Leonberger book – Page 4 – Leonberger Life

Tornadoes versus Hurricanes plus Leonbergers

Today, or rather yesterday, since it is past midnight, was a wild day here in Dallas. We had severe thunderstorms with strong winds ripping up trees around the neighborhood as well as our patio parasol and one of our small trees. There were large hails, lightning and thunder, flash floods, as well as a tornado. Luckily the tornado was not anywhere near us, but we lost power during a significant part of the day, just like more than 650,000 people here in Dallas. Oncor said it will take 8 days to restore power to everyone. Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is very afraid of bad weather, so he had a bad day. I am sure many other dogs had a bad day too.

A threatening supercell with lightning — A so called supercell but without a tornado. Stock Photo ID: 1768468151 by Laura Hedien.

When I talked about the weather with friends and family, I realized that many people do not know the difference between a tornado and a hurricane, so I thought I would explain. A hurricane is a big rotating storm system originating in the ocean that sometimes makes landfall and devastates our coasts. Hurricanes are big, thousands of square miles and even a million square miles. A hurricane has wind speeds of 74 miles per hour (mph) or higher. That’s 119 kilometers per hour or 33 meters per second. They are called hurricanes in the Atlantic and the northeast Pacific, and Typhoons in the northwest Pacific, and otherwise just cyclones.

Satellite photo of Mexico, southeastern United States and the Caribbean. A hurricane is approaching from the east. — Satellite photo of hurricane approaching Cuba and Florida. Stock Photo ID: 2202605185 by Emre Akkoyun.

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cloud. They originate with thunderstorms, especially supercells, and are more of an inland phenomenon even though hurricanes can sometimes generate tornadoes. They are much smaller than hurricanes in area, almost always much smaller than a square mile, or just 10 or 30 meters across. The reason they can be as deadly as hurricanes is that they tend to have stronger winds and they appear and disappear quicker thus taking people by surprise. Tornadoes can happen anywhere, but they are more common in North America and especially in tornado-alley. Despite tornado alley’s small size, a quarter of all significant tornadoes in the world occurred there according to a study (1921 – 1995).

A large well-formed tornado over the plains. — A tornado. Stock Photo ID: 2369175167 by g images.com.

Below is a list of how hurricanes (Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale) and tornadoes (original Fujita scale) are classified. The unit is miles per hour (mph). Also note that as the wind speed doubles the force quadruples, so an F5/261 mph Tornado has a force that is 2.8 times stronger than category five/155 mph hurricane.

Hurricane category one: Winds 74 to 95 mph. Tornado F1 : 73 to 112 mph
Hurricane category two: Winds 96 to 110 mph. Tornado F2 : 113 to 157 mph
Hurricane category three: Winds 111 to 130 mph. Tornado F3: 158 to 206 mph
Hurricane category four: Winds 131 to 155 mph. Tornado F4 : 207 to 260 mph
Hurricane category five: Winds greater than 155 mph. Tornado F5 : 261 to 318 mph

Tornado Alley is indicated in red, orange and yellow covering north Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, and the corners of Minnesota, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. — Map showing Tornado Alley. It includes north Texas / Dallas. Stock Vector ID: 1719764089 by Adansijav Official.

The weather today reminded me about what happened on October 20, 2019. An EF3 Tornado ravaged our neighborhood, and it came close to our house, about 100 yards, and it damaged our house. Our chimney was smashed by a piece of concrete flying off a neighbor’s house, and our roof was damaged and needed to be replaced. In addition, our garage door was destroyed, and the wiring and pipes in the attic were destroyed, our fence was damaged, and my grill flew across the yard. The cost of the repairs was $50,000.00.

Bronco is laying on the ground facing the broken fence. He has a plastic bag around his bandage. — Bronco had just had a toe amputation. He did not blow down our fence.

However, we were lucky. Several of our neighbors’ houses were totally destroyed and my wife’s parents house was a lot more damaged than our house was. The wind from the Tornado lifted my 89-year-old father-in-law up in the air and he was hit by a broken marble table that injured his back. The school where our boys used to go, St. Marks School of Texas, was badly damaged and the walls of the gymnasium blew away.

A neighbor’s house with the roof ripped off. — A neighbor’s house the morning of October 21^st, 2019.

I was sitting outside drinking a beer, a Yellow Rose, when my phone started making a loud sound. It was an alarm announcing a tornado warning and, in the distance, I could hear a faint tornado siren. At first, I thought it was nothing but when I saw the lightning approaching, I decided to go inside. Two minutes later a hailstorm made things very loud, the wind was strong, and the house shook, and then we heard a loud explosion. That was our chimney being smashed.

Debris on the street from a neighbor’s destroyed house. — Another neighbor’s house. This house was about 100 yards from our house. It took a direct hit from the tornado.

After the wind had died down a bit, I opened the door to the backyard, and what I saw shocked me. My gas grill had flown across the patio. There were bricks and pieces of concrete all over the patio and the lawn. There was a big sheet of metal lying on the patio. Big tree branches covered the lawn. There was debris everywhere. We had also lost power. It turns out that the EF3 tornado had gone through our neighborhood and passed within one hundred yards of our house.

This house is totally destroyed. — Another neighbor’s house (a bit further away from us).

My wife Claudia asked me to go check on her parents. I drove about 50-100 yards when a neighbor’s roof lying across the road stopped me. I turned around but this time I was stopped by a large pile of trees lying across the street. So, I started walking, but this time I was stopped by a group of firemen telling me that it was too dangerous to be outside. They told me to go back home, and I did.

My wife Claudia is walking among the debris in my in-laws house. — Inside Claudia’s parents’ house. This was the morning after. We are walking into their house to check on them (that’s my wife).

I can add that October of 2019 was a very difficult month for our Leonberger Bronco. He was getting old. He was twelve years old, and he had the first signs of geriatric-onset laryngeal paralysis polyneuropathy (or GOLPP), which made his breathing a bit labored and affected his gait. In addition, he had developed another case of squamous cell carcinoma, a toe-nail cancer, and this time on his right rear paw. We amputated his toe on October 3—the day he turned twelve years and three months old.

You can see our mini-Australian Shepherd inspecting Bronco’s bandage change. He is standing over the bandages and the solutions and Bronco’s paw. — We had to change Bronco’s bandages every now and then but Rollo, our mini–Australian Shepherd made sure we did it right.

The surgery went well, but after around ten days it was discovered that he had a large deep ulcerous sore on the same paw a few inches above the surgical scar. Fortunately, it was not cancerous, as we first thought, but we would have to treat this sore in addition to nursing him back from his amputation. Then on October 20 we were visited by the tornado. One week after the tornado Bronco had his first heart failure. So, something bad happened every week in October 2019. It was a dark time for Bronco. However, he took it very well, he kept his brave and positive outlook on life, and he was able to recover.

Below are a few more photos from that day.

Our Leonberger Bronco is in the background. Our pug Daisy is sitting on a chair in the kitchen. — Bronco and Daisy the evening before the big storm. None of us suspected what was about to happen.

The entire top of this house is gone. — This is the next-door neighbor of Claudia’s (my wife) parents.

The house is completely flattened. A large tree is destroyed. It has no branches. — Destroyed house in the neighborhood.

Crashed cars and destroyed stores. — View of the shopping center in our neighborhood.

The Gap store has its entire backside ripped off. — A store at a nearby shopping center

The yellow school bus is wrapped around a tree. — This was a school bus belonging to the school where my boys went.

Trees are ripped up, vehicles are crushed. — Streetview from the neighborhood.

Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd is on the left and Bronco our Leonberger is on the right. He is wearing a bandage on his back leg. — Bronco and Rollo a few days after the Tornado.

The Day Bronco Saved the Neighborhood from a Nighttime Stalker

I once apologized to our neighbor Sam because our Leonberger Bronco had been barking. To my surprise Sam told me not to worry, let him bark he said, it scares the bad guys away, and is good for the entire neighborhood. I think the story below, which is an excerpt from my book might explain his thinking.

Bronco is standing on a red leather sofa. I am standing next to the sofa and Bronco is reaching over giving me a hug. — Our Leonberger dog Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle when he was young. He is giving me a hug.

A quiet and spooky evening alone

It was a quiet evening, and I was home alone. My wife, Claudia, was visiting her parents a few blocks away with Rachel, our daughter. Our son Jacob was meeting with his debate team; our other son, David, was visiting a friend.

I was making myself a ham sandwich in the kitchen when I suddenly felt a hand on my right shoulder. I startled and turned my head to face what I feared was an intruder, and there he stood on his hind legs—our Leonberger, Bronco. His big paw on my shoulder felt for a moment exactly like a human hand.

Bronco looked at me with his kind, wise eyes, then he looked at the sandwich. Then he turned his head toward me again and held my gaze. At that moment I understood what he wanted. I cut the sandwich in two and gave him his half.

The night stalker

I should explain that we had a problem with a trespasser at that time, which was the reason I was startled. This trespasser would sit outside our bedroom window at night and make threats and shout obscene comments at Claudia when I was not present. At first, though, we didn’t know where the threats and comments were coming from. I doubted Claudia’s accounts of these incidents, especially because she thought the voice might be coming from within our bedroom, perhaps via an electronic speaker. I thought she was just having nightmares.

Then one night I heard it myself—a voice screaming, “I am going to burn your house down!” Just as Claudia had said, it sounded like it came from within our bedroom, almost as if it were right next to me.

After Claudia and I went through our “Oh, so now you believe me” routine, I started looking under our bed and inside the heating and air-conditioning vents for hidden speakers and/or microphones. It was hard to believe that someone had planted these things in our bedroom, but that seemed to be the case. Then it finally dawned on me. Next to the headboard of our bed, on Claudia’s side, just inches from her pillow, is a window. At night, when the blinds are lowered and the slats are partially open, you can see in, even if we have just a few lights on in the house. But of course under these conditions, you can’t see anything that might be outside.

The stalker is sitting in a lawn chair and looking through our window. — The nightly stalker or voyeur looking through our bedroom window. Illustration by Naomi Roseblatt.

I ran out the front door and around the back of the house, and there, right in front of our bedroom window, was one of our lawn chairs. The trespasser had climbed our fence, taken the chair, sat down in front of the window, and spied on us. Whenever I left the room, he would shout obscenities and threats at Claudia. When his face was planted in front of our window, he was just two or three feet away. This was why the voice felt so close. This had been going on for two weeks. We were happy to have finally figured it out, but we realized we had a problem.

We talked to our neighbors about the situation, and they told us that the trespasser had terrorized them as well. He had been quite busy looking through bedroom windows at night. People in the neighborhood were scared. I called the police, who told us they could do nothing unless the man was caught in the act or he committed a crime other than trespassing.

The detectives

Therefore, I decided to hire private investigators. I found them in the phone book. Phone books still existed back then.

The investigators told me that they typically spy on people suspected of cheating on their spouses, so this would be a more interesting job for them. The plan was for them to hide behind the bushes in our backyard and in a dark car parked on our street. When the man appeared, they would record him on video. They had a lot of fancy equipment and instruments, including big microphones, cameras, and metal detectors. They reminded us of Ghostbusters with all their technology and enthusiasm. They clearly loved their job. Unfortunately, though, the trespasser didn’t show up, so after a couple of days I decided to let the investigators go.

However, I soon figured out who the trespasser was. I started paying attention to what was going on in the neighborhood, and one evening, I noticed a strange-looking but relatively young man, apparently homeless, who seemed to be stealthily roaming our neighborhood. I did not confront him, because I had no proof.

Bronco saves the neighborhood.

But a few days later, I heard shuffling noises outside our bedroom window. The trespasser was finally back. This time I sent Bronco out to chase him, and he did. Like the detectives, Bronco was enthusiastic but didn’t catch him. Still, he chased the man off. Having a big bearlike dog rushing toward you at night is probably a bit unnerving, even if the dog just wants to lick you. We never experienced or heard about the problem after this event, so Bronco may have helped the entire neighborhood.

Illustration of a big dog chasing a guy in blue jeans. — Bronco chasing off the intruder who would not return. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.

A couple of weeks later, while walking Bronco on a neighboring block, I saw the homeless man across the street, at a bit of a distance. He stared at us in fright. Bronco just calmly looked at him without barking. The man was clearly terrified of Bronco, and he ran away. But despite the nightmare the homeless man had inflicted on us, I felt sorry for him. My guess is that he was suffering from mental illness and that he had had a very tough and lonely life.

Bronco our Leonberger is standing on the lawn. A ray of sunshine is shining over his head. — Bronco is a hero.

Did your dog(s) or pets do something heroic?

A Beautiful Review of my Leonberger Book

Read this review of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Bronco was my best friend and I love when someone loves the book about him.

Book Review: “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Lowenhohle”

The Origins of the Leonberger Dog

coat of arms of the town of Leonberg. A black lion like figure on a yellow background — The coat of arms of the town of Leonberg, Germany, was allegedly the inspiration for the first breeder of the Leonberger, Heinrich Essig.

The Leonberger breed was originally created by Heinrich Essig (1808–87) in the German town of Leonberg, in what was then the kingdom of Württemberg. According to legend, Essig bred the dog to resemble the lion in the town’s coat of arms. Indeed, as you can see in the image above, the lion in the coat of arms doesn’t look like a real lion, so you could say that the Leonberger looks the way it does because Germans were bad at drawing lions back then. All joking aside, though, Leonbergers do bear some resemblance to lions and maybe even bears. In any case, they are beautiful dogs.

A town square surrounded by buildings. There is a statue in the middle. — The town square in the city of Leonberg. Shutter Stock Photo ID: 1689829297 by Martin Dutkiewicz.

When people would stop me and ask me questions about the kind of dog Bronco was, I would say he was a Leonberger, a cross between a Saint Bernard, a Newfoundland, and a Great Pyrenees and that the breed was created by the mayor of the German town of Leonberg. But, as the economist Tyler Cowen said, “Be suspicious of simple stories.” As it turns out, the story I kept telling was a simplification and not entirely true. History is more complicated. I was unintentionally spreading misinformation about Leonbergers.

A Leonberger puppy wearing a red silk scarf. — Our Leonberger Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle at 3 months old.

Simple and interesting stories are easy to remember, easy to believe, and easy to propagate. But first, Heinrich Essig was never the mayor of Leonberg. He was a prominent citizen of the town, and he was a successful businessman, farmer, innkeeper, horse and dog trader, large dog enthusiast, dog breeder, and town councilman, but he was never the mayor.

A big Leonberger splayed across a big wide red leather sofa. — Our Leonberger Bronco sleeping on our big red leather sofa.

Essig claimed to have created the Leonberger in the 1830s by crossing a female Landseer Newfoundland with a male long-haired Saint Bernard from the Great Saint Bernard Hospice, a monastery in Switzerland. He continued crossing the Landseer Newfoundland and the Saint Bernard over four generations, then he crossed his Newfoundland Saint Bernard mix with a Pyrenean wolfhound not, as is often asserted, with a Great Pyrenees (called a Pyrenean Mountain dog in Europe). He then crossed that dog with the Saint Bernard again. In 1846, he was finally ready to announce and register his “lion of a dog.” A few years later, Leonbergers were officially introduced to the public at the Munich Oktoberfest.

Our Leonberger is standing on the large red leather sofa giving me a kiss. — Me and our Leonberger Bronco when he was young.

However, the story is more complicated than that. There’s no specific breed named Pyrenean wolfhound today, so Essig could have used a Great Pyrenees or a Pyrenean mastiff . In addition, later in the nineteenth century, Leonbergers were used to breed the long-haired Saint Bernard dog, and this likely saved the Saint Bernard dog from extinction. At one point, too, Leonbergers were deliberately mixed with Newfoundland dogs to strengthen the Newfoundland breed. In other words, breeding happened in both directions, and the characteristics of the large breeds were in constant flux. The dogs, including Leonbergers and Saint Bernards didn’t look like they do today, either. Essig’s Leonbergers were multicolored, mostly white, and lacked the black mask that is so important to the breed now. What has not changed is the essence of what Essig was aiming for: a large but moderately proportioned dog that is friendly and loving and a great companion.

Saint Bernard Dog wearing a cognac barrel. The Alps in the background. — A modern Saint Bernard Dog. Shutter Stock Photo ID: 1713912484 by fred12.

Ultimately, the origins of the Leonberger, as well as the Saint Bernard and the other large breeds from this region, are complex and shrouded in mystery. In addition, some of Essig’s claims have been disputed. Breed standards wouldn’t be codified until the end of the nineteenth century. It should also be noted that it was Essig’s niece Marie who to a large extent bred and cared for the dogs.

Black or dark brown New Foundland Dog with a colorful autumn forest in the background. — Modern New Foundland Dog. Shutter Stock Photo ID: 1925281937 by Marsan.

Essig was selling his Leonberger dogs as luxury items to the wealthy. He was also a marketing genius and was able to get the attention of European nobility and royalty. The czar of Russia, Emperor Napoleon II, Otto von Bismarck, the king of Belgium, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Emperor Maximilian I, the Prince of Wales, King Umberto of Italy, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and the mikado of Japan were among those who owned Leonbergers. Not everyone was happy about this. Some people viewed the Leonberger as a fashionable knockoff of the Saint Bernard that could hinder that breed’s development.

Photo of a Leonberger standing in the snow. There is a wintry forest in the background. — Modern Leonberger. Shutter Stock Photo ID:705193912 by Anna Krivitskaya.

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, the discipline of cynology, or the scientific study of dogs, emerged. Cynologists pushed for breed classification and systematic breeding practices, and breed standards were created. But Essig and others viewed dog breeding as an art rather than a science, and this led to a conflict with the cynologists. Heinrich Schumacher, for example, was a breeder who strove to create a clearly identifiable Saint Bernard type. He was upheld by the cynologists as a paragon, in contrast to Heinrich Essig to the detriment of the Leonberger.

Face of a Leonberger looking into the camera. — Face of modern Leonberger. Shutter Stock Photo ID: 193024763 by Csanad Kiss.

After Essig’s death, in 1887, other people more willing to please the cynologists continued breeding Leonbergers. By that time, the dogs looked for the most part like Leonbergers do today. Then, in 1895, Albert Kull created the Leonberger’s first breed standard. It would go through several revisions in 1901, 1926, 1938, 1951, 1955, and 1972—until finally, in 1996, the FCI approved version was established. The Kennel Club in the UK and the American Kennel Club also have their own breed standards. However, most of them are similar to Albert Kull’s 1895 version. The first Leonberger club was formed 1891 in Berlin: two more were created in 1895, then two more were formed in 1901. The most prominent was the Internationaler Klub für Leonberger Hunde, of which Albert Kull was the first president.

For additional information see :

The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger by Thomas Wikman.

Madeline Lusby, Leonberger: A Comprehensive Owner’s Guide (Allenhurst, NJ: Kennel Club Books, 2005).

Caroline Bliss-Isberg, Leonberger: A Comprehensive Guide to the Lion King of Breeds (Sea Cliff , NY: Revodana Publishing, 2017), 23, 41, 45, 48–49.

The Day Bronco Wearing a Leg Cast Chased Our Neighbor

An excerpt from my book : The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle

When Bronco was almost eight years old, we discovered a case of squamous cell carcinoma in one of his toes—or, rather, in one of his toenails. It was on his right rear paw.

Photo of a big fluffy Leonberger lying in the grass. — Our Leonberger Bronco, or Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle.

Squamous cell carcinoma is a type of skin cancer that certain large-breed dogs, including Leonbergers, are susceptible to. It often grows out from the skin around the nail and can affect the bone and tissue around it. It is typically not very aggressive, but it can spread, and it is painful. It manifests itself as a swollen toe, or you may be able to see a large red papule that looks like a pimple. Sometimes the toenail falls off. The dog is likely to limp and lick the toe and may become reluctant to go for walks, although that was never the case with Bronco.

Close up of a bandage on one of Bronco’s paws with Bronco in the background. — Bandage on Bronco’s paw after a toe amputation.

Primarily because of the pain, but also because of the small risk of metastasis, it is usually recommended that the affected toe be amputated. So we went through with the procedure. When we picked Bronco up the day after the surgery, his paw was in a bandage. But he got some treats, and he was in a good mood. We went back to the veterinary surgical center for a bandage change a few times, and then he was done.

A big barking Leonberger standing in a doorway. Upon close inspection you see a missing toe. — An agitated Bronco stands guard at the back door. Note the missing toe on his left front paw.

Unfortunately, though, we discovered another lesion a year later. This time it was on a large toe on his left front leg. We asked the doctors if the cancer had spread to this toe. We were told no—Bronco was just prone to getting this type of cancer. But the cause could also have been something in the environment. In Texas, the ultraviolet radiation from the sun is significant. We really don’t know why this happened to him, but we were assured that it was not because the cancer had spread.

Bronco our Leonberger Bronco wearing a large soft cone. It barely fit through the doorway. — A cone of shame or as in this case a soft cone typically accompanied a bandage or a cast.

This time around, Bronco’s entire leg was put in a cast, to be replaced by a bandage after ten days. We were instructed to keep him inside during those ten days and keep him as still as possible. We were to make sure he wouldn’t bump the cast. This was, of course, almost impossible to do, but we were going to try.

However, Bronco really wanted to go out, which he showed us in various ways, such as scratching at the front door. After a week or so, Claudia suggested that we take him outside a little bit, just in our driveway. I agreed. When I handed her the leash, she said, “He can barely walk; do you think he’s going to run off without it?” We laughed, and I agreed that it didn’t seem like we needed it this time. So Claudia walked out with Bronco slowly limping beside her.

Illustration of an excited Leonberger towards us. He is wearing a cast on his left front leg (right from our perspective). — Bronco could barely walk with his full leg cast, but when motivated enough he could run. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.

Less than a minute had passed when I heard shouting outside. I opened the door and looked outside to see what was going on. First I saw our neighbor and his two corgis running down the street as fast as they could. Our neighbor was screaming at he top of his lungs, “Get him off me! Get him off me!” Behind him, Bronco was running with his cast going kabonk-kabonk-kabonk as it hit the sidewalk. Behind Bronco ran Claudia, who was also screaming at the top of her lungs. Bronco! Sit! Stay! Stop!” Finally, Bronco stopped, and Claudia grabbed him. Holding his collar, she led him back in.

Illustration of woman dressed in blue pants and pink shirt running. — Claudia running after Bronco. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.

Our red-faced and sweaty neighbor was very nice about it and forgave us. He even forgave Bronco, though Bronco was chasing the corgis, not our neighbor. But still, if I had been chased by a big dog wearing a cast, I would not have gotten over it that easily. Our neighbor is clearly a better man than I am.

Illustration of man with a hat running holding two leashes, each with a corgi at the end. — Our neighbor and his corgis running from Bronco. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.

This was an embarrassing event for all of us, but at the same time it was one of the most surreal and amazing things I’ve ever seen. It was so unexpected, so bizarre, and so funny. I really wish I had had a video camera handy. Talk about a potentially viral video.

When we went back to the veterinary surgical center to have Bronco’s cast removed, we decided not to say anything about the incident to the doctors. We sat in the waiting room and wondered if the episode had caused any permanent damage to Bronco’s paw or leg. But when the veterinary technicians came back with Bronco in a bandage instead of a cast, they told us that everything looked good. Great job, everyone!

We thought they might not have checked his sore carefully enough, so we asked them again: Are you sure everything looks good? The sore, the stitches—did you really look at them thoroughly? They insisted that yes, they looked good. So Bronco got his treats, he looked happy, and we went home.

25 Leonberger Puppies and Other Puppies for National Puppy Day

Today is National Puppy Day. Therefore, I am posting 25 puppy photos. It is mostly Leonberger puppies but there are also puppy photos of some of our other dogs. Most of the photos in this post are mine but I am including a few Leonberger puppy photos from shutterstock. If you want to check out the Leonberger book I wrote click here, or look to the right if you are on a desktop or at the bottom if you are on a mobile.

This is a black and white photo of our Leonberger puppy Bronco at three months old. He is sitting and staring at the camera. He is wearing a silk scarf. — Our Leonberger Bronco at three months old.

This is color photo of our Leonberger puppy Bronco at three months old. He is sitting and staring at the camera. He is wearing a silk scarf. — Our Leonberger Bronco at three months old.

Our black and white Japanese Shin Ryu is on our red sofa. You can see our pug Daisy in the upper left corner. — Our Japanese Shin Ryu when he was young.

Photo of our son David on the sofa holding a little pug puppy in his arms. — Our son David with our pug Daisy when she was a puppy.

Two brown Leonberger puppies lying on a wood floor. — Two Leonberger puppies. Shutter stock Photo ID: 2294202331 by Olga Shusters.

A Leonberger puppy running in the snow. Shutterstock Stock Photo ID: 2056502327 by Nikky de Graaf.

A Leonberger puppy standing in the snow. Shutterstock Stock Photo ID: 2390810457 by VeronArt16.

A Leonberger puppy sitting on a white floor next to pink flowers. — Another Leonberger puppy. Stock Photo ID: 561111403 by Akbudak Rimma.

Ten Leonberger puppies sitting on a sofa. They are brown with black face masks. — Ten Leonberger puppies. My guess is that they are about two months old. Shutterstock-ID:561107710 by Akbudak Rimma.

Leonberger puppy running through green grass. The puppy has its mouth open, and he is looking straight into the camera. — Leonberger puppy. My guess is that he is around two months old. Shutterstock-ID: 629624396 by TOM KAROLA.

Two sand colored Leonberger puppies playing in the snow. The play seems to be a little bit rough. Like all Leonbergers they have a black facemask. — Two light colored Leonberger puppies playing. My guess is that they are three months old. Shutterstock-ID: 2141564415 by AnetaZabranska.

The German Shepherd is lying on the floor and the Leonberger puppy is on his back. — Our German Shepherd Baby playing with our 4 months old Leonberger Bronco.

Our Leonberger Bronco about 9 months old is lying on his back on the floor.

Bronco our Leonberger at the dog park. He is about one year old. He is maybe not a puppy but far from an adult. He is an adolescent, which is why he looks so thin and gangly. Our Labrador Baylor is in the background.

Our black and white Japanese Shin Ryu (left) sleeping next to our beige pug Daisy (right). — Our Japanese Shin Ryu sleeping next to our pug Daisy.

Our black and white Japanese Shin Ryu (right) licking our pug Daisy’s ear (left). — Our Japanese Shin Ryu licking our pug Daisy’s ear.

Photo shows a little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy on top. He is looking up at us. Right below him is an English Bulldog puppy. — The day we picked up our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo. He was nine weeks old. The other puppy is an English bulldog puppy.

Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is lying on the grass. — Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.

Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is lying on a blanket. — Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.

The photo shows our pug Daisy on the right and our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo on the left. They are on the sofa. — Our pug Daisy and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.

The photo shows our big Leonberger on the left and our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo on the right. They are in the backyard. — Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.

The photo shows our big Leonberger standing behind our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo. — Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.

Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is playing with an orange volleyball on the green grass. — Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo playing with an orange ball.

Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo (left) is biting Bronco’s tail and pulling on it. — Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is playing with our Leonberger Bronco’s tail. Once he even dangled in it like a swing.

Happy National Puppy Day

The Adventures of a Leonberger a Leonberger Guest Post

da-AL was gracious enough to host me via a guest post. It features the story of why I wrote my Leonberger book as well as the story about our Leonberger Bronco’s hamster rescue operation. I would like to direct all comments to her post. See da-AL’s post below.

https://happinessbetweentails.com/2024/03/14/big-dog-fun-by-thomas-wikman-my-library-prizes-podcast/?page_id=448950

25 Waterberger Photos

Today is the two-year anniversary of my blog and this is the 215^th post.

Four Leonbergers running in water — Shutterstock-ID: 959582 by Ingvald Kaldhussater

My blog is primarily about Leonbergers, an unusual and fascinating dog breed that is known for its size, affectionate nature, and intelligence. We were lucky enough to live with one for thirteen years. His name was Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle—but we called him “Bronco” for short. I also wrote a book about Leonbergers and about Bronco’s many adventures : The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle. If you are on a desktop computer you’ll see the book in the sidebar on the right, and if you are on a phone you have to scroll to the bottom of the page. If you still cannot see the book, you can click here.

Leonbergers love to swim and so did our Bronco. This post features 25 photos of Leonbergers in the water, which is why the title of the post is 25 Waterberger photos. Most of the photos are of our Leonberger Bronco in White Rock Lake in Dallas. He loved to chase ducks and egrets, but catching is difficult. In the end he had no egrets. One of the photos is from a friend and there are a few stock photos. If you want to see Leonberger puppy photos click here, and if you want to see another set of 25 Leonbergers click here, and here is yet another set of 25 Leonbergers.

A Leonberger swimming in lake water — Our Leonberger Bronco swimming in White Rock Lake.

Bronco our Leonberger is standing in lake water — Bronco is standing in the water in White Rock Lake.

A Leonberger standing in lake water — Our Leonberger Bronco in shallow water. Still White Rock Lake.

A Leonberger standing in water — Digory a Leonberger in the water. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.

Leonberger standing in a blue kiddie pool — Young Bronco (maybe one years old) standing in a kiddie pool.

A Leonberger swimming with a ball in his mouth — Leonberger swimming with a ball. Stock Photo ID: 720242263 by Christian Mueller

A Leonberger standing in beach waves — Leonberger on the beach. Stock Photo ID: 1110805445 by Lolostock

Two Leonbergers swimming next to each other — Two Leonbergers swimming. Stock Photo ID: 1989806678 by Taibomaus.

Leonberger standing in water — Leonberger standing in river. Photo by Stephanie Lucero on Unsplash.

Our Leonberger standing in a blue kiddie pool — Our Bronco in a kiddie pool.

Leonberger dog swimming in a lake — Bronco swimming in White Rock Lake, Texas.

Leonberger dog standing in a lake water — Bronco standing in White Rock Lake, nearby Dallas, Texas.

Leonberger dog in lake water — Bronco again

Leonberger dog walking out of a lake — Bronco coming out of White Rock Lake

Leonberger dog walking into water. There is a canoe in the background. — Bronco walking into White Rock Lake

Leonberger dog walking out of a lake. There is a canoe in the background. — Bronco coming back out of White Rock Lake

Another 25 Leonberger Photos and Illustrations

My blog is primarily about Leonbergers, an unusual and fascinating dog breed that is known for its size, affectionate nature, and intelligence. I know a lot about Leonbergers because we were lucky enough to live with one for thirteen years. His name was Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle—but we called him “Bronco” for short. I also wrote a book about Leonbergers and about Bronco’s many adventures : The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle. If you are on a desktop computer you’ll see the book on the right, and if you are on a phone you have to scroll to the bottom of the page. You can also click here.

This post features 25 photos and illustrations. Most of the photos are of our Leonberger Bronco, a few are photos by friends and the illustrations were created by Naomi Rosenblatt. If you want to see another set of 25 Leonberger photos click here. If you want to see Leonberger puppy photos, then click here.

Photo of a Leonberger swimming in a lake. — Bronco our Leonberger is swimming in White Rock Lake.

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.

Photo of our Leonberger lying on his back and taking up all the room in the sofa — Our Leonberger Bronco is sleeping on our big leather sofa.

Our Leonberger Bronco is lying on top of our red leather sofa as our Pug Daisy is walking next to him and away from him — Bronco with our Pug Daisy. They were sharing the sofa until Daisy decided to move.

Illustration showing our daughter lying on the ground while holding onto a leash. Our Leonberger Bronco is dragging her. — Bronco is pulling our daughter along the ground as she is desperately trying to hold on to him. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.

Colorful illustration showing a big dog wearing a cast on his front left leg and running with it. — Illustration showing Bronco running down the street while wearing a cast. He was not supposed to bump the cast. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.

The photo is showing a beige pug on the left and next to her a black and white Japanese Shin and to the right of them both our Leonberger Bronco. — Our Leonberger Bronco with two small dogs, our Japanese Shin Ryu and our pug Daisy.

The photo shows our Leonberger Bronco wearing a cone shaped party hat. — It is Bronco’s birthday.

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.

The photo shows a Leonberger in a bathtub. — Digory Jen O’Keefe’s Leonberger. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.

The photo shows a Leonberger standing in water. — Swimming time for Digory Jen O’Keefe’s Leonberger. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.

The photo shows two Leonbergers sitting next to each other. — Digory got bone cancer, had an amputation, and this photo is two years later. He lived long for a Leonberger with this condition. Here is with a Leonberger friend. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.

The photo shows a Leonberger standing and looking into the camera. — Bronco our Leonberger is standing in front of our hallway. He is pretty old in this photo.

Our Leonberger Bronco is lying in the grass in the front yard. — Bronco in our front yard.

Photo shows our Leonberger Bronco standing in the backyard as a sun ray shines down upon him. — Bronco saved our pug’s life. He is a saint.

Photo shows our Leonberger Bronco standing next to my wife Claudia. She is holding the grey-muzzle award. — Bronco lived very long for a Leonberger. The typical lifespan is 8-9 years. The Leonberger Health Foundation International gives out a grey-muzzle award to Leonbergers who has lived 12 years or longer. Here Bronco is receiving his grey-muzzle award.

The Grey Muzzle Award states “For Leonberger longevity is presented with gratitude by the Leonberger Health Foundation Internation To Bronco for Offering Hope and Potential for longer Lives for Leonbergers throughout the world. — The Grey Muzzle Award.

The photo shows our big Leonberger on the left and our little pug Daisy on the right. — Bronco and our pug Daisy.

The photo shows our big Leonberger on the left and our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo on the right. — Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.

The photo shows our Leonberger Bronco lying in our backyard in front of our broken fence. He has a plastic bag over his foot where he has a bandage. — A tornado ravaged our neighborhood. Several of our neighbor’s houses were destroyed. Our house stood but the chimney, roof, attic, garage, and fence were severely damaged. It was a tough time for Bronco. He had just had a toe amputation due to cancer; he had ulcerous sores on his foot, then came the tornado and less than a week later he had a heart failure. He is not in good shape in this picture.

The photo shows our Leonberger Bronco wearing a large soft cone. He has just pulled the content on a table off the table onto the floor. — Bronco is walking around the house with his giant soft cone and pulling things off tables.

A very old Bronco lying in the grass and looking straight into the camera. — One of the last photos of Bronco.

The illustration shows a mini-Australian Shepherd on the right, a pug on the left, and a Leonberger in the middle. The mini-Australian Shepherd says, “They still talk about you”. The Leonberger answers “I know” — We will always remember Bronco. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.

Another Canadian Leonberger with My Book

With today’s post I just wanted to show a photo of a beautiful Leonberger called Mak with my book. Debbie Ireland allowed me to use the photo, which I took from her post on Facebook. Another post showing another Canadian Leonberger (Hachi) with my book can be seen here.

A Leonberger sitting lying on a sofa with my book resting on his chest. — Photo of Mak a Leonberger in Canada. Photo by Debbie Ireland.