Illustrations by Naomi Rosenblatt for my Book and This is Blog Post 100

My book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger” feature 58 photos and 16 illustrations, all in color. The illustrations were made by Naomi Rosenblatt. Some of the stories in my book I think are funny, exciting, or touching but like it is for most people, the best moments you don’t record with photos or video. You miss them. Some of the stories in my book I believe would have gone viral if they had been recorded, but they weren’t, and that’s why I needed someone who knew how to create an illustration of the events (without charging too much). I don’t know how to draw so I couldn’t do it. I think she did a good job.

This is my 100th post since I started my Leoberger blog back in March 2022.  I think showing the 16 illustrations made by Naomi Rosenblatt is a good 100th post. I also included links to stories related to the illustrations of the event if I’ve made a blog post about it, usually in the form of an excerpt from my book. To read the stories related to the illustrations that does not have a link, you’ll have to get my book. Anyway, I’ll hope you will enjoy the illustrations below.

My wife was harassed by a peeping Tom at night. In fact, he was harassing women all over the neighborhood. I hired private detectives to catch him but to no avail. Can you guess who solved the problem? To read about it click here or here.

Illustration showing a peeping Tom looking through our bedroom window. He is sitting on a garden chair.
Peeping Tom by our bedroom window
Illustration of Leonberger chasing off a peeping Tom.
Bronco saving the neighborhood.
Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing a Leonberger dragging a woman, my wife or my daughter, both happened.
Oops! What happens when a Leonberger doesn’t listen to you? See the book for the story.

Leonbergers have an excellent sense of smell. Our Leonberger Bronco sniffed out and found our run away hamsters on a number of occasions. He had a hamster search and rescue operation going, On one occasion his special superpower became somewhat embarrassing. Please don’t tell anyone. The victims still don’t know what happened. Click here or here to find out what happened.

Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing a Leonberger with two hamsters in his mouth.
Don’t worry he didn’t eat the hamsters. He most likely saved them.
Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing CPR on a hamster. He came back alive,.
Wouldn’t you be somewhat distressed if a big dog put you in his mouth? Hamster CPR was needed but the hamsters were just fine. Again, please don’t tell the owners of the hamsters.

Bronco’s attack on the laptop made the  Best Buy Geek Squad technicians’ day. It was something e had never seen before. You shouldn’t ignore your dog while playing computers games, it’s upsetting and what if he crushes or eats your computer. To read about it click here.

Illustration of Geek Squad technician being very excited about the story he just heard.
That’s the best story I’ve ever heard. With a good story the warranty will always apply. Remember that!

I can’t believe Bronco did this to me. Pushing our German Shepherd into the storm drain while barking and acting like crazy because he saw a dog across the street. The man lifted up his dog and fled down the street and left me with a mess. To read this crazy story click here.

Illustration showing our German Shepherd Baby in the storm drain. Me trying to handle the situation. After this Baby decided that I had to walk her separately from Bronco. She loved Bronco very much, but I guess she had some misgivings after this event.
Our German Shepherd Baby in the storm drain. Me trying to handle the situation. After this Baby decided that I had to walk her separately from Bronco. She loved Bronco very much, but I guess she had some misgivings after this event.
Illustration of me and our Leonberger Bronco chasing a rabbit. Rabbits are fun to chase, aren’t they? Some people think watching such games is hilarious.
Rabbits are fun to chase, aren’t they? Some people think watching such games is hilarious.
Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing our Labrador Baylor crossing the rainbow bridge.
Our Labrador left us tragically and unexpectantly. Evidence that we humans our cruel.
Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing our late German Shepherd Baby under a star.
Sometimes not thinking things through is cruel. Watch your emotions. We could have done better for our brave German Shepherd Baby.
Hurry and run Claudia. Catch the runaway Leonberger. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
Sometimes Bronco gave you a reason to run as fast as you could.
Bronco our Leonberger in a full leg cast running down the street. Oops you are not supposed to bump it. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
One time Bronco had to wear a full leg cast that could not be bumped. Well, he turned into a cast wearing monster chasing people and dogs around the neighborhood. Never mind not bumping the cast.
Illustration of neighbor running down the street with his corgis. Run for your life, yes run for your life dear. On the rare  occasions that Bronco was not well behaved it was better to flee. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
Run for your life, yes run for your life dear. On the rare  occasions that Bronco was not well behaved it was better to flee.
Drawing of Ryu our smart little Japanese Chin. Our smart little angel was unlucky with cancer and I was not there for him.
Our smart little angel was unlucky with cancer and I was not there for him.
Illustration showing Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd, Bronco our Leonberger, and Daisy our Pug. Bronco lived a very long life for a Leonberger. Giant breeds don’t live long. The Leonberger Health Foundation International is trying to fix that. Bronco’s longevity is an inspiration for all Leonbergers and giant breeds around the world. Hopefully his DNA sample will be of some help.
Bronco lived a very long life for a Leonberger. Giant breeds don’t live long. The Leonberger Health Foundation International is trying to fix that. Bronco’s longevity is an inspiration for all Leonbergers and giant breeds around the world. Hopefully his DNA sample will be of some help.
Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing a paw print in the sky.
The paw prints that dogs leave in your heart are eternal.

Ten Leonberger Myths and the Truth

In this post I am stating and correcting ten Leonberger myths that I’ve seen on various websites and in various Leonberger books. Websites featuring incorrect information include Wikipedia. It is always good to remember that googling is not research and that a lot of information on the internet is wrong. In the list below I avoid stating the myth and then correcting it. Instead, I am trying to implicate the myth as a myth from the start or begin the sentence with the truth. The reason for doing this is psychological. Research has shown that if you state something false and then correct it, people tend to remember the first thing they saw, which was the myth, instead of the truth.

This embedded old historic photo of a Leonberger is from the AKC website.

To correct many of the myths regarding Leonberger history I am referring to the book Leonberger by Caroline Bliss-Isberg. If I am not specifically stating the source in a listed item it is from her book. Caroline Bliss-Isberg is a recipient of the Heinrich Essig Award and the Leo Heart Award and a very prominent leader in the Leonberger community. With the help of other prominent leaders of the Leonberger community as well as expert researchers she attained documents, illustrations and photos never before published and from it she created the most extensive (several hundred pages) and accurate account of Leonberger history.

Photo of the book Leonberger, by Caroline Bliss-Isberg. Click on the image to go to my review of Leonberger.
Leonberger, by Caroline Bliss-Isberg. Click on the image to go to my review of Leonberger.
  • If you want to spay or neuter your Leonberger it is best to wait two years, so do NOT spay or neuter a Leonberger at six months as some erroneously state. The neuter at six months claim is not very common, so it is perhaps not a real myth in that sense. However, I’ve seen it in some books and there are some organizations that insist on spaying./neutering even giant breeds. To learn about the reasons and the research behind the two years wait for Leonbergers click here.
  • Heinrich Essig was NOT the mayor of the city 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. About half the Leonberger websites and books that I’ve come across get this wrong and the other ones get it right. However, it is the research by Caroline Bliss-Isberg that sets this straight as can be seen on page 20 of her book.
  • More than two dogs were used for creating the Leonberger. It was not just a St. Bernard and a Newfoundland dog as a few Leonberger books I’ve come across erroneously claim. See next list item for more information.
  • It is not entirely true that the following three dogs were used to create the Leonberger; the St. Bernard, the Newfoundland dog and the Great Pyrenée dog. This is a common claim based on the Essig’s claim that he bred the Leonberger from long haired St. Bernards, the Newfoundland dog and the grey-yellow wolfhound from the Spanish Pyrenees. However, the Pyrenean wolfhound is not likely to be what we call a Great Pyrenée dog. Moreover, these dogs did not look like they do today and there was a lot of breeding back and forth going on and Essig did not keep records. Therefore, the story is likely to be a lot more complicated. The bigger story is explained on the pages 23, 41, 45, 48-49 Caroline Bliss-Isberg’s book but it is also more briefly explained in my Leonberger History page on this website.
  • There were definitely more than five Leonbergers alive after World War One despite several Leonberger books and websites erroneously claiming only five survived. I should say that many of the more reliable websites get this right. It is true that World War I was tough on the breed. It didn’t help that Leonbergers were used to pull ammunition carts and cannons. However, more than five Leonbergers survived the war. 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 is still a pretty significant genetic bottleneck.
  • There is a common erroneous claim associated with World War II as well, stating that only eight Leonbergers survived World War II. 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, that is a little bit different from “only 8 survived”.
  • Another World War II myth is that Leonbergers were used for pulling ammunition carts in World War II just as in World War I but there is no proof of that.
  • Another incorrect claim that I’ve seen on websites and some books is that the Leonberger dog first appeared in North America in the 1970’s. As Caroline Bliss-Isberg describes in her book in several places, Leonbergers were introduced in the United States and Canada on several occasions during the 19th century and at the beginning of the the 20th century. However, it was typically just a few Leonbergers and the population was not maintained. It was not until the 1970’s that Leonbergers a permanent population was established in North America.
  • The lifespan of a Leonberger is on average 8-10 years not 6-8 years or 7 years, which is old data still reported by some websites. The Leonberg Health Foundation International have been successful in eradication several detrimental genes in the Leonberger breed. I should say the reliable websites typically have this information correct.
  • I’ve come across a few Leonberger books which grossly understate the size and weight of Leonbergers, for example, claiming that a male Leonberger weigh between 45 and 60 pounds. The weight of a male Leonberger is 120 to 170 pounds. Luckily the vast majority of books and websites get this information correct.

Happy New Year from Velvy’s Leonbergers

Ira Van Order or Velvy TheLion, which is her nick name, is a multiple Leonberger owner, a prominent member of the Leonberger Club of America, a volunteer for the Leonberger Health Foundation International and she is the administrator of the Grey Muzzle Award that was awarded to our Bronco. I think all of you who have visited this blog multiple times or follow this blog or have read my book know about the Grey Muzzle Award. She allowed me to use her beautiful Happy New Year Leonberger photo in my blog post. Thank you Velvy.

Caspian (Obi’s nephew), Austin (Obi’s son), Delfi (our 10 yr old, living with lung cancer), Obi (now 7 and a veteran), Digory, and Rilian (Obi’s son). They all wish everyone a Very Happy New Year!! Photo by Velvy TheLion.

Update from Velvy regarding Digory: He is a miracle, Leo. Two years and 8 months ago he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. Osteosarcoma is a very aggressive type of bone cancer. He was five years old at the time and had an amputation and chemo. This will typically give them another year to live. Velvy does not know of any other Leonberger that has lived more than one year post amputation. He is still with us two years and 8 months later. Velvy believes that an experimental treatment using a vaccine that he received via a Yale study is what made the difference. Velvy calls Digory a beacon of hope.

Happy New Year to you all

My Leonberger Blog Goals for 2023

I launched this Leonberger dog blog in March of 2022. The purpose of the blog was to promote my upcoming book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, stories and tips from thirteen years with a Leonberger” and to spread the word about Leonbergers, a rare but very special breed of dog. They are very large, friendly, unafraid but sensitive and loving, protective and strong, energetic and funny, especially when they are young.

Photo of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle at three months old.
Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle at three months old.

In addition, Bronco was a very special Leonberger. Purebred Leonbergers typically live 8-10 years, but Bronco lived almost 13 years. He was two weeks short of 13 when he died from heart failure. Therefore, he received an award for longevity from the Leonberger Health Foundation International and we donated his DNA for research. I can add that I donate all royalties from sales of my book to the Leonberger Health Foundation International. It is a great organization that has improved the health of Leonbergers and other giant dog breeds substantially.

Image showing Bronco’s Grey Muzzle Award presented by the Leonberger Health Foundation International. He received this award because he lived longer than 12 years.
Bronco’s Grey Muzzle Award presented by the Leonberger Health Foundation International. He received this award because he lived longer than 12 years.

My on-line friend Alex Diaz-Granados, who is an experienced blogger (see “A certain point of view”) helped me get started. He suggested that I use wordpress.com, and here we are. I can add that Alex and I have been on-line friends for a long time. It started with epinions.com, a review site that paid reviewers for writing reviews. I joined epinions.com in 2008. He had joined a few years before that. I focused on software, travel, books, computer hardware and electronics. He focused on books, film, travel, and I think on-line stores and a few more topics. He can fill me in. I can add that sometimes epinions.com paid pretty well, so after a while it became more than a hobby for me. It became a source of supplementary income. I joined twitter and Facebook in 2010 and he was already there, and we both eventually joined Instagram. Unfortunately, epinions.com went belly up in 2014.

In March of 2022 I invited friends and Facebook friends to visit and follow my blog if they wished to do so, and many did. I had some traffic and comments in the beginning but then it died down, and it didn’t seem like search engines picked up my blog. In July of 2022 I released my book in honor of Bronco’s birthday on July 3rd. In the beginning I sold many books, well for a Leonberger book anyway, and I also had more visitors to my blog, but after a while the activity on my blog as well as book sales died down.

Alex suggested that I visit, comment and like the posts of other bloggers and in August I started doing that using Alex’ blog as a starting point and now I was getting more visitors and a lot more comments and likes, and search engines started to pick up my blog a lot more. Lately I even had a couple of posts go sort of viral with thousands of visitors in a couple of days. Those unknown visitors tend not to leave comments (or likes) but other wordpress bloggers do. That was not the best part though. The best part was meeting other bloggers and authors on-line, reading their blogs, reading their books, typically great books. This was fun. Blog visits and book sales became secondary. Blogging is now a hobby.

Photo of Bronco in my wife Claudia’s lap.
Bronco in my wife Claudia’s lap.
Photo of Bronco a few weeks after his first heart failure heading towards the end of his life.
Bronco a few weeks after his first heart failure heading towards the end of his life.

So, what are my goals for my Leonberger blog in 2023?

  • Continue my Leonberger blog and keep promoting my book on the blog for at least six more months.
  • Virtual Book Blast For Natural Selection with Jacqui Murray on February 13 2023.
  • I still have a lot to learn more about wordpress.com. I don’t know how to do inline images, I don’t know how to store images for later use, I don’t know how to make those little icons, hearts and clover, etc., that people put in comments, I only know the basics of the 20/20 template, I don’t know other templates. I have a wordpress book that I am planning to read. I need to learn more.
  • I will read more books by authors I know online. Knowing an author and reading their book(s) is a completely different feeling compared to reading someone you’ve never talked to (I have a long TBR list).
  • Post 20-30 book reviews on my blog. I don’t post all my book reviews on my blog. Most of my book reviews are only for Amazon (or Goodreads). On my blog I just post reviews for Leonberger books and reviews for books by fellow bloggers that I love and want to promote.
  • I want to start a second blog that is about facts and insights that could have a high impact on someone’s worldview and yet may not be well known, understood, believed or are controversial, yet are fully backed by the expertise in that field. As someone who have studied modern physics, loves gapminder, and have read a ton of books on all kinds of topics, I’ve come across quite a few, and I have radically changed my view of the world several times. However, I am hoping for good suggestions from visitors so I can expand the collection. I can be in charge of the fact checking, at least to begin with.
Image showing the Leonberger breed standard from the Féderation Cynologique Internationale.
In case you are interested. This is an overview of the Leonberger breed standard from the Féderation Cynologique Internationale.

I wish you all a Happy New Year and a Great 2023!

Announcement Leonberger Book Deal on Black Friday

This post is just an announcement.  For Black Friday throughout the weekend and Cyber Monday the Kindle version of my book, “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”, stories and tips from 13 years with a Leonberger, will sell for only $2.99.

If you would like to learn about more about my book and find out where to buy it, click here or here.

If click you on any of the images below you will be taken to the Kindle version of my book.

Photo of Bronco three months old. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book.
Bronco three months old. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book.
Photo of Bronco the lapdog. He is sitting in my wife's lap all 167 pounds of him. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book.
Bronco the lapdog. He is sitting in my wife’s lap all 167 pounds of him. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book.
Image of the Grey Muzzle Award given by the Leonberger Health Foundation International. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book.
Bronco lived unusually long for a Leonberger or for any giant breed. Bronco’s was awarded the Grey Muzzle Award given by the Leonberger Health Foundation International. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book.
Photo of Bronco 12 years old going on 13. He is out for a walk and laying in the grass. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book.
Bronco 12 years old going on 13. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book.

Where to get my Leonberger Book

I typically end my blog posts with a promotion of my book that includes a few images and a list of links to places where you can get it. I’ve come to realize that doing this takes away from the blog post itself. One image with a link is not too much but the full length three images and a list with 13 links is too much. This piece of repeated information often takes up half the post. So, I decided to make a book promotion post to which I will be linking to instead of repeating every time. By the way, I will delete this paragraph later on.

This post is a promotion of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”, stories and tips from 13 years with a Leonberger and it lists the places where you can get the book. I can add that the price of the Kindle version is temporarily reduced to $4.99.

In the book you can read about some of our Leonberger 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.

Bronco’s fearlessness, tolerance, and affectionate nature warmed the hearts of everyone who met him, and his sometimes uncanny adventures with his human and canine companions will bring a smile to the face of every dog lover. The book has a lot of color photos, amusing Leonberger stories, and information about Leonbergers that has been verified.

I can add, I am donating the proceeds from the sale of this book to the Leonberger Health Foundation International.

The image shows the front cover of my book "The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle". Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger. The cover is beige and brown and it has the face of an old Leonberger in the middle. Author is Thomas Wikman. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com paperback location for the book.
The front cover of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com location for the book.
This is an image of 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.
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.
This is an image showing the endorsements for the book. Click on the image to got to the Barnes and Noble location for the book.

The endorsements are:

“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. The adorable illustrations are icing on the cake.” —D’Nae Wilson, President, Leonberger Health Foundation International

“A lovely tribute to Bronco, with lots of resources for general Leonberger information.” —Julie Schaffert, Leonberger Club of America breeder since 1992
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.

ISBN number for printed edition: 978-0998084954

ASIN number for the e-book edition: B0B5NN32SR

Indy Author Day at Watauga Public Library

Last Saturday (11/5-2022) I participated in Indy Author Day at Watauga Public Library north of Fort Worth, Texas. Each of us had a booth where we sold and signed our books. We talked to each other and shared experienced. Some of us did presentations. didn’t sell a whole lot of books, six to visitors, and the library had already three before the event, but that was not the main point. It was a fun experience that was entirely new to me. Because of this event and other events coming up I have temporarily lowered the price of the Kindle version of my book to $4.99.

I can add that if your kindle device (or other eBook reader) is capable of displaying colors you will be able to to see all the color photos and colorful illustrations.

For your information the ASIN number for the e-book edition: B0B5NN32SR and the ISBN number for printed edition: 978-0998084954

I am not lowering the price of the paperback version because it is printed in color and the printing cost make that difficult. All Royalties are donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International (LHFI). So, for the Kindle edition, 30% of the $4.99 is Amazon’s cut and 70% is royalty ($3.49). That Royalty is donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International. $3.49 is less than the $6.29, which was the royalty when the price was $8.99. However, if you wish to donate more to LHFI you are welcome to.

This is a photo my booth at Watauga Public Library. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book. $4.99 for a limited time.
I made a poster for my booth at Watauga Public Library. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book. $4.99 for a limited time.
This is a group photo of the attending authors. I am on the far right. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book.
This is a group photo of the attending authors. I am on the far right. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book.

Finally, below is my typical blog post promotion of the paperback version of my book that I end almost every blog post with.

The image shows the front cover of my book "The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle". Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger. The cover is beige and brown and it has the face of an old Leonberger in the middle. Author is Thomas Wikman. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com paperback location for the book.
The front cover of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com location for the book.
This is a photo of 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.
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.
Image showing the endorsements for the book. Click on the image to got to the Barnes and Noble 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.

ISBN number for printed edition: 978-0998084954

ASIN number for the e-book edition: B0B5NN32SR

Leonberger Kindle Book Special Lower Price

The next few days are going to be interesting. I am participating in an Indy-Author Day tomorrow at a local library, I might be interviewed by a local magazine, and there might be other events coming up related to my book. Because the next few days or weeks are going to be special, I am temporarily lowering the price of the Kindle version of my book to $4.99.

For your information the ASIN number for the e-book edition: B0B5NN32SR and the ISBN number for printed edition: 978-0998084954

I am not lowering the price of the paperback version because it is printed in color and the printing cost make that difficult. All Royalties are donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International (LHFI). 30% of the $4.99 is Amazon’s cut and 70% is royalty ($3.49). That Royalty is donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International. $3.49 is less than the $6.29, which was the royalty when the price was $8.99. However, if you wish to donate more to LHFI you are welcome to. Below I am showing an Ad for the Leonberger magazine, the front and back cover of the book, and a few selected pages as they would look like on a kindle with color or as the pdf version of the book. Note: the book snapshots below may be too small to read, but if you can read them, I don’t mind.

This is the Ad for the book "The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle" in the Leo-Letter a Leonberger magazine.
Ad for the Leonberger magazine. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book. $4.99 for a limited time.
Image of 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 image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book.
This is 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 image to go to the Amazon.com Kindle location for the book.
Image of 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 image to go to the Amazon.com paperback 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.com paperback location for the book.
Page 2-3 of the book: The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger
Page 2-3 in the book
Page 24-25 of the book : The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger
Page 24-25 in the book
Page 42-43 of the book : The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger
Page 42-43 in the book
Page 92-93 of the book : The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger
Page 92-93 in the book
Page 122-123 of the book : The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger
Page 122-123 in the book
Page 132-133 of the book : The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger
Page 132-133 in the book
Page 194-195 of the book : The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger
Page 194-195 in the book

Support the Leonberger Health Foundation International

Purebred large dog breeds tend to have shorter life spans compared to most other dogs and they have more health issues. However, Leonbergers are  fortunate compared to other large breeds, especially those bred in North America, primarily for three reasons:

  • The Leonberger breed standard does not call for traits that can be detrimental to health.
  • The precise and restrictive breeding regulations of the Leonberger Club of America (LCA) and other Leonberger clubs.
  • The work of the Leonberger Health Foundation International or LHFI, have resulted in Leonbergers being relatively free of inherited illnesses compared to other large dog breeds in America.

Today I received my first payment for the sale of my book from Amazon (for the month of July) and I donated all proceeds to the Leonberger Health Foundation International like I said I would. Regardless of whether you get my book or not you can donate to LHFI. It is one of my favorite charities. LHFI “facilitate the solicitation and distribution of donations given to support health related breed-specific research.” The LHFI also administers a program that collects DNA samples from Leonbergers to share with universities and research institutions.

Among the organization’s achievements are the eradication of Addison’s disease among Leonbergers, the raising of nearly half a million dollars for research into conditions that affect canine health, including osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, glaucoma, cardiac diseases, thyroid diseases, and neurological disorders. Another notable achievement 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 (featuring 9,000 Leonbergers). Its research also supports healthful longevity and aging as well as population diversity.

One happy event for our family was when Bronco received his Grey Muzzle Award, which is an award given for longevity by LHFI. LHFI bestows the award on any Leonberger who has reached the age of twelve. To find out more about the Grey Muzzle Award click here. To see the 2019–2020 awardees video featuring Bronco click here.

Photo of Bronco receiving his grey muzzle award. Claudia is holding the award.
Bronco receiving his grey muzzle award.
Photo of the Grey Muzzle Award certificate from the Leonberger Health Foundation International.
Grey Muzzle Award certificate from the Leonberger Health Foundation International.
Photo of the Grey Muzzle Award from the Leonberger Health Foundation International.
The Grey Muzzle Award from the Leonberger Health Foundation International.

I can add that when Bronco passed away, we sent his DNA to the University of Minnesota to be used in research. This was facilitated by the LHFI.

Photos of a Senior Leonberger

Our Leonberger Bronco or Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle lived a very long life for a Leonberger. Large dogs do not live as long as small dogs and giant breeds such as St. Bernards, Great Danes, and Leonbergers have much shorter life spans. The average life span for Leonbergers is 8 years. Bronco died two weeks short of 13 years. He got a so called, Grey Muzzle Award, from the Leonberger Health Foundation International, and we submitted his DNA to a lab for research. The Leonberger Health Foundation International is an organization that support health related Leonberger-specific research. They fund research on various illnesses common in Leonbergers as well as the longevity of Leonbergers. This research benefit other giant breeds as well.

Dogs are considered senior after they pass 2/3 of their expected lifespan (5.3 years), which means that Bronco technically was a senior for more than 2/3’s of his life. This posts, feature 20 photos from his old age.

Photo of our Leonberger Bronco sitting in the front lawn.
Our Leonberger Bronco sitting in the front lawn.

In this photo our Leonberger Bronco is eleven years old and standing in front of our hallway. Old age is starting to set in. In this photo he has already had squamous cell carcinoma a toe-skin cancer and he has amputated a couple of toes.
In this photo our Leonberger Bronco is eleven years old and standing in front of our hallway. Old age is starting to set in. In this photo he has already had squamous cell carcinoma a toe-skin cancer and he has amputated a couple of toes.

In this photo our Leonberger Bronco is eleven years old, looking a little bit scruff and getting grey hair.
Our Leonberger Bronco eleven years old, looking a little bit scruff and getting grey hair.

Bronco with our pug Daisy whom he protected with his life. He saved her life by intervening when a lose German Shepherd went after her and he even shared food with her he had stolen from me.
Bronco with our pug Daisy whom he protected with his life. He saved her life by intervening when a lose German Shepherd went after her and he even shared food with her he had stolen from me.

Photo of Bronco and Daisy in our bug red sofa. Bronco loved our big red sofa. It was great for him but too deep to be comfortable for humans.
Bronco loved our big red sofa. It was great for him but too deep to be comfortable for humans.

Photo of Bronco and Daisy in the backyard.
Bronco and Daisy in the backyard.

Bronco is welcoming a new puppy, a mini-Australian Shepherd called Rollo.
Bronco is welcoming a new puppy, a mini-Australian Shepherd called Rollo.

Rollo loved playing with Bronco. He walked all over him, sat on his head like a hat and dangled in his tail. Bronco was patient.
Rollo loved playing with Bronco. He walked all over him, sat on his head like a hat and dangled in his tail. Bronco was patient.

Two buddies in the backyard.

Photo of Bronco's face. Bronco is hungry and is coming to get my attention.
Bronco is hungry and is coming to get my attention.

Photo of our Leonberger Bronco in Grandpa’s bushes.
Our Leonberger Bronco in Grandpa’s bushes.

Our Leonberger Bronco is twelve years old in this photo, a quite respectable age for a Leonberger.
Our Leonberger Bronco is twelve years old in this photo, a quite respectable age for a Leonberger.

Photo of our Leonberger Bronco with sunrays shining down on him. Our Leonberger Bronco was a saint. He saved Daisy’s life, he might have saved the life of our Labrador Baylor as well, when he sniffed out an oncoming insulin shock before it happened.
Our Leonberger Bronco was a saint. He saved Daisy’s life, he might have saved the life of our Labrador Baylor as well, when he sniffed out an oncoming insulin shock before it happened.

Photo of our Leonberger Bronco in front of a broken fence. Bronco has a bandage with a ziplock bag around it. A tornado ravaged our neighborhood, smashed our chimney, ruined our roof, and partially damaged our fence. It was not Bronco huffing and puffing. He had just had a toe amputation due to a reoccurrence of squamous cell carcinoma. He has a bandage on his leg, which was protected by a one-gallon zip-lock bag when he is walking outside.
A tornado ravaged our neighborhood, smashed our chimney, ruined our roof, and partially damaged our fence. It was not Bronco huffing and puffing. He had just had a toe amputation due to a reoccurrence of squamous cell carcinoma. He has a bandage on his leg, which was protected by a one-gallon zip-lock bag when he is walking outside.

Photo of Bronco with his Grey Muzzle Award. He received the award for living longer than 12 years, a rare feat for a Leonberger. It is the Leonberger Health Foundation International that give out this award.
Bronco’s Grey Muzzle Award has arrived. He received the award for living longer than 12 years, a rare feat for a Leonberger. It is the Leonberger Health Foundation International that give out this award.

Our Leonberger Bronco with the, so called, cone of shame. Well, it was a soft cone for comfort and the largest size to match his size. Unfortunately, he swung that cone around sometimes clearing tabletops.

Photo of Bronco barging into the bathroom with his cone and all. He didn’t like being alone.
Bronco barging into the bathroom with his cone and all. He didn’t like being alone.

Photo of old Bronco sitting in the backyard.
Old Bronco sitting in the backyard.

Our Leonberger Bronco was almost 13 years old in this photo.
Our Leonberger Bronco was almost 13 years old in this photo.

Among the last photos of Bronco. After this photo he passed away from a heart failure. He always had a heart of gold but even hearts of gold don’t last forever.
Among the last photos of Bronco. After this photo he passed away from a heart failure. He always had a heart of gold but even hearts of gold don’t last forever.