesses in Leonbergers. For example, Addison’s disease is no longer a considerable concern and some problems with Leonbergers are not mentioned. Perhaps most notable, the book states that Leonbergers should be neutered / spayed as soon as possible at the beginning of puberty. Since this book was written it has become clear that this will physically harm the dog and I see this as the major drawback of the book. Now a day it is recommended that you wait two years before neutering a Leonberger.

I am rating this book five stars despite it being outdated and despite the unfortunate advice on neutering / spaying, because the book shines in so many other aspects. I am not reducing my rating because the book is out of print since that is a problem unrelated to the content of the book.

A scan of the back cover of the book "the Leonberger" by Angela White. There is a photo of Leonberger in front of a fence as well as an introductory text. — Back cover of “The Leonberger” by Angela White (scanned).

Review of Leonberger Complete Training Guide and Promotion Reminder

In this post I am going to review a Leonberger book, “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” by Bella Ross. However, before I do, I would like to remind everyone about my e-Book promotion in honor of our late Leonberger Bronco’s birthday on July 3^rd, as well as the one-year anniversary of my book release.

I temporarily lowered the price of my e-Book from $4.99 to $2.99 on Amazon as well as on IngramSpark, which covers a range of bookstores including Barnes and Noble, Indigo in Canada, independent bookstores, libraries, and Apple devices. I am ending this promotion in a couple of days, but the lower price may stay longer on IngramSpark bookstores because they only update prices on Fridays.

Finally, this is my review of the book Leonberger Complete Training Guide by Bella Ross

I recently finished reading Leonberger Complete Training Guide: Essential Training Guide To Raising A Healthy And Obedient Dog: Caring, Health, Feeding, Exercise, Socialization, Breeding, Showing And Much More. Paperback – Large Print, April 21, 2023. The dimensions of this paperback are 6 x 0.1 x 9 inches, and the weight is 3.84 ounces, ISBN 979-8392099306, and it currently costs $7.99 on Amazon in the US. There is also a Kindle version, ASIN B0C3JGL9FP, which costs $2.99 but is free with Kindle unlimited.

Photo showing the front cover of the book “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” by Bella Ross. It features a commonly used Leonberger stock photo. — Front cover of “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” by Bella Ross. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.

In summary: The book has 34 pages of content in large text with no images. There are really 40 pages but a few pages are blank. The book does not have much to say about training Leonbergers, so the title “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” is an embellishment. The title also mentions the words breeding and showing and the book says nothing about those topics. The book also has issues with repetition, a few incorrect statements, and the listed categories “Veterinary Genetics”, “Veterinary Parasitology”, “Mammal Field Guides” don’t match the content at all. Aside from those weaknesses, the book is otherwise well edited and positive in its tone. I gave the book three stars. Click here to see my original Amazon review.

A Very Short Leonberger Book with some Strengths as well as Significant Weaknesses

This short book (34 pages of content) in large type gets a lot of information right including information that many Leonberger books get wrong. It is also well edited with respect to spelling, sentence building and paragraphs. I like how positive it is and how well it captures the personality of Leonbergers.

However, it also gets some things wrong. The town of Leonberg is not in Bavaria. Their fur should not be clipped and trimmed if you want to show your dog, and weekly bathing is too often for a Leonberger. Contrary to what it says on page 11 Leonbergers aren’t known for long lives. The book mentions hip dysplasia over and over and states how big of a problem it is when in reality other giant breeds have a significantly bigger problem with hip dysplasia. On page 18 puppies are referred to as kids and on page 35 a reference is made to something that has not been mentioned. The biggest issue with the book is probably that it is very repetitive. Certain things are repeated a half dozen times, which is a lot in a book with only 34 pages of content. The title says “Complete Training Guide” but the book does not say much about training a Leonberger. The book has no pictures and the photo on the front cover is a commonly used stock photo. One more issue; the current categories Veterinary Genetics, Veterinary Parasitology, and Mammal Field Guides do not match the content of the book.

It is a very short Leonberger book with some strengths as well as some significant weaknesses, so I think three stars is a fair rating.

Back cover of “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” by Bella Ross. The back cover is entirely blue except for the bar code and a grey right margin. — Back cover of “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” by Bella Ross.

Leonberger Detects Oncoming Insulin Shock

Our Labrador Baylor had diabetes. I gave him insulin shots before every meal. But he was very cooperative, and he never complained despite the pinch he must have felt every time.

A hand holding a shot — I gave Baylor insulin shots at every meal. Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

At this stage in Baylor’s life Bronco, our Leonberger, had joined the family, and one day we witnessed what seemed like a miracle. Bronco started barking while looking at Baylor, then he intently looked at us, then he turned his head toward Baylor and started barking again. He did this a few times—not aggressively, but to get our attention. It became clear that Bronco wanted us to look at Baylor. I examined Baylor but saw nothing wrong at first. Then I looked again. This time I saw that his back legs were shaking slightly. It quickly got worse. His gait became wobbly, then within perhaps fifteen seconds he fainted. He had gone into insulin shock. We rushed him to the emergency clinic, where fortunately the doctors were able to revive him.

Having too much insulin in your blood can lead to having too little glucose/sugar. The insulin shock causes your body to become starved for fuel and it begins to shut down.

We didn’t know this at the time, but giving a dog sugar, or something sweet, can bring him out of insulin shock.

Photo of woman lying on the floor surrounded by sugar. — Sugar for insulin shock. Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.com

Photo of our Leonberger Bronco standing on a sofa and giving me a hug. — Me and Bronco

Bronco detected a problem with Baylor before we could see anything wrong. His warnings gave us that little bit of extra time we needed to save Baylor’s life. I still wonder what it was that Bronco noticed. Leonbergers have a very keen sense of smell, and people have told me that the dogs can smell when there’s something physically wrong with a person. We had never taught Bronco to detect insulin shock or any other condition. It was entirely his own instinct. This was one of the amazing superpowers Bronco had.

Photo of our Leonberger Bronco on the lawn with a sun ray shining over his head — Bronco was a saint

I can add that you can train dogs to warn their owners when their blood sugar drops.

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the publication of my book I am lowering the price of the eBook version from $4.99 to $2.99. It will last until July 20. It is valid for Amazon, Barnes & Noble and many other places.

The image shows the front cover of my 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 Kindle location for the book. — The front cover of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Kindle version on Amazon.com.

The image shows the back cover of my 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 in image of a Leonberger in snow. Author is Thomas Wikman. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com paperback location for the book. — The back cover of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the paperback version on Amazon.com.

Endorsement by D'Nae Wilson, President, Leonberger Health Foundation International: "A wonderful tribute to the author's beloved Bronco. The stories are heartwarming as well as informative--a true glimpse into the life with a Leonberger". Endorsement by Julie Schaffert, LCA breeder since 1992: "A lovely tribute to Bronco, with lots of resources for general Leonberger Information" — These are the endorsements for the book. Click on the image to go to the Barnes and Noble e-Book location for the book.

Bronco our Leonberger is standing and looking straight into the camera. — Bronco in our living room. Click on the image to go to the Barnes and Noble paperback location for the book.

Finally, if you would like to learn more about the Leonberger book I wrote click here or here. All royalties are donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International.

Other eBook Versions of my Leonberger Book Are Now Also 2.99

It took a while, but I was finally able to lower the price of my e-Book on IngramSpark to $2.99. It’s been $2.99 on Amazon for almost a week already. IngramSpark only update prices on Fridays, and I managed to lock myself out of my account. Fixing it turned out to be complicated.

For those who don’t know; IngramSpark is a competitor to Amazon which distributes to a whole range of bookstores, Barnes and Noble, Indigo in Canada, independent bookstores, libraries, and Apple devices. Unlike Amazon IngramSpark does not translate the dollar amount to other currencies for you so to make it simple for myself I made it 2.99 in all currencies.

Click here to visit the Nook version of my book on Barnes and Noble

The reason for the 2.99 promotion is that our late Leonberger Bronco was born on July 3^rd 2007 and in his honor I launched my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle” on July 3^rd 2022, one year ago. I will do the $2.99 promotion until July 20^th.

The image shows the Leonberger lying in the green grass. Click on the image to go to the paperback version on Amazon.com. — This is a photo of our late Leonberger Bronco lying in the grass in the front yard soon after a toe surgery. Click on the image to go to the paperback version on Amazon.com.

Finally, if you would like to learn more about the Leonberger book I wrote click here or here. All royalties are donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International.

Celebrating Broncos Birthday

On July 3^rd 2007 our Leonberger Bronco was born. That was 16 years ago today. He died three years ago. On July 3^rd 2022, soon one year ago, I launched my book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle; Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger.

A photo of our Leonberger from when he turned 12 years old on July 3rd 2019. He is wearing a party hat. — This photo was taken on Bronco’s 12^th birthday on July 3^rd 2019.

To celebrate Bronco’s birthday as well as the one-year anniversary of the publication of my book I am lowering the price of the Kindle version from $4.99 to $2.99.

Click here to visit the Kindle version of my book on Amazon.

The photo shows an ad that was used for the LeoLetter the official publication for the Leonberger Club of America. — This is a special Ad for The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle (from the LeoLetter, the official publication of the Leonberger Club of America). Click on the image to go to the Kindle version on Amazon.com.

Kindle Version of my Leonberger Book is Temporarily 2.99

On July 3^rd 2007 our Leonberger Bronco was born. On July 3^rd 2022, soon one year ago, I launched my book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle; Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger. I can’t believe it’s been a year already.

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the publication of my book I am lowering the price of the Kindle version from $4.99 to $2.99.

Click here to visit the Kindle version of my book on Amazon.

The Amazon page says the publish date is July 2^nd for the paperback version and July 1^st for the Kindle. What happened was that they told me it would take 2-3 days for it to show up after I pressed the yellow publish button. The evening of July 1^st 2022 I pressed the yellow publish button on Amazon and it happened quicker than I expected. But the actual launch, i.e., telling friends, the Leonberger groups I was part of, and announcing the book on social media and on this blog that was July 3^rd.

I also published the book with Ingramspark, which distribute to Barnes and Nobles, Canadian stores, and in many other places. Due to technical problems, I am having a hard time changing the price on Ingramspark. I will make another announcement about Ingramspark once I solved the technical problems.

Leonbergers and Other Big Fluffy Dogs in the Summer Heat

Today it was 104 degrees here in Dallas, Texas, which is 40 Celsius and tomorrow it will be hotter still according to Accuweather. While sitting in my backyard I drank 100 degrees to cool me off. In addition to being less than 104 degrees, 100 degrees is a Farmhouse Ale / Saison from Jester King, Texas, ABV 4.7%. It has the flavor of wheat crackers, lemon, lemon peel and ginger and it is very thirst quenching.

100 degrees is a Saison (type of beer) from Texas. It is good for hot weather.

What about Leonbergers and the hot Texas summer? Unfortunately, the Texas summer is not ideal for large fluffy dogs like Leonbergers, and yet people have them and breed them here in Texas. There is even a Leonberger club for the southwest (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Colorado), called Frontier Leonberger Club of the Southwest.

Embedded photo from – Frontier Leonberger Club of the Southwest

Hot Advice

In the hot summer, it is important to keep your Leonberger cool and at the same time keep up with the exercise. You can take your walks early in the morning or late at night if it has cooled down enough. You should bring a backpack with cold water and a water bowl, and perhaps ice cubes and ice packs. Unless you are almost back home don’t pour water on his fur to cool him off. This can be counterproductive since wet thick fur will clump and form a layer that will keep the much-needed airflow in. You can put water on his paws, face and belly where the fur is thin and make sure he drinks.

Leonberger with a red and black leash resting in the green grass — Our Leonberger Bronco resting while out walking.

An alternative to walking is to go for a swim. Leonbergers love swimming and they are good at it. We frequently took our Leonberger Bronco to White Rock Lake outside Dallas where he chased ducks and egrets. He never caught any. Well, what can I say, he had no egrets. Just remember to bring a towel and to stand at a distance when he shakes himself dry.

Our Leonberger Bronco swimming in White Rock Lake — Bronco swimming in White Rock Lake

While walking your Leonberger, or any dog, feel the surface temperature with the back of your hand. Asphalt, wood, sidewalks, beaches, and other surfaces can get very hot in the sun and burn the paws of dogs. Remember you have shoes on. Could you walk barefoot on the surface?

A heat stroke can happen very quickly. Dogs are much more susceptible to heatstroke than humans, and Leonbergers are more susceptible to heatstroke than most dogs because of their stocky bodies and thick coats.

Heatstroke can happen in as little as fifteen minutes. Don’t leave your Leonberger in a car. Avoid strenuous activity on hot days and exercise your Leonberger early in the morning or late in the evening. Keep your Leonberger in an air-conditioned dwelling as much as possible and provide plenty of water, shade, and maybe a kiddie pool when he’s outside.

A photo of a young Leonberger in a kiddie pool — Young Bronco in a Kiddie Pool

If there are signs that your Leonberger is getting overheated, you need to cool him off as soon as possible. Ideally, immerse him in cool water and hold his head above the surface to prevent drowning. Alternatively, move him into an air-conditioned building and put cool wet towels or ice packs on his stomach, neck, inner legs, and armpits.

Have seen or heard some people say, “If you want to be green turn off your air-conditioning”. DON’T. This will harm your dogs and is not the way you should reduce greenhouse gases. This type of advice often comes in the form of an admonition, and it does not come from climate scientists or even climate activists but from people with no interest in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They want to make it seem more difficult than it is to reduce emissions and even shame you or harm you for caring. The responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions lies primarily with industry, government, and those in charge of modernizing our power grid and transportation system. We consumers can certainly help, but the way to do it should be tailored to our circumstances and extreme action is often counterproductive.

A Leonbergers Last Car Ride

Three years ago today, our beloved Bronco passed away. We miss him very much. Below is a snippet from my book about his passing. Warning, it might be sad reading.

Photo of our Leonberger Bronco at the age of three months. He is wearing a red bandana. — Our Leonberger Bronco three months old

Bronco (our Leonberger) was very old for a Leonberger, and his health had been badly failing him for months, including his first heart failure, as well as other issues. It seemed like the time had come for him to be put to sleep. This is an extremely difficult decision for any dog owner.

Our Leonberger Bronco 12 ½ years old. He is lying in the grass looking into the camera. — Our Leonberger Bronco 12 ½ years old

In the wee hours of the morning on June 16, 2020, Bronco collapsed. He was no longer able to get up or hold himself up even if we lifted him. His legs were like spaghetti, and his breathing was heavy. We called our veterinarian as soon as the clinic opened. She spent quite a bit of time with us over the phone trying to figure out what was going on. The preliminary conclusion was that he most likely was experiencing another episode of heart failure.

We decided, all of us, together with our veterinarian that it was time. Our veterinarian knew Bronco extremely well: she really cared for him, and she was not afraid to tell us how she felt.

Rachel and I would take Bronco to the clinic, where he would be put to sleep. Claudia would stay at home with the other dogs.

Rachel, Claudia, and I lifted him into the car—all 142 pounds of him. It was the first time he could do nothing to help. But once he was inside the car, he was able to rest his head on the center console, between the armrests of the front seats, and sometimes he lifted his head so that he could see out.

He was exhausted but very curious about what he could see out the windows. We had some extra time before our appointment, so we took him for a car ride instead of driving straight to the clinic. He seemed to enjoy it: he was looking at things that seemed to interest him, but he did not make a sound, and he didn’t move much. After a while we turned around and started heading toward the clinic. We dreaded what was coming, but it was time.

Our veterinarian was waiting for us. The staff put Bronco on a stretcher and rolled him inside. Seeing my best friend lying on a stretcher being rolled into a clinic and knowing these were his last moments on earth was surreal. Our veterinarian checked him to verify what was going on. His blood pressure was extremely low, and his heart was not pumping normally. It was indeed heart failure. Rachel was FaceTiming Claudia so she could talk to Bronco. We did everything we could to comfort him.

Our veterinarian and her assistant had taken care of Bronco for around ten years, and we had visited them quite often toward the end of his life. They both knew him really well, and they truly cared for him. The veterinarian had told us that Bronco was the oldest big dog she’d ever treated, and they both said that he had become like family to them; he wasn’t just another patient. The situation was upsetting for them, too. Putting him to sleep was not an easy thing for any of us, but it was the right thing to do.

We all petted him, and Rachel and Claudia spoke to him to comfort him. I was not able to say much—it was just too difficult—but I made sure Bronco heard my voice a few times and that he could see me. The room was somber but peaceful and filled with love. First he got a shot that put him to sleep, and then after he was completely asleep, the veterinarian gave him a drug that stopped his heart. It stopped beating less than fifteen seconds after the injection. Bronco had passed across the Rainbow Bridge. The room was quiet, but human hearts were not.

Paw print in the clouds. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.

Bronco was cremated, and we picked up the box containing his remains and his paw print the next day. The veterinarian and her assistant also wrote us a beautiful card that will forever stay with us.

Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing our Leonberger Bronco in the middle with our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo on his left and our Pug Daisy on the right. Rollo is saying "they still talk about you". Bronco is saying "I know".

Bronco had a long life and a big heart. He was loving, caring, protective, and brave. So it’s almost fitting that heart disease ultimately caused his death. This calls to mind the legend of Sven Dufva, the fictional Finnish hero who was shot in the heart in the Finnish War of 1808–1809. In the epic poem The Tales of Ensign Stål, Dufva’s commanding general stands over his body and proclaims:

That bullet knew what course to take, it must acknowledged be. . . .

It knew far more than we.

It let his brow be spared in peace, the weaker, poorer part,

And chose the portion that was best—his noble, valiant heart.

A photo of a rainbow by the coast Costa Rica. The white text says "Deat leaves a heartache no one can heal, But love leaves a memory no one can steal."

The rainbow bridge

According to an article in the Washington Post,* the Rainbow Bridge is “a mythical overpass said to connect heaven and earth—and, more to the point, a spot where grieving pet owners reunite for good with their departed furry friends.” It’s also a poem of unknown origin that spawned a pet-bereavement movement and even a worldwide Pet Remembrance Day, August 28. The poem in its entirety follows.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water, and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they each miss someone very special to them who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.