Leonberger book – Page 2 – Leonberger Life

Todays Mail the LeoLetter Badlands and Reunion Coda

Today I received interesting mail. In addition to the usual junk mail and a couple of bills I got the LeoLetter, the Leoberger magazine, and I got a box from Amazon containing two brand new books that I am very excited to read.

The LeoLetter

The “LeoLetter : Great Dogs, Great People,” is the official quarterly publication of the Leonberger Club of America. You can read about the history of the Leonberger Club of America here. What makes today’s LeoLetter special to me is because I have an Ad in it for my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger”. To visit the Amazon location for my book, click here.

The Ad features the front cover of the book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle as well as information and praise for the book. — This is my ad for my book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger. Click on the picture to visit the Amazon location for the book.

The gold and beige book cover features the face of our Leonberger Bronco and the text "The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle. Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger." — 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. Click on the picture to visit the Amazon location for the book.

The back cover in gold and beige features a photo of a Leonberger in a snowy forest and an introduction to the book. — The back cover of the book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger. Click on the picture to visit the Canadian Amazon location for the book.

Badlands

Next, I opened the box in it was two books. One of them was Badlands (Savage Land) by Jacqui Murray. I bought the paperback version. I have only read the beginning, and it is very exciting. It is book two in a trilogy about prehistoric man. I read the previous book Endangered Species, a book I loved, and you can read my book tour post here and my review here. There is an ongoing book tour for Badlands, and you visit the five first book tour posts here:

The front cover features a volcano and a woman surrounded by wolves. — Front cover of Badlands by Jacqui Murray. Click here or on the picture to visit the Amazon location for the paperback version.

Below is Amazon’s Overview of the Badlands

Savage Land is the third trilogy about prehistoric man in the series, Man. Vs. Nature.Written in the spirit of Jean Auel, Savage Land explores how two bands of humans survived one of the worst natural disasters in Earth’s history, when volcanic eruptions darkened the sky, massive tsunamis crossed the ocean in crushing waves, and raging fires burned the land. Each of the tribes considered themselves apex predators. Neither was. That crown belonged to Nature and she was intent on washing the blight of man from her face. Join me in this three-book fictional exploration of Neanderthals. Be ready for a world nothing like what you thought it would be, filled with clever minds, brilliant acts, and innovative solutions to life-ending problems, all based on real events. At the end of this trilogy, you’ll be proud to call Neanderthals family.

In Badlands, Book Two, the tribes must split up, each independently crossing what Nature has turned into a wasteland. They struggle against starvation, thirst, and desperate enemies more feral than human. If they quit or worse, lose, they will never reunite with their groups or escape the most deadly natural disaster ever faced by our kind.

The back cover features the overview of the book. — This is the back cover of the book Badlands by Jacqui Murray.

Reunion Coda

Another nice surprise in the box was Reunion: Coda: Book 2 of the Reunion Duology by Alex Diaz-Granados. I also read parts of this book so far, and I loved it. It also has a lot of nice pictures to support the story. The end of the book features my interview with the author, which you can read here. You can read my review for the first book in the duology (Reunion) here <<Link-10>>.

The front cover features a photo of New York at night taken from above. — Front cover of Reunion: Coda: Book 2 of the Reunion Duology. To visit the Amazon page for the paperback version of the book you can click here or on the picture.

Below is Amazon’s Overview of the Reunion Coda

In Reunion: Coda, Jim Garraty’s journey continues as he navigates the intricate dance between past regrets and present hopes. Now a successful history professor, Jim’s life is a tapestry of unspoken love, haunting memories, and the pursuit of emotional closure.

As Jim reflects on his high school years and the profound impact of his relationships, he grapples with the lessons learned from missed opportunities and the unpredictable nature of life. Through introspective moments and heartfelt letters, Jim uncovers the strength to confront his deepest fears and embrace new beginnings.

Reunion: Coda delves into the complexities of love, loss, and the enduring power of memory. It also explores the significance of friendship and the unpredictable turns that shape our lives. This poignant novel is a heartfelt exploration of the choices that define us, the connections that sustain us, and the hope that guides us on the journey of self-discovery.

The back cover features the Amazon overview of the book. — Back cover of Reunion: Coda: Book 2 of the Reunion Duology.

What if we get it right?

However, before I finish the two books above I will finish another good book that I am reading for my book club called “What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson”.

The front cover features the title and author and an illustration of the sun in the upper right corner and a blue planet in the lower left corner. — Front cover of What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. You can visit the hardcover version of the book by clicking here or by click on the picture.

Below is Amazon’s Overview of What If We Get It Right?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “With a thoughtfully curated series of essays, poetry, and conversations, the brilliant scientist and climate expert Ayana Elizabeth Johnson has assembled a group of dynamic people who are willing to imagine what seems impossible, and articulate those visions with enthusiastic clarity.”—Roxane Gay

Our climate future is not yet written. What if we act as if we love the future?

A SMITHSONIAN BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Sometimes the bravest thing we can do while facing an existential crisis is imagine life on the other side. This provocative and joyous book maps an inspiring landscape of possible climate futures.

Through clear-eyed essays and vibrant conversations, infused with data, poetry, and art, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson guides us through solutions and possibilities at the nexus of science, policy, culture, and justice. Visionary farmers and financiers, architects and advocates, help us conjure a flourishing future, one worth the effort it will take—from every one of us, with whatever we have to offer—to create.

If you haven’t yet been able to picture a transformed and replenished world—or to see yourself, your loved ones, and your community in it—this book is for you. If you haven’t yet found your role in shaping this new world or you’re not sure how we can actually get there, this book is for you.

With grace, humor, and humanity, Johnson invites readers to ask and answer this ultimate question together: What if we get it right?

The back cover features a brief introduction to the book, a list of names of people who contributed to the book, and a blue planet in the lower right corner. — Back cover of What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.

Sunshine Blogger Award

I’ve been nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award by Laura, from Black Moon Lilith Thank you for the nomination, Laura! It was a nice birthday gift.

Check out her blog for lots of great posts which feature poetry, short stories, very cool pictures, and other interesting things!

Without further ado, here are the rules which I’ve copied from Lauras’s blog:

Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog.
Thank the person who nominated you.
Provide a link to your nominator’s blog.
Answer your nominators’ questions.
Nominate up to 11 bloggers.
Ask your nominees 11 questions.
Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts.

Eleven Questions for Me

Below are my answers to Lauras’s eleven questions. I have not yet learned how to create the kind of pictures that Laura creates. That’s for another time.

Question 1 : What’s your favorite brand of coffee? If you don’t drink coffee, what do you like to drink? (Tea, etc)

I drink Green Mountain Nantucked the most, but I really like Gevalia the best.

Question 2 : What’s the most creative lie you’ve ever told?

I never lie. Well, that’s my most creative lie.

Question 3 : What’s the last dream you had (that you feel comfortable sharing)? If you’re in the “don’t dream” camp, what would you like to dream about?

I dream about traveling a lot. My last very memorable dream was about traveling on a big boat. On the boat I met several people from my youth in Sweden. Then I needed to go to the bathroom, but I could not find it. Every boat should have well-advertised good bathrooms but the boat in my dream didn’t.

Question 4 : What was the most favorite job you’ve held in your lifetime?

I think that was when I was a robotics research assistant at Sandia National Laboratory the summer of 1993. I was new to the United States, I had just received a green card, and I was working at a well-regarded national laboratory located inside a major US Airforce base. Everything was secret. The lab next to us received a Soviet satellite carrying a small nuclear power reactor that summer. The US did not know how to build a mini nuclear reactor at the time so reverse engineering this reactor was a big deal. I would like to point out that I was not part of that. I only heard about it. Another fun job was when I designed the portion of the electronics for a Swedish fighter jet called JAS Gripen.

Humanoid robots and several orange industrial robots. MLP Mechanized industry robot and robotic arms for assembly in factory production. Concept of artificial intelligence for industrial revolution and automation manufacturing process. — Mechanized industry robot and robotic arms for assembly in factory production. Shutterstock Asset id: 2459375613 by Summit Art Creations.

Question 5 : What motivated you to start blogging?

I wanted to start a blog to advertise my upcoming dog book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. I asked my friend Alex Diaz-Granados for advice, and he helped me get started on WordPress.com. Later on, I continued blogging mostly because it became a hobby and I started a second blog superfactful, which has nothing to do with my book. The goal of this blog is to create a long list of facts that are important, not trivia, and that are known to be true yet are either disputed by large segments of the public or highly surprising or misunderstood by many.

Question 6 : What are you grateful for?

I am grateful for my wife and kids, my whole family, my dog(s) current and past, and what they gave me. I am grateful that I am alive and that I can experience our beautiful nature, the night sky, and everything there is to know and understand.

Question 7 : What’s something nice you did for yourself recently?

We went on a great ski trip to Breckenridge, Colorado. I skied the Imperial Bowl, which is served by the highest ski lift in the western hemisphere. The Imperial Bowl is big and wide and mostly empty and there was a lot of powder snow. We had a very good time together as a family.

Question 8 : If you could partake in any new endeavor, experience, or hobby, regardless of time constraints or money, what would it be?

I would like to get a degree in Astro Physics as a retirement project, but not for a future career. That would be a huge time commitment and probably expensive and maybe weird too, considering my goal is not a career in the field. However, I like to know things about how the world works and I like to know things about the Universe.

Question 9 : What do you like to do to keep your brain active?

When I was still working as a software engineer / robotics engineer I kept my brain active because of my work. Since I took my early retirement, I need to keep my brain busy in other ways. I read a lot of books, I wrote a book, I blog, I am learning French, I am a volunteer for an organization called Citizens Climate Lobby, which focuses a lot on specific legislation that I need to study, I brew beer, and well OK drinking beer may not be keeping my brain active but it is a hobby as well.

Question 10 : What do you like to do to keep your body active?

I jog and I like to swim in my in-law’s pool. My wife and I used to go bicycling a lot. We have not done that for a while, but I think we’ll soon pick that back up again.

Question 11 : What is your favorite thing about spending time out in nature?

I love a lot of things about nature. I cannot pick one specific thing. I love the forest. The quiet, the solitude, the tranquility, the berries, the birds singing, the beautiful trees and the vegetation, the smell, the hills, the scenery, and seeing some animals too. I just don’t like to encounter a bear.

Shafts of sunlight filter through a misty forest, casting a warm, golden glow along a peaceful trail. Ethereal morning atmosphere creates a serene environment, which radiates tranquillity and beauty — Forest in the mist. Shutterstock Asset id: 2525988579 by Flystock

Here are my questions for my nominees:

Question 1 : What’s your favorite movie(s)?

Question 2 : What is something you’ve done or experienced that is unusual?

Question 3 : What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t yet?

Question 4 : What’s something you’re really passionate about?

Question 5 : If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Question 6 : What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or a day off?

Question 7 : What’s something you wish more people understood about you?

Question 8 : What’s your go-to comfort food or favorite meal?

Question 9 : If you could have dinner with any three people (dead or alive), who would they be?

Question 10 : What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Question 11 : What kind of music are you into?

Eleven New Victims

Alex Diaz-Granados from A Certain Point of View, Too

Denise from Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old

Robbie Cheadle from Robbie’s inspiration

Jacqui Murray from Worddreams

James Viscosi from Viscosity

Dawn Pisturino from Dawn Pisturino’s Blog

Debbie D. from The Doglady’s Den

Miriam Hurdle from The Showers of Blessings

Jeanne from A Jeanne in the Kitchen

Barbara from teleportingweena

da-AL from Happiness Between Tails

The Life and Times of Le Bronco Von Der Lowenhohle

I started this blog three years ago to spread the word about my, at the time, upcoming book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. To celebrate the three-year anniversary of my blog I decided to have a little promotion for my book. The price for paperback version of the book is normally $19.95 but Amazon lowered the price to $17.95 several months ago and I cannot set it back. My guess is that some store somewhere is selling it for $17.95. They have a lowest price policy. Instead of complaining about that I decided to roll with it and to lower the price of the Kindle version as well, to only $2.99. I will keep that price until April 1^st. The prices in all other countries, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Australia, etc., are lowered by the same amount.

Before I continue, I would like to highlight a few important facts about my book.

The book is about our late Leonberger dog Bronco von der Löwenhöhle and his crazy and amusing adventures and his heroic deeds.
Bronco saved the lives of other dogs and protected out neighborhood.
In the book there is information about Leonberger dogs, the breed standard(s), history, Leonberger organizations, training and care, and health.
The book has lots of photos, illustrations and it is in color.
All proceeds are donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International
It is a book for all dog lovers not just Leonberger lovers. It is intended to be both fun and educational.

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

Canadian Leonbergers with my Book

A Leonberger is lying on the floor, and my book is leaning against the dog. — Hachi a Canadian Leonberger featured with my book. He was one year old when this photo was taken by Brenda Saito and her husband. Click here or on the photo to visit the paperback version for the book on Canadian Amazon.

Photo of a Leonberger lying on a leather sofa with my book leaning towards his chest. — A Canadian Leonberger called Mak with my book. Photo by Debbie Ireland. Click here<<Link-5>> or on the photo to visit the page for the book on Chapters Indigo.

Getting My Book in Other Places

You can also get my book in many other places including Amazon in every country where Amazon exists, Chapters Indigo, Apple, etc. To see most of the options visit my Book Page by clicking here.

A Leonberger Story

The book features a lot of stories about Bronco as well as other dogs. Below is one short story.

Bronco’s Hamster Search and Rescue

Back when Bronco our Leonberger was young, the kids had pet hamsters—Moldova and Montenegro. The hamsters escaped from their cages sometimes, but Bronco usually helped us find them whenever they did. Claudia would tell him, “Bronco, find the hamsters,” and he would go around the house sniffing until he found them. One time he found them in the linen closet; another time he found them on a shelf in the living room.

On one occasion, a friend of David trusted us with his two hamsters while he and his family went on vacation. A couple of days later, Claudia noticed that the two hamsters were missing from their cage. The next thing she noticed was that Bronco’s cheeks looked puffy, so she said, “Bronco, drop it!” Out came the two hamsters, both unconscious.

An illustration of a Leonbergers face with puffy cheeks. — Cheeks full of hamsters (illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt)

In a panic, Claudia started performing CPR on the unconscious hamsters. She put one hamster at a time in her hand and gently compressed each tiny chest using the finger of the other hand. Fortunately, one hamster revived right away. The CPR didn’t seem to be working on the other hamster, but Claudia put both of them back in their cage, and soon the second hamster also woke up. We decided to keep the incident to ourselves. Hamsters don’t squeal.

Illustration of a hamster lying in woman hand. The hamster is receiving CPR from the finger on the woman’s second hand. — Hamster CPR (illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt)

The question is, Did Bronco try to eat the hamsters? Or did he simply find them and pick them up, intending to alert us to their presence? I’ve asked several people this question, including some who know Leonbergers well. The answer they give is that he tried to save them from whatever danger he thought they might have been in. If he wanted to eat them, they say, he would have tried chewing them. But clearly, he didn’t.

The hamsters may have felt differently about the situation and may have fainted from the shock. Who knows? Bronco was a hero on many occasions, but this time, perhaps, he was a hamster superhero.

Eventually our own hamsters died, but that didn’t end Bronco’s interest in them. When the first hamster died, we held a funeral. We put the hamster in a shoe box, said goodbye, put some flowers in the box, and buried it in the backyard underneath some bushes. But when we turned our backs, Bronco was there, digging under the bushes. Perhaps he thought he could save the hamster. So, we called Bronco off and tried again: this time I dug a deeper hole and put a wide rock over the shoe box before covering it. Now Bronco couldn’t dig up the hamster. When the second hamster died, I had learned my lesson and did the same thing.

Important Note : I am going on a ski vacation early tomorrow morning and I will take a one-week break from blogging as well as a break from reading other people’s blogs. I will try to catch up when I get back.

Big Events In 2024

This post is about big events that happened to me or my family during 2024 and that I blogged about. I selected six events that stood out to me. They are sort of my 2024 blogging summary. Our pug Daisy died at the age of 15 ½ and we still miss her a lot. On April 8, 2024, we experienced the event of the year, the total solar eclipse. Dallas (where we live) was in the path of totality and the weather was clear. It was spectacular. Then the largest newspaper trade association in the United States the National Newspaper Association (NNA, 2,300 newspapers) awarded a Dallas magazine that had written a review for my book “Le Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle” an honorable mention for best book review of the year. That was fourth place out of thousands of newspapers and magazines.

In August I launched a new blog, superfactful (please feel free to follow) and in September my oldest son and his wife and me traveled to Sweden and Norway where we saw a lot and encountered magical creatures. On October 21^st, 2024, NBC news interviewed me about a tornado that ravaged our neighborhood five years ago.

We miss our Pug Daisy

On April 5th, 2024, our beloved pug Daisy took her last breath. She was 15 ½ years old. She had an enlarged heart, her back legs were giving out, and she had breathing problems. She took lots of different medications. Yet, the breathing crisis she had that morning came unexpectedly. Our veterinary told us it was time. It was a dark day for us, and we still miss her dearly. Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo also seems to miss her and now he is alone. To read the tribute post I made for her click here.

Our pug is leaning on vent located close to our wood floor. — Daisy liked to sit in front of the vent when it was cold or alternatively too hot.

Total Solar Eclipse in Dallas

On April 8^th, 2024, there was a total solar eclipse and Dallas, where we live, was in the path of totality, and we were lucky with the weather. A total solar eclipse is a totally different experience from a partial solar eclipse. Despite knowing this beforehand, and having seen a partial solar eclipse, I was amazed. As you approach totality you will have a partial solar eclipse, so you’ll experience both. The partial solar eclipse portion lasted for a few hours and totality lasted only four minutes, but during those four minutes the sun and the moon put on a spectacular show. For the event we had prepared a little party on our backyard patio.

A partial solar eclipse is interesting too. The shadows change during a partial solar eclipse. The shadows of the tree leaves look like moon crescents, but it is not dark, it is still daylight. The sun will look like a bright crescent if you are wearing solar eclipse glasses, but the light is too strong for you to see anything without glasses, and trying to look at the sun during a partial eclipse is dangerous.

When the total solar eclipse happened it suddenly got dark, but not midnight dark, more like late twilight. The stars came out, the birds and the crickets got quiet, Rollo hid under the table, it felt colder, and straight above us Venus came out bright and shining. You usually see Venus in the west soon after sunset or in the east before sun dawn, not above your head in the middle of the day. You could take off your solar eclipse glasses and look straight at the sun, because it was no longer very bright. What you saw was a big black circle surrounded by wispy foggy lights about as bright as the full moon, maybe a little brighter. That was the sun’s corona, which is only visible to the naked eye during a total solar eclipse. To read more about this event click here.

Black circle surrounded by a wispy white fog like light. That’s the sun’s corona. — We took many pictures (see below) but this is a good stock photo. Solar Eclipse Stock Photo ID: 2344355767 by aeonWAVE

Preston Hollow People Magazine receives a National Award for a Book Review of my Leonberger Book

In September 2023 a Dallas journalist wrote a half page positive book review for my book “Le Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. In 2024 her and the newspaper/magazine received an honorable mention for Best Book Review (that’s 4^th place) at the annual National Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest organized by The National Newspaper Association (NNA). NNA has 2,300 members (newspapers and magazines). I can add that Preston Hollow is an area in north Dallas. To read more about this, click here.

The book review of “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Including photos and text. — This is a photo of the page of Preston Hollow People Magazine where the review appeared. If you click on the picture (or click here you can see the online version of the book review in Preston Hollow People Magazine.

Launch of the Super Facts Blog

On August 5, 2024, I launched my new blog superfactful url https://superfactful.com. The goal of this blog is to create a long list of facts that are important, not trivia, and that are known to be true and yet are either disputed by large segments of the public or highly surprising or misunderstood by many. These kinds of facts are special because they are important and at the same time there is a lot of confusion around them, or they are shocking. Therefore, I call these facts super facts. I should say that in addition to super fact posts I am also posting about other interesting and fun information. My first post “Bamboozlement Misunderstandings, Big Surprises and My Journey” was not a super fact post. To read more click here .

Image showing a disintegrating brain — Smashing our old beliefs with new surprising facts, super facts. Expand your mind and teach me some unexpected truths. Shutterstock ID: 1685660680 by MattL_Images.

I can add that this site certainly needs more followers so feel free to subscribe. The subscribe button is on the right on a PC and at the bottom on a mobile device.

Scandinavian Adventure

In September 2024 I visited my native country Sweden and Norway with my oldest son and his new wife. We visited Stockholm, Uppsala, Oslo and Norwegian fjords. We saw palaces and castles, the old city in Stockholm (800 years old city on an island), we saw many museums including the Vasa Museum featuring an extremely well-preserved Swedish war ship that sank in 1628. We encountered a Huldra, a female magical creature, in the Norwegian mountains (OK this was a tourist ploy, but a fun one). To read more about our adventures click here, or here, or here.

Three people standing on a boat on the fjord. Left to right, me Thomas Wikman, my son Jacob and his wife Ashley. — From a cruise in Sognefjord, Norway. Left to right, me, my oldest son and his wife. Click on the image to visit my post titled : “Tourism in Scandinavia on World Tourism Day”.

An image AI-illustration of a Huldra — Imagining how a Huldra would look like. Stock AI-generated image ID: 2400845203 by Shutterstock AI Generator. Click on the image to visit my post titled : “Scandinavian Folklore”.

A Tomte wearing a red hat in a snowy winter forest | Scandinavian Folklore — An illustration of a Tomte another Scandinavian mythical creature. Shutterstock ID: 2060057882 by PLIMPLUM.

The NBC Interview with me about Dallas Tornado

October 19 and October 20, 2024, I got phone calls from NBC Universal. NBC Universal is a large media company that is a merger between NBC news and Universal Studios. I ignored the phone calls, because why would NBC call me. I thought it must be spam or a scam. Then I listened to the message they left, and I realized it was not spam. The NBC journalists had been reading my Leonberger blog, specifically a post I had made about the tornado that hit Dallas and ravaged our neighborhood on October 20, 2019. They wanted some of my photos and they wanted to interview me. You can read more here and you can listen and see the interview here. It is at one minute and ten seconds.

A photo of my TV above the fireplace. I am on the TV screen. — 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.

A neighbor’s house with the roof ripped off. — NBC used this photo. A neighbor’s house the morning of October 21st, 2019. Again, click on the image to see the interview.

Below are some additional photos in from these events in the form of a photo collage.

I wish everyone a peaceful and wonderful 2025

Holiday Book Promotion and the Leonberger Health Foundation

The Price Has Been Reduced

Amazon lowered the price of the paperback version of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle” from $19.95 to $17.95 some time ago and I cannot set it back to $19.95. I am guessing that it is because of Amazon’s lowest price policy and that another bookstore somewhere is selling it for $17.95. So, I am thinking, why not roll with it and have a holiday promotion. I also just lowered the price of the Kindle version from $4.95 to $2.99. The prices in all other countries, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Australia, etc., are likewise lowered by the same amount.

I would like to add that the reason I tried to set the price back to $19.95 is not because I want more money. I am donating all royalties to the Leonberger Health Foundation International, which is a great organization that supports health related breed-specific research. However, the research frequently improves the health of other dog breeds as well. You can read more about the Leonberger Health Foundation International below.

In this book you’ll read about some of Bronco’s amazing feats: the night he scared away a prowler; the day he performed a hamster search and rescue; the time he stumped the Geek Squad; and the late night he snuck into the kitchen and ate a two-pound bag of dog treats, a box of pastries, a loaf of bread, a grilled chicken, and a Key lime pie, all in one sitting. You’ll also read about his unflappable calm during a north Texas tornado and his stoicism as he endured health challenges in his later years.

In addition to entertaining stories, these pages contain a wealth of practical guidance, including:

a history of the Leonberger breed;
advice for the care of very large dogs;
breed-specific health and genetic information;
training and feeding tips;
suggestions for finding a breeder;
the official breed standard; and
an extensive resource guide.

Below is a list of places where you can get my book.

The Leonberger Health Foundation International

The Leonberger Health Foundation International is an organization that supports science and research impacting Leonberger health, longevity and breed preservation. Examples of research they’ve supported include research on Addison’s Disease, Inherited Leonberger Polyneuropathy (LPN), LEMP research, the Rabies Challenge Fund, Osteosarcoma, Hemangiosarcoma, genetic causes of male (dog) infertility, Cryptorchidism, study of cruciate ligament repair, Glaucoma, cardiac diseases, thyroid disease, neurological disorders, longevity & aging, population diversity, juvenile renal dysplasia, anal furunculosis, the EGFR Immunotherapy Project, and Leonberger inherited Arrythmia. As mentioned above, a lot of the progress applies to other dog breeds as well.

LHFI’s global biobank contains DNA samples from more than nine thousand Leonbergers. Among the organization’s notable achievements are the eradication of Addison’s disease among Leonbergers and the raising of more than $650,000 for research into conditions that affect canine health. Another success is the fact that since 2011, no Leonbergers with two copies of the LPN1 gene mutation (which causes Leonberger polyneuropathy) have been recorded in LHFI’s biobank. LHFI does other things as well. LHFI grants an award called the Grey Muzzle Award to Leonbergers who reach the impressive age of 12 years. Leonbergers and other giant breeds tend to live short lives, something LHFI is trying to solve and they have made progress. One of the recipients of the Grey Muzzle Award was our Leonberger Bronco.

The picture shows our Leonberger Bronco’s Grey Muzzle Award. It says “The Grey Muzzle Award, for Leonberger longevity, is presented with gratitude by The Leonberger Health Foundation International To Bronco, For offering hope and potential for longer lives for Leonbergers throughout the world.”. — The Grey Muzzle Award from the Leonberger Health Foundation International.

Below is an 8-minute video explaining the ongoing research on sudden cardiac death in young Leonbergers.

Dogs and Coyotes in the Neighborhood

Bronco our Leonberger is standing on our red sofa and stretching forward to give me a hug. — A young Bronco giving me a hug

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 three to five coyotes in the United States. Coyotes kill a lot of cats and dogs as well as livestock including 135,000 sheep per year .

Coyote standing in snow and looking into the camera — Coyote in Yosemite. Yathin S Krishnappa, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Our neighborhood is generously populated with coyotes. Bronco used to bark at them, so they never got close to us. He tried to chase them, but they ran off. I assume they were afraid of him, but they certainly weren’t afraid of Daisy or Ryu.

A coyote walking across grass. — Wild Coyote – (Canis latrans) Stock Photo ID: 1629174541 by Tory Kallman

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.

Our beige pug Daisy is on the left. To the right of her is our black and white Japanese Chin Ryu. On the right is our big Leonberger Bronco. — Our Leonberger Bronco with our two small dogs, Daisy the pug and Ryu the Japanese Chin.

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 common almost everywhere in the United States, so if you need another reason avoid letting your cats and small dogs run loose, remind yourself of this story.

Our beige pug Daisy (on the left) is holding Ryu’s leash in her mouth. Ryu is our black and white Japanese Chin. — Daisy getting ready to take Ryu for a walk.

The video below is in regard to an incident that happened here in Dallas two years ago when a two-year-old boy was injured by a coyote.

This two-minute 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.

I should say that I certainly respect the coyotes right to life and I think that they deserve to be treated humanely and with respect. However, they are unafraid of people, they roam our neighborhoods and there are so many of them. You need to be ready to protect your small dogs and cats, and even large dogs. A pack of coyotes can do a lot of damage to a large dog. Don’t let your small dogs and cats run lose and keep your dogs on a leash. You may also want to consider bringing maze with you on your walks.

Featured on Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

I am so happy to announce that Sally Cronin is kindly featuring my book on her smorgasbord blog. You can read the excerpt from my book on her blog. I invite you all visit Smorgasbord Book Promotions 2024. Comments will be closed here. Leave all comments over there. Thank you so much.

Smorgasbord Book Promotions 2024 – Share an Excerpt – #Doglovers – The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger by Thomas Wikman

Rollo Six Years Old

Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd turned six years old on October 12, 2024. However, we were at a wedding in Chicago, so we had to miss his birthday. We celebrated when we came home. In the past we’ve put a funny birthday hat on him. Unfortunately, he hates hats so this time I took pictures without a hat. To celebrate Rollo’s birthday, I am posting 20 photos I took of Rollo through the years, including some with our late Leonberger Bronco. If you’ve been following my blog, you will have seen many of these photos already but not all of them, certainly not the ones I just took.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd eating a small cupcake from someone’s hand. — Rollo eating a pupcake from our daughter’s hand. A pupcake is a cupcake for dogs.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd with his mouth close to a piece of bread. — Rollo reaching for a piece of a pupcake on the sofa.

A mini-Australian Shepherd wearing a blue party hat. He is not looking happy. — This is an old photo from his fourth birthday. He is unhappy with the hat.

On the left there is a big Leonberger dog bending his head down to sniff a small mini-Australian Shepherd lying on the grass. — Rollo almost six years ago. He had just arrived at our house. Our Leonberger Bronco is welcoming Rollo.

Our mini-Australian Shepherd is lying on the grass and looking into the camera. — Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy.

A Leonberger dog is standing behind a small mini-Australian Shepherd puppy. The photo is taken from a kitchen. — Our Leonberger Bronco with little Rollo.

A mini-Australian Shepherd puppy lying on a blanket and looking into the camera. — Close up of Rollo as a puppy.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd puppy biting his harness. He is being held by our daughter and he is looking straight into the camera. — Rollo on his first walk. It wasn’t really a walk. More like carrying him around the neighborhood.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd puppy peeking out behind a red sofa and looking straight into the camera. — Rollo peeking out behind the sofa.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd puppy biting an orange volleyball. — Rollo playing with a volleyball.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd rolling a soccer ball. — Rollo rolling a soccer ball.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd biting a Leonberger’s tail. — Rollo frequently bit our Leonberger Bronco’s tail, and he even swung in it like a swing. He climbed all over Bronco. Bronco was very patient with him.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd looking into the camera. He is next to a chewed-up shoe. — When Rollo was young, he loved chewing shoes. Here the artist is posing with his art.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd in a playpen with water and toys. — When we left the house we put Rollo in his baby jail for his own protection. We were afraid he would bother Bronco so much that Bronco lost his patience. Rollo ended up loving his baby jail. It was his own special house and no one else was allowed in.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd standing next to medical equipment and a paw covered by bandage. — When Bronco had a toe amputation and we had to change his bandage every day, Rollo helped out. He was a dog nurse.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd showing his belly to a large confused Leonberger dog looking into the camera. — Rollo liked to play with Bronco. Here he is asking for a belly rub.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd and a Pug and young woman in between them petting them both. — Our daughter with our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo and Pug Daisy.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd sitting in a stroller. — Sometimes there are scary sounds and Rollo wanted to sit in the stroller we bought for our Pug Daisy.

The photo shows a mini-Australian Shepherd on the left and a Leonberger dog on the right. — Two friends.

Daisy tells Rollo : ”On the left is our Pug Daisy and, on the right, our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo. They are both looking out the window. Rollo do you want to hear a joke?”. Rollo says “OK”. Daisy says “Knock! Knock!”. They both says “Woof! Woof! Woof!” — Daisy our Pug and Rollo are watching something from the window.

25 Photos of Old Leonbergers

This is another of my 25 Leonberger photos posts. This time the theme is old Leonbergers. Most of the photos are of our late Leonberger Bronco from the age of 11 years old and up. Since Leonbergers typically live 8-10 years, eleven years old and up is indeed old for a Leonberger. One of the photos is a photo of Bronco with my wife standing next to him holding his Grey Muzzle Award. This is an award given to Leonbergers who have reached the age of 12 years or older.

The first two photos are photos of Leonbergers belonging to friends of mine, then there are 17 photos of Bronco and finally there are six Leonberger stock photos. If you’ve been following my blog, you may have seen many of these photos already but not all of them. Below is a list of the previous 25 Leonberger posts I’ve made.

25 Leonberger Photos and Illustrations.
Another 25 Leonberger Photos and Illustrations.
25 Waterberger Photos (Leonbergers in water or swimming).
25 Leonberger Puppies and Other Puppies for National Puppy Day.
25 Photos of Leonbergers with Other Dogs.
25 Photos of Leonbergers in Nature.
25 Photos of Young Leonbergers.

Two Leonbergers standing next to each other and wearing party headwear typical for a carnival. — Digory and Obi two Leonbergers. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.

A photo of our Leonberger dog wearing a blue party hat. — Bronco’s 11^th birthday.

A photo of our Leonberger lying on our green lawn. There are trees and bushes in the background. — Bronco taking a resting in the grass in our backyard.

Our big Leonberger dog Bronco is lying on the sofa and our pug Daisy is walking right by him. — Bronco and our Pug Daisy. Daisy is leaving because she thinks Bronco is hogging the sofa.

Our Leonberger dog Bronco is standing in front of me and looking straight into the camera. I am sitting down. — Our Leonberger dog Bronco is coming up to me. Maybe it is dinner time.

Bronco is standing on our lawn while lowering his head down to sniff the new puppy. — Our Leonberger Bronco in the backyard with our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo. This is the first time they met.

Bronco is standing at the kitchen entrance and our new little dark brown and white puppy is sitting in front of him. — Our Leonberger dog Bronco is eleven and a half years old and we have acquired a new puppy, a mini-Australian Shepherd by the name Rollo.

Our big Leonberger dog Bronco is lying on the floor and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is lying on his back in front of him. — Rollo wants Bronco to play with him, but Bronco is old.

This photo shows Bronco standing next to my wife who is holding his Grey-Muzzle award diploma. — Bronco got his Grey-Muzzle award from the Leonberger Health Foundation International for reaching the age of 12 years old and thus giving hope for a longer life to all Leonbergers.

The photo shows an old Leonberger dog lying on green grass. He is looking into the camera. — Bronco our Leonberger dog is taking a rest during a walk. He is twelve and a half years old.

The photo shows our mini-Australian Shepherd biting Bronco’s tail and pulling on it as Bronco is trying to ignore him. — A rambunctious Rollo is biting Bronco’s tail. Bronco was very patient. One time Rollo swung in his tail as if it was a swing.

Our Leonberger Bronco is looking out from the green bushes and straight at the camera. — Our Leonberger Bronco is in the bushes at grandpa and grandma’s house.

The photo shows a table with nothing on it. There is a pile of books and papers on the floor. Bronco is standing behind the table. He is wearing a big cone around his head. — After a toe amputation due to toe cancer, Bronco needed to wear a cone, a big soft cone. Unfortunately, he frequently cleared tables as he swung the cone back and forth. Here he has just pushed a pile of books and papers off a table.

The photo shows Bronco our Leonberger dog standing in the living room. He is looking into the camera. Rollo is lying in front of him and showing him his belly. That was usually what he did when he wanted a belly rub. — Rollo wants Bronco to give him a belly rub. But Bronco does not know how to give belly rubs.

A photo of our old Leonberger lying on the sidewalk — Bronco taking a break during a walk. He is old for a Leonberger. He is 12 years old and 10 months.

Bronco, our Leonberger is lying on the grass in our backyard next to Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd. — Bronco our Leonberger is hanging out with Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd. Bronco is 12 years old and 11 months, in this photo. You can see his blue help-em-up around his waist. He needed help to get up. Unfortunately, he only had two more weeks to live in this photo.

Leonberger dog looking into the camera, like a portrait. — Big dog Leonberger portrait in the studio Stock Photo ID: 193024763 by Csanad Kiss.

Fluffy dark faced Leonberger looking into the camera. — Old Leonberger Stock Photo ID: 2342234815 by theimagebooth.

Big fluffy Leonberger sitting in the grass on a hill. — Mature big Leonberger Stock Photo ID:731020957 by Peter Josto.

Old Leonberger with a grey muzzle lying on the ground and looking into the camera. — Old Leonberger Stock Photo ID: 1844035084 by Daniel Lesk.

An old Leonberger standing in front of a field and looking into the camera. — Old Leonberger Stock Photo ID: 1957113277 by AnetaZabranska.

Old Leonberger sitting in the snow between two snowy and icy bushes. — Old Leonberger in the snow Stock Photo ID: 1944789826 by Anna Krivitskaya.

Old Leonberger lying on the ground. There are snowy mountains in the background. — Old Leonberger in Norway Stock Photo ID: 1779931691 by Britta Paasch.

The photo shows the face of Leonberger lying down. — Closeup of old Leonberger Stock Photo ID: 1942925251 by Wirestock Creators.

Also don’t forget to check out my new blog if you haven’t done so.

The Blog Tag

I just got tagged by deanne01 – Vegan Book Blogger for this blog tag. This is her last post. I’ve never been tagged before, and I have to admit I am not entirely sure how it works but as I understand I should tag other people by linking to their website. I am also linking to their last post to generate a pingback because I don’t know how you would know otherwise. I selected some random fellow bloggers who I thought might find these kinds of games amusing but I certainly don’t expect anyone to participate. It is only if you feel so inclined. However, the opposite is also true, if you want to do it, tell me and I will add you. Below are the people I picked.

If you have been tagged (or want to be tagged) and want to participate then you answer the six questions below. My answers are included below.

How did you come up with your blog name?

This blog was originally a blog about our late Leonberger dog Bronco and the book I wrote about him “Le Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. The blog and the book is about his life so I chose the name “Leonberger Life”. The blog and the book also feature photos and information about Leonbergers. As time passed, I’ve added other topics too including my adventures and background as well as book reviews. I also launched a second blog “Super Factful”, which is about something different.

If your blog was a person (fiction or real), who would it be?

If my blog was a person, it would be our Leonberger dog Bronco. He was the best person ever.

What helps you create new content if you feel like you need some inspiration?

I get inspiration from looking at other people’s blogs or reading about Leonbergers.

Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with?

I have collaborated with a few people and that was fun. The first person I collaborated with was Jacqui Murray.

Is there anything more you wish you had or would like to learn as a blogger?

Yes, I need to learn how to use the Word Press features better, experiment with themes, and learn about SEO.

Do you have a specific style of blogging?

I am all over the place in terms of topics. When I review a Leonberger book I don’t hesitate to be critical, and I rate it from one star to five stars. I am trying to read all the Leonberger books there are, and I want to review them on my blog, so I need to rate the full spectrum. One day I would like to create a super post featuring around 40 Leonberger books. For other types of books, I like to keep it positive, so I only post books I thought were five stars. All other books I rate on Amazon but not on my blog. I like to add a lot of photos to my dog related posts.