There is much to dislike about Facebook, but one neat Facebook feature is that it reminds you of old memories, such as, “you posted this three years ago” or “you posted this five years ago”. Below I am listing the memories Facebook showed me of Bronco for the month of April. Except for the first picture the date posted is the date I took the photo. I copied the original comment as is from Facebook. It was difficult not to become a bit sentimental.
Waiting for snack : photo uploaded to Facebook April 7 2016, but it is likely much older, maybe 2009 or 2010I accidentally used the word “dinner” and boom! This is what happens. He jumps up right in my face : April 17 2016, Bronco is 8 years 9 1/2 months, that’s already old for a Leonberger.Bronco on his first walk since the surgery. I put a plastic bag over his bandage while walking : April 11 2018, Bronco is 10 years 9+ months.Get off the Sofa, I’m hungry : April 12 2018, Bronco is 10 years 9+ months.I am grilling and the boys are waiting for me to be done : April 12 2019, Bronco is 11 years 9 months.Bronco : April 12 2019, Bronco is 11 years 9 monthsRollo caused more mischief than Loke this morning and Daisy is exhausted. April 12 2019, Daisy is 9 1/2 years oldBronco is saying have a good evening : April 26 2019, Bronco is 11 years 10 monthsToday’s walk with Bronco and rest stop : April 18 2020, Bronco is 12 years 9 1/2 monthsMcDonald’s run again. Bronco in the backseat. McDonald’s seem to be running out of stuff. Two different McDonald’s only have a partial menu. I wonder what’s going on? Luckily they had the Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwiches our dogs like : April 18 2020, Bronco is 12 years 10 months.
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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.
Jen O’Keefe, a fellow Leonberger enthusiast and Facebook friend gave me permission to post about her late Leonberger Digory and the fundraiser she started to celebrate his memory.
Digory and Obi, two Leonbergers. Click on the image to visit Digory’s Facebook Page. Photo Jen O’Keefe.
Osteosarcoma is an aggressive type of bone cancer that tends to spread to the lungs. It affects both young and old dogs and appears to have environmental as well as genetic components. But according to the American Kennel Club, research into the disease in dogs is likely to have benefits for children who suffer from it as well.
Digory and Obi. Click on the image to visit the Canine Cancer Alliance Facebook Page. Photo Jen O’Keefe.
Digory was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma and had his leg amputated 3 years ago. Although he passed a couple months ago, he still made it 2 years and 10 months, which is about 2 years longer than expected. Part of his treatment was a vaccine through Yale that was in early stages of clinical trials. That vaccine has shown great promise in treating both Osteosarcoma and Hemangiosarcoma, and Jen believes it was integral in giving him so much extra time. That vaccine has moved on to the next stage of trials. The Canine Cancer Alliance is helping to fund this next step, so in honor of Digory, Jen created this fundraiser so that more dogs, and their people, can benefit from the extra time.
Digory the Leonberger. Photo Jen O’Keefe.
Through the duration of this fundraiser, Jen will be posting links with more information about the vaccine and about Digory’s journey. Jen hopes that, even though he is no longer with us, he can continue to be an inspiration in the fight against Osteosarcoma. To end dog cancer, through research in prevention and cures. If you wish you can join in the fundraising. Facebook takes care of the donation processing with no fees.
Digory the Leonberger. Click on the picture to visit Digory’s Fundraiser. Photo Jen O’Keefe.Digory celebrating two years passed the amputation. Photo Jen O’Keefe.Digory with friends at the beach some years ago. Photo Jen O’Keefe.
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.
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.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 loved our big red sofa. It was great for him but too deep to be comfortable for humans.Bronco and Daisy in the backyard.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.Two buddies in the backyard.Bronco is hungry and is coming to get my attention.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 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.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.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.Bronco barging into the bathroom with his cone and all. He didn’t like being alone.Old Bronco sitting in the backyard.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.
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.
ISBN number for printed edition: 978-0998084954 ASIN number for the e-book edition: B0B5NN32SR
Leonberger Life 