Today (well actually yesterday by now) was the Eurovision final (from the UK) and Sweden won. For those who don’t know, Eurovision is the largest song contest in the world. Countries compete against each other, and the final typically has as many viewers as the Superbowl, about 200 million. You are allowed to sing in your native language or in English. Not all participating countries are European, for example, Turkey, Israel, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Cyprus are frequent participants, but they are not European countries, and this year Australia participated, The Eurovision is a huge cultural phenomenon that is not well known in the United States. I’ve noticed that the natively English-speaking countries often miss out on big worldwide cultural phenomena that are not entirely based on English. Typically, famous music groups do not participate, but many famous music groups got started or were propelled by the Eurovision, for example, ABBA (waterloo 1974) and Celine Dion (1988).
Anyway, this is a Leonberger blog but sometimes I post about other things and my home country Sweden winning the Eurovision is a big deal for me, so I made a post about it. I am also posting number two (Finland) and number three (Israel). Which one do you think is best? I won’t be offended if it is not Sweden.
Sweden in the Eurovision
Sweden, Eurovision 2023
Finland, Eurovision 2023
Israel, Eurovision 2023
Russia was banned from participating this year, and some other countries that usually do like Turkey, Bulgaria, and Hungary did not participate. These were the top seven.
Sweden
Finland
Israel
Italy
Norway
Ukraine
Belgium
Finalists in green, participants not making it to the final in red, in yellow countries that typically participate but didn’t.
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Finally, 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 the image below to buy it from Amazon. All royalties are donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International.
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.
Left to right, Labrador called Baylor, Leonberger puppy called Bronco, and German Shepherd called Baby.
I should say Baby was a rescue dog who came to us via my wife’s sister. She had allegedly been abused in her previous family, as well as dumped at the shelter. For being a German Shepherd, she was anxious and did not have strong self-confidence. She did not like the dog park, which you could see because she tried to be by herself, and she was drooling while at the park. She was very smart, obedient, and easy, but she seemed depressed.
Baby at the dog park.
Even though Baby was a shy and anxious dog at first, once we got Bronco, her personality changed. She loved Bronco, and she took on the job of being Bronco’s adoptive mom. She played with him; she watched him; she was fiercely protective of him. Bronco was her puppy. She seemed rejuvenated, as if she had found an important job to do—a purpose, if you will. It was beautiful to see her take care of Bronco and play with him. She became happier and more confident, and Bronco loved her.
As an example of her protective behavior, once our daughter Rachel put a bucket over Bronco’s head. She was young and she was just playing. Baby barked at her in a gentle way so that she understood to take the bucket off. She told me later she did not feel threatened by Baby. She felt corrected, like a mother saying, “don’t do that”. Baby liked our daughter Rachel. Rachel was the first one to pet her when she joined our family.
Bronco, at the age of four or five months, would soon outgrow his playmate Baby.Bronco at the age of three months
What follows next is a scary story
One day I was out walking with Baylor, Baby, and Bronco. Bronco was very young, maybe four months old. We met a man walking two medium-size black dogs off leash. Suddenly, one of the dogs attacked us. There was nothing I could do. As I watched helplessly, the black dog made the monumental mistake of going for Bronco. If the dog had attacked Baylor or Baby, either dog would certainly have put up a courageous defense, but going after Bronco was nearly suicidal, not because of Bronco himself but because of Baby.
I heard a loud explosion of barks that lasted only a few seconds, and then I saw the black dog flying five or six feet up into the air. Baby had bitten him in the side and tossed him skyward. It was surreal. I almost couldn’t believe what I was witnessing.
The black dog lay in the street. The man knelt before him and started crying. He said his dog’s back was broken. I was mortified, and I said, “I am so terribly sorry.” He said, “It’s not your fault. I was the one walking my dogs without a leash.” It was gratifying for me to hear that under the circumstances, but it was no less tragic.
Then, to my astonishment, the black dog stood up and quickly walked back to the other side of the street. The dog was in shock, but he was fine. The man calmed down, and we said goodbye to each other on good terms.
It wasn’t the only time Baby protected Bronco, but it was the most memorable. Thinking about it still sends chills down my spine. Years later, after Baylor and Baby passed and we got our small dogs, Bronco would take on the role of their protector. He would save lives.
Bronco and Baby at the dog park. Bronco was still very young and did not yet look like an adult Leonberger. He was gangly and not very muscled yet.
However, as Bronco grew older Baby slowly grew out of the role as Bronco’s protector, especially when he wasn’t that well behaved himself. On one occasion when I was walking Bronco and Baby, we met a man and his dog walking on the other side of the street, heading toward us. Bronco started barking at the dog, and the other dog responded. Both dogs worked themselves up into a frenzy. Bronco began pulling on his leash and even jumping. Baby remained quiet. But with all his carrying on, Bronco accidentally bumped Baby into a storm drain, which we happened to be standing right in front of.
To save Baby, I lay on my stomach and grabbed her around her abdomen with one arm—all while holding Bronco’s leash with my other hand. He continued pulling, jumping, and barking as I gradually dragged Baby up out of the drain. The guy on the other side of the street looked at us with big eyes, as if he had seen an evil clown peering out from the storm drain. He lifted his dog up in his arms and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction.
Me holding onto to poor Baby while also holding young and misbehaving Bronco. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
Meanwhile, Bronco had calmed down, and I was able to drag Baby back onto the street. She loved Bronco, but after this incident she showed us in her own way that she’d rather not take her walks with him. We respected her wishes, and I walked them separately from that point on. It was safer anyway.
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Finally, if you would like to learn about more about my book and find out where to buy it, click here or here. You can also click the image below to buy it from Amazon. All royalties are donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International.
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.
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.
With this post I am adding a sixth Leonberger book that I recommend. It is a very short book, but it contains a lot of useful information. It contained a few inaccuracies, so I am giving it four stars instead of five, but it is still a good book.
The book Leonberger Dog by Lankford Marcus. Click on the book to go to the Amazon page for this book.
The book is Leonberger Dog: A Large and Friendly Leonberger for Your Family: Leonberger Dog Breed Origin, Behavior, Trainability and Facts by Lankford Marcus. The book is 57 pages, and the current price on Amazon for the paperback is $6.99 and the Kindle is $2.99 unless you have kindle unlimited in which case it is free. ISBN-13 : 979-8463499851, weight : 3.53 ounces and the dimensions are 6 x 0.15 x 9 inches.
This is my review for the book
Short Leonberger book packed with useful information but some inaccuracies
This is a short book. It has 55 pages of actual content. However, it is densely packed with information useful to Leonberger owners and those interested in getting one. The book is primarily addressing British readers, but it also mentions the Leonberger Club of America and give some advice specific to American prospective owners. It is quite useful to both American and European readers. The book feature 17 black and white photographs. I would have preferred the photos to be in color but that raises the printing cost, and some Leonberger books have no photos in them at all.
The book contains 11 chapters; Overview, History, Appearance, Temperament and Personality, Living Needs, Caring for a Leonberger, Feeding, Leonberger Health, Choosing a Leonberger Breeder, Average Cost to Keep for a Leonberger, How to identify a Leonberger. Almost all of the chapters were condensed but contained very useful information to Leonberger owners and prospective Leonberger owners. I especially cherished the “Temperament and Personality” and “Caring for a Leonberger” chapters. However, I had an issue with the two first chapters.
I would have given the book a five-star rating if it wasn’t for some incorrect information regarding the history of the breed. On page 4 it says that Heinrich Essig, the creator of the Leonberger breed, was the mayor of the town of Leonberg. Heinrich Essig 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 of Leonberg.
On page 5 it says that after World War I there were only 5 Leonberger left alive. World War I was tough on the breed, but it was not quite that bad. After the war, Karl Stadelmann and Otto Josenhans, worked hard to save the breed, and they were able to find twenty-five Leonbergers whose owners were willing to cooperate in reestablishing the breed. Of these, only five were suitable for breeding. That’s where that info comes from. That’s a little different from saying that only five Leonbergers survived.
On page 6 it says that after World War II there were only 8 Leonbergers left. However, that is once again an exaggeration. However, there was indeed a “genetic bottleneck” of Leonbergers in the 1940s. This was largely because people repeatedly bred the dogs they thought were the best specimens in a misguided attempt to improve the breed. Scientific pedigree analyses demonstrate that the Leonberger has twenty-two founder animals, or animal ancestors unrelated to one another (ten males and twelve females). Again, a little bit different from “only 8 survived”. Another inaccuracy is that on page 2 the book state that the Leonberger have a tragically short lifespan of 6-8 years. First, all giant breeds have a very short lifespan and the lifespan of the Leonberger has improved partially due to the work of the Leonberger Health Foundation International. Today the Leonberger lifespan is 8-10 years. Ours lived almost 13 years (two weeks short of 13), so the Leonberger Health Foundation International wanted his DNA, which we provided.
This book is short, but it packs a lot of mostly accurate information that is truly useful to Leonberger owners. In that sense I think it is great. I wrote quite a bit about the few mistakes in this book, but I think it is important to point out inaccuracies. These inaccuracies frequently appear on-line and in other Leonberger books as well and they are not important to Leonberger owners. I feel I cannot give five stars considering these inaccuracies are in the book. However, I can still highly recommend this book to all readers interested in a short Leonberger book.
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Finally, if you would like to learn about more about my book and find out where to buy it, click here or here. You can also click the image below to buy it from a Canadian bookstore that I found out about today. It is called Chapters Indigo.
This is the front cover of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com location for the book.
Followers of my blog probably know that I sometimes review Leonberger books, and on occasion other types of books. This time I am reviewing Leonberger, Leonberger Dog Complete Owners Manual. Leonberger book for care, costs, feeding, grooming, health and training. May 31, 2015 by George Hoppendale (Author), Asia Moore (Author). The paperback is 186 pages, black and white, ISBN 978-1910941003, item weight 9.1 ounces, dimensions 6 x 0.41 x 9m inches. You can buy it from Amazon and Barnes & Noble and it exist in both printed version (paperback) and e-Book (kindle). Currently the paperback version is $12.58 on Amazon and $13.97 on Barnes and the kindle version is $8.97.
Leonberger Dog Complete Owner’s Manual by George Hoppendale and Asia Moore. Click on the photo to go to the Amazon page for the book.
Our Leonberger Bronco lived a long life for a Leonberger. He was the sweetest most loving and brave soul I’ve known, and he was quite intelligent. The average life span of a Leonberger is 8 years and Bronco was two weeks short of 13 years old when we had to put him to sleep. I read this book while we still had Bronco and later on, I read it again. The first four chapters of the book are fairly specific to Leonbergers, including a description of Leonbergers, how to choose a breeder, and some vital statistics. The next five chapters apply to any dogs but still contain some information about Leonbergers regarding health problems, feeding and care. Chapter 10 to 18 apply to any dog and describes training, grooming, medical care, poisonous food and caring for aging dogs. The book also lists rescue organizations, resources and references.
Page 6 of Leonberger Dog Complete Owner’s Manual by George Hoppendale and Asia Moore. Click on the photo to go to the Barnes and Noble page for the book.
I should say that the authors did not own a Leonberger and they wrote a lot of dog books for many different breeds containing similar content. However, a lot of dog book authors have done this. They basically mass produce dog books reusing material. In some Leonberger books the breed specific information minor and incorrect, as if the authors had never seen a Leonberger and copied their information from an online source focused on Pugs. Yes you really have to watch out when you buy a Leonberger book. It might not be about Leonbergers at all. At least the authors of this book included substantial Leonberger information that was mostly correct. Another consideration is that if you write about Leonbergers you have to include some information that is apply to all dogs or the information will be insufficient.
The book is fairly basic, but it contains useful and important information, some of it that I did not know before reading it. The book contains an error on page 120 where they are referring to Leonbergers as “smaller dogs”. I believe that is a copy and paste error, maybe from their Pug book. However, the book describes Leonbergers as being big (120lbs to 170lbs) everywhere else in the book, so this is obviously just a typo. The book was well written, easy to read, and as a (former) Leonberger owner I think it was a good introduction to caring for a Leonberger (as well as other dogs). The fact that the paperback version was in black and white was a little bit of a disappointment, but the color printing cost is quite high. There are better Leonberger books, but I still recommend this book because it contains mostly correct information, and it is inexpensive.
I gave it four stars on Amazon. Some people may think that four stars might be high based on what I’ve said. However, based on all the Leonberger books I’ve read, and I’ve read many; if you go any cheaper on your Leonberger book you are going to get a book with nothing but nonsense.
Finally, I would like to promote my book about Bronco and Leonbergers. It has a lot of color photos, amusing Leonberger stories, and Leonberger information that has been verified and is also based on personal information.
This is the front cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com location for the book.This is the back cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.se location for the book.These are the endorsements for the book. Click on the image to got to the Barnes and Noble location for the book.
Below is a list of where you can find the book. Click on the links to go to the respective store. However, if your favorite bookstore is not listed below you can search for it using the ISBN or ASIN numbers.
Leonberger Life 