This blog feature amusing and heartwarming stories about our late Leonberger dog Bronco, as well as other Leonbergers. It also has a lot of information about the Leonberger breed, the history, care, training, Leonberger organizations, etc. I also wrote a Leonberger book, which I am featuring in the sidebar.
On Amazon my Leonberger book has 13 ratings including 11 reviews and on Goodreads I have four reviews and on Bookbub and Barnes & Noble none. All the reviews are wonderful and supportive five-star reviews. I am extremely grateful for this .💖
However, with this post I would like to shamelessly request additional reviews. The vast majority of readers do not write reviews. I know, I am the same way. It is hardly something you expect. But if anyone out there who has read my book and has not written a review somewhere, is willing to do just that, I would be very grateful. I would like to stress that the review certainly doesn’t have to be a four-star, or five-star review and they don’t need to be elaborate or wonderful or long. Short honest reviews between one-star and five-star would all be very helpful to me.
If you go to the Amazon page for my book and you scroll down until you see “Customer Reviews” on the left-hand side, there is a white button below “Customer Reviews” bars that says, “Write a customer review”. You can also get here by clicking on the small blue text near the top that says, “13 ratings”. Once you click on the “Write a customer review” button you will see four fields “Overall rating”, “Add a headline”, “Add a photo or video”, and “Add a written review”. “Add a photo or video” is optional, and I admit I have never used it. You can either type something in the “Add a written review” box or copy from, for example, Microsoft Word. Note that Amazon takes a few days to publish a review after it has been submitted.
It works similarly on Barnes & Noble but here you have a blue button towards the bottom on the left. On Bookbub there is a red button towards the bottom left and on Goodreads there is a black “write a review” button in the middle halfway down.
By clicking on any of the pictures below you can visit my book on Bookbub and Goodreads.
This is a photo of our late Leonberger Bronco lying in the grass in the front yard soon after a toe surgery. Click on the image to go to the Bookbub location for the book.This is a photo of our Leonberger Bronco at 3 months old (left) and at almost 13 years old (right). Click on the image to go to the Goodreads location for the book.
In this post I am going to review a Leonberger book, “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” by Bella Ross. However, before I do, I would like to remind everyone about my e-Book promotion in honor of our late Leonberger Bronco’s birthday on July 3rd, as well as the one-year anniversary of my book release.
I temporarily lowered the price of my e-Book from $4.99 to $2.99 on Amazon as well as on IngramSpark, which covers a range of bookstores including Barnes and Noble, Indigo in Canada, independent bookstores, libraries, and Apple devices. I am ending this promotion in a couple of days, but the lower price may stay longer on IngramSpark bookstores because they only update prices on Fridays.
Finally, this is my review of the book Leonberger Complete Training Guide by Bella Ross
I recently finished reading Leonberger Complete Training Guide: Essential Training Guide To Raising A Healthy And Obedient Dog: Caring, Health, Feeding, Exercise, Socialization, Breeding, Showing And Much More. Paperback – Large Print, April 21, 2023. The dimensions of this paperback are 6 x 0.1 x 9 inches, and the weight is 3.84 ounces, ISBN 979-8392099306, and it currently costs $7.99 on Amazon in the US. There is also a Kindle version, ASIN B0C3JGL9FP, which costs $2.99 but is free with Kindle unlimited.
Front cover of “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” by Bella Ross. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.
In summary: The book has 34 pages of content in large text with no images. There are really 40 pages but a few pages are blank. The book does not have much to say about training Leonbergers, so the title “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” is an embellishment. The title also mentions the words breeding and showing and the book says nothing about those topics. The book also has issues with repetition, a few incorrect statements, and the listed categories “Veterinary Genetics”, “Veterinary Parasitology”, “Mammal Field Guides” don’t match the content at all. Aside from those weaknesses, the book is otherwise well edited and positive in its tone. I gave the book three stars. Click here to see my original Amazon review.
A Very Short Leonberger Book with some Strengths as well as Significant Weaknesses
This short book (34 pages of content) in large type gets a lot of information right including information that many Leonberger books get wrong. It is also well edited with respect to spelling, sentence building and paragraphs. I like how positive it is and how well it captures the personality of Leonbergers.
However, it also gets some things wrong. The town of Leonberg is not in Bavaria. Their fur should not be clipped and trimmed if you want to show your dog, and weekly bathing is too often for a Leonberger. Contrary to what it says on page 11 Leonbergers aren’t known for long lives. The book mentions hip dysplasia over and over and states how big of a problem it is when in reality other giant breeds have a significantly bigger problem with hip dysplasia. On page 18 puppies are referred to as kids and on page 35 a reference is made to something that has not been mentioned. The biggest issue with the book is probably that it is very repetitive. Certain things are repeated a half dozen times, which is a lot in a book with only 34 pages of content. The title says “Complete Training Guide” but the book does not say much about training a Leonberger. The book has no pictures and the photo on the front cover is a commonly used stock photo. One more issue; the current categories Veterinary Genetics, Veterinary Parasitology, and Mammal Field Guides do not match the content of the book.
It is a very short Leonberger book with some strengths as well as some significant weaknesses, so I think three stars is a fair rating.
Back cover of “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” by Bella Ross.
It took a while, but I was finally able to lower the price of my e-Book on IngramSpark to $2.99. It’s been $2.99 on Amazon for almost a week already. IngramSpark only update prices on Fridays, and I managed to lock myself out of my account. Fixing it turned out to be complicated.
For those who don’t know; IngramSpark is a competitor to Amazon which distributes to a whole range of bookstores, Barnes and Noble, Indigo in Canada, independent bookstores, libraries, and Apple devices. Unlike Amazon IngramSpark does not translate the dollar amount to other currencies for you so to make it simple for myself I made it 2.99 in all currencies.
The reason for the 2.99 promotion is that our late Leonberger Bronco was born on July 3rd 2007 and in his honor I launched my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle” on July 3rd 2022, one year ago. I will do the $2.99 promotion until July 20th.
The front cover of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Nook (e-Book) version of my book on Barnes & Noble.The back cover of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the paperback version of my book on Barnes & Noble.These are the endorsements for the book. Click on the image to go to the Kindle version on Amazon.com.This is a photo of our late Leonberger Bronco lying in the grass in the front yard soon after a toe surgery. Click on the image to go to the paperback version on Amazon.com.
On July 3rd 2007 our Leonberger Bronco was born. That was 16 years ago today. He died three years ago. On July 3rd 2022, soon one year ago, I launched my book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle; Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger.
This photo was taken on Bronco’s 12th birthday on July 3rd 2019.
To celebrate Bronco’s birthday as well as the one-year anniversary of the publication of my book I am lowering the price of the Kindle version from $4.99 to $2.99.
This is a special Ad for The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle (from the LeoLetter, the official publication of the Leonberger Club of America). Click on the image to go to the Kindle version on Amazon.com.
On July 3rd 2007 our Leonberger Bronco was born. On July 3rd 2022, soon one year ago, I launched my book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle; Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger. I can’t believe it’s been a year already.
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the publication of my book I am lowering the price of the Kindle version from $4.99 to $2.99.
The Amazon page says the publish date is July 2nd for the paperback version and July 1st for the Kindle. What happened was that they told me it would take 2-3 days for it to show up after I pressed the yellow publish button. The evening of July 1st 2022 I pressed the yellow publish button on Amazon and it happened quicker than I expected. But the actual launch, i.e., telling friends, the Leonberger groups I was part of, and announcing the book on social media and on this blog that was July 3rd.
I also published the book with Ingramspark, which distribute to Barnes and Nobles, Canadian stores, and in many other places. Due to technical problems, I am having a hard time changing the price on Ingramspark. I will make another announcement about Ingramspark once I solved the technical problems.
The front cover of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Kindle version on Amazon.com.The back cover of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the paperback version on Amazon.com.These are the endorsements for the book. Click on the image to go to the Barnes and Noble location for the book.
Three years ago today, our beloved Bronco passed away. We miss him very much. Below is a snippet from my book about his passing. Warning, it might be sad reading.
Our Leonberger Bronco three months old
Bronco (our Leonberger) was very old for a Leonberger, and his health had been badly failing him for months, including his first heart failure, as well as other issues. It seemed like the time had come for him to be put to sleep. This is an extremely difficult decision for any dog owner.
Our Leonberger Bronco 12 ½ years old
In the wee hours of the morning on June 16, 2020, Bronco collapsed. He was no longer able to get up or hold himself up even if we lifted him. His legs were like spaghetti, and his breathing was heavy. We called our veterinarian as soon as the clinic opened. She spent quite a bit of time with us over the phone trying to figure out what was going on. The preliminary conclusion was that he most likely was experiencing another episode of heart failure.
We decided, all of us, together with our veterinarian that it was time. Our veterinarian knew Bronco extremely well: she really cared for him, and she was not afraid to tell us how she felt.
Rachel and I would take Bronco to the clinic, where he would be put to sleep. Claudia would stay at home with the other dogs.
Rachel, Claudia, and I lifted him into the car—all 142 pounds of him. It was the first time he could do nothing to help. But once he was inside the car, he was able to rest his head on the center console, between the armrests of the front seats, and sometimes he lifted his head so that he could see out.
He was exhausted but very curious about what he could see out the windows. We had some extra time before our appointment, so we took him for a car ride instead of driving straight to the clinic. He seemed to enjoy it: he was looking at things that seemed to interest him, but he did not make a sound, and he didn’t move much. After a while we turned around and started heading toward the clinic. We dreaded what was coming, but it was time.
Our veterinarian was waiting for us. The staff put Bronco on a stretcher and rolled him inside. Seeing my best friend lying on a stretcher being rolled into a clinic and knowing these were his last moments on earth was surreal. Our veterinarian checked him to verify what was going on. His blood pressure was extremely low, and his heart was not pumping normally. It was indeed heart failure. Rachel was FaceTiming Claudia so she could talk to Bronco. We did everything we could to comfort him.
Our veterinarian and her assistant had taken care of Bronco for around ten years, and we had visited them quite often toward the end of his life. They both knew him really well, and they truly cared for him. The veterinarian had told us that Bronco was the oldest big dog she’d ever treated, and they both said that he had become like family to them; he wasn’t just another patient. The situation was upsetting for them, too. Putting him to sleep was not an easy thing for any of us, but it was the right thing to do.
We all petted him, and Rachel and Claudia spoke to him to comfort him. I was not able to say much—it was just too difficult—but I made sure Bronco heard my voice a few times and that he could see me. The room was somber but peaceful and filled with love. First he got a shot that put him to sleep, and then after he was completely asleep, the veterinarian gave him a drug that stopped his heart. It stopped beating less than fifteen seconds after the injection. Bronco had passed across the Rainbow Bridge. The room was quiet, but human hearts were not.
Bronco was cremated, and we picked up the box containing his remains and his paw print the next day. The veterinarian and her assistant also wrote us a beautiful card that will forever stay with us.
Bronco had a long life and a big heart. He was loving, caring, protective, and brave. So it’s almost fitting that heart disease ultimately caused his death. This calls to mind the legend of Sven Dufva, the fictional Finnish hero who was shot in the heart in the Finnish War of 1808–1809. In the epic poem The Tales of Ensign Stål, Dufva’s commanding general stands over his body and proclaims:
That bullet knew what course to take, it must acknowledged be. . . .
It knew far more than we.
It let his brow be spared in peace, the weaker, poorer part,
And chose the portion that was best—his noble, valiant heart.
The rainbow bridge
According to an article in the Washington Post,* the Rainbow Bridge is “a mythical overpass said to connect heaven and earth—and, more to the point, a spot where grieving pet owners reunite for good with their departed furry friends.” It’s also a poem of unknown origin that spawned a pet-bereavement movement and even a worldwide Pet Remembrance Day, August 28. The poem in its entirety follows.
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water, and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they each miss someone very special to them who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.
Bronco’s obituary appeared in the September 2021 issue of the LeoLetter, the official publication of the Leonberger Club of America.
Bronco our Leonberger at three months oldBronco and me. Bronco about one years old.Bronco in Claudia’s lap, a little bigger, and chubbier (but he lost weight)Bronco about nine years old. He had just had a toe amputation.Bronco closing in on 13 years old at the end of his life
With permission from Brend Saito (see comment), in this post I am sharing something she shared on Facebook in memory of her golden retriever, Odie, who passed away in May 2021 at the age of 12. The author is unknown.
“A dog asked :
“Tell me, human, why’d you record me? ”
The human replied, “You were so little and cute then and I couldn’t resist”
“But I ate your flowers, peed on your carpet and broke the expensive vase and all your clothes are full of hair from me… never thought about giving me away? ”
Again the man replied:
“I was also upset at first and had more work to do, but then when you sat down on my lap as usual, everything was fine… you don’t give your children to the orphanage because they once are mischievous. ”
The dog looked attentively at his owner and asked:
“But look, now I’m very old and I have my problems too… I cost a lot of money because you go to the vet with me more often and I need special food… I’m not as agile as I was 10 years ago… and i don’t smell like a baby anymore”
The mistress swallowed briefly and struggled with tears for a moment when she then answered:
“My love, you will ALWAYS be my baby, you have enriched my life and given me countless beautiful moments, now you are old and not quite healthy but that doesn’t change how much I love you.
You have always been there for me, comforted me when I was sad and made me laugh, you are my most precious treasure. And I wish we can spend more time together.
I will continue to do my best to make your life beautiful.
I will do everything for you my little darling.. ”
The dog gently placed its paws on his wife’s cheek and licked.
The sun shone in his eyes that shone like opals.
Satisfaction.
H a p p y.
L O V E
Perfection.
Harmony.
Anyone who has and loves dogs understands without words….
Bronco is in the middle, Rollo left, Daisy right. We still have Rollo and Daisy. We will never stop talking about Bronco. Illustration Naomi Rosenblatt.
With this post I just wanted to say a few words about the book I wrote “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. This book features several dozens of funny or astonishing dog stories centered on our late Leonberger Bronco, as well as information about Leonbergers and an extensive Leonberger resource guide. The book contains a lot of color photographs and colorful illustrations depicting Bronco’s adventures. The book is intended for all dog lovers of all ages or anyone who loves to read fun dog stories. It is also intended for those who are looking for information on Leonbergers.
Bronco our Leonberger was an extremely affectionate dog.
Bronco wasn’t our only dog, but our world wouldn’t have been the same without him. For instance, he once saved the life of our pug by fending off an attack from another dog. He probably saved our Labrador’s life, too, by sniffing out an impending insulin shock before it happened. Bronco’s hamster search and rescue operations gave us some great stories to tell, and it kept our hamsters safe. Then there was the time he chased off a nightly stalker, well a peeping Tom who’d been terrorizing my wife and other women in the neighborhood. The private detectives I had hired could not catch him but Bronco did.
Bronco is no longer with us, but even in his passing he was distinctive. Leonbergers tend to live less than nine years—but Bronco came very close to reaching his thirteenth birthday. In fact, he received an award for longevity called the “Grey Muzzle Award.” We already knew he was a special dog, but we sent his DNA to two labs for research anyway.
The front cover of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com location for the book.The back cover of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com kindle location for the book.These are the endorsements for the book. Click on the image to go to the Barnes and Noble location for the book.
Below are four selected book spreads.
Page six and seven from the book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle. His initial birth certificate was faulty stating his name as “Lets Do Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle.” This came about when we were told that his first name “Bronco” could not start with a ‘B’, it had to start with an “L” and my wife said “Let’s do…”. You can figure out the rest.Page twenty-four and twenty-seven from the book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle. That’s my wife Claudia behind Bronco. The second picture feature Bronco carrying two hamsters in his mouth (they were fine but somewhat frightened).Page ninety-two and ninety-three from the book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle. In this spread Bronco was wearing a full leg cast he was not supposed to bump. Let’s just say he was bumping it all over the neighborhood.Page one hundred and two and one hundred and three from the book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle. Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd frequently tested old Bronco’s patients, climbing on his, and even dangling in his tail once, as if it was a swing.
If you would like to learn more about my book and find out where to buy it, click here or here. You can also click on the cover images above to buy it from Amazon. All royalties are donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International. I can add that all illustrations were done by Naomi Rosenblatt.
One year ago, I launched my Leonberger blog. Alex Diaz-Granados another blogger I know gave me some advice so I could get started. Well, that was one year and one day ago today (March 13, 2022). I was too busy yesterday to work on my blog, so this post is one day late for a one-year anniversary, but I am doing my one-year anniversary today.
The purpose of the blog was to inform people about Leonbergers, a truly remarkable dog breed, as well as advertise my then upcoming book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger.” I invited friends and announced the existence of my blog on Facebook and Instagram. Later in July of 2022 my book would be released, and a couple of months after that I started interacting with other WordPress bloggers upon the advice of Alex. At this point I am blogging just because it is fun.
I read somewhere that when you launch a blog you should make five posts at once because having a blog with just one or two posts makes it look empty. Therefore, I made five posts on launch day. Below I am posting five pictures corresponding to each of the five posts. If you click on the picture, you can look at that original old post.
What is a Leonberger? Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post.Our Leonberger Bronco. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post.The Time Bronco Saved the Neighborhood. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post.Bronco’s Hamster Search and Rescue. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post.The Grey Muzzle Award. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post.
This blog is primarily about Leonbergers. I review Leonberger books, but I also review books that are not about Leonbergers but that I love, and I want to promote. This post is one of those. I am reviewing Secrets in the Blood Kindle Edition, August 1, 2013 – by Unity Hayes. The book is 225 pages, ASIN : B00E50JO3A, it currently cost $2.99.
Unity is the author of Secrets in the Blood (mystery/romance – August 1, 2013). She has been writing since the age of 15 and has always dreamed of telling stories through the craft of writing. Unity is a Registered Nurse that enjoys small town living, antiquing, and spending time with her family.
Secrets have been buried in a steel town for many years, but someone is about to blow the lid off them and rock this little town. Cassidy loves her life just the way it is. But when mysterious and good looking West arrives, her world is turned upside-down. West carries the secrets of the steel town. Cassidy is attracted to the stranger but a relationship seems impossible as West’s accusations make him appear crazy and bodies start to pile up. No one wants to believe West; can Cassidy let her feelings go and trust him? Who is the killer? How many bodies will pile up before the biggest secret of all is revealed?
Cover for the book Secrets of the Blood. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.
My review below (to see my Amazon review click here)
An Action-Packed Romantic Thriller with Mystery and Captivating Drama
I normally don’t read books in the romance category. However, this book is so much more than a romance book. It is more than anything a mystery, a thriller, a captivating drama and a fast paced adventure. The romance is an added bonus for those who like that. What I found so intriguing about this book were the thick mysteries as well as the fast-paced action. There were surprises on almost every page. It is one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read.
The setting, a replica of an 1880’s old wild west town called the Watering Hole, appealed to me, perhaps because we’ve stayed in such a place in Arizona. It was a tourist trap of course, but it was fun. The book brought back memories from that trip and the descriptions of the town in the book felt real to me. If the Watering Hole was real, I would take my family there, well assuming that there were no murders or other strange things happening.
There’s danger, death, and a string of violent or strange events. Every page made me wonder what was going on and what was going to happen next. As I was reading my mind went to the girl with dragon tattoo, but that is a different story. This is a very good and unique story, the drama and the dialogue are brilliant, and the character development is good. The author is a registered nurse, which certainly benefitted the descriptions of injuries and the healing processes of the victims. I think realism is an important advantage. I highly recommend this fun and exciting thriller.
Leonberger Life 