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.
With this post I just wanted to highlight a fun Leonberger YouTube video regarding a Leonberger who succeeded in creating a new Guiness World Record on the Britain Got Talent show. If you don’t know what a Leonberger is; it is a big fluffy, fun and friendly family dog originating in Germany. It was registered as a new breed in 1846 in the town of Leonberger by a prominent businessman named Heinrich Essig. Leonbergers are related to Saint Bernards, Newfoundland Dogs, and allegedly Great Pyrenees (or Pyrenean mastiffs). You can read about the history of the Leonberger here. I am sorry I realized now that the page is full of typos. I have to fix that at some point.
At the end of this page, I put a fun YouTube video of Leonberger named Hagrid who created a new Guiness World Record. Since I created my Leonberger history page when I had just launched this blog in 2022 and had very few followers many people may have missed the Hagrid movie, so here it is. I can add that I have also added some photos of our late Leonberger Bronco at the end of this post.
Leonberger Hagrid
Photos of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle
Bronco our Leonberger at three months old.Bronco the lapdog. He is sitting in my wife’s lap, all 167 pounds of him.Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle or Bronco as we called him.Our late Leonberger Bronco and his sister, the pug Daisy.A new puppy arrives, Rollo, a mini-Australian Shepherd. Hello Rollo!As Rollo got older, he liked to tease Bronco. He pulled and even swung in Bronco’s tail. He also walked over him and sat on him. Bronco was very patient.
We just came back from a trip to Baltimore. Our oldest son and his wife are having a baby, a son, due in September. He will be our first grandchild. On Saturday they held a baby shower. That is Saturday yesterday or two days ago depending on your time zone. Our son and his wife had organized a barbeque for about forty people. It was what they called a Baby-Q. They have a smoker and had smoked brisket throughout Friday-Saturday night.
I was talking to our daughter-in-law’s mother when she mentioned a recent chance encounter with a Leonberger. It was at her mother’s nursing home. I can add that Leonbergers are great therapy dogs because of their calm temper, friendly disposition, intelligence and trainability. They are therefore frequently found at hospitals, nursing homes, and similar places.
Our daughter-in-law’s mother is on the left and her mother is on the right. She gave me permission to use this photo. The Leonberger is in the middle front.
A Therapy Leonberger Called Scout
As I mentioned, Leonbergers are great therapy dogs and are often used in hospitals. Below is a video about a Leonberger called Scout by CBC news in Canada. This Leonberger is helping residents at Hamilton mental health hospital. He was bred by Concorde Ridge Leonbergers. They have a website and a blog which I follow. You visit my post about Scout here. The 8-minute video is shown on the website below.
Speaking about Leonberger chance encounters, one very unexpected Leonberger encounter happened to us at the top of a mountain in northern Sweden. My wife, my daughter, my brother and his wife and children were hiking/climbing up to the top of a mountain in the high coast region of northern Sweden. This is a coastal region of Sweden that is quite mountainous and feature fjords, like in Norway. This is the region where I was born and where I grew up. The name of the mountain was Skule Berget, or Skull Mountain. We did it for the adventure, the views, and to visit a famous cave. Below is the view from the top of Skull Mountain in the High Coast.
View from the top of Skule Berget.
At the top of the mountain, we met a man who had brought his dog, and it was not just any kind of dog, it was a female Leonberger Named Amie. The owner told us that Amie was nine years old, which is old for a Leonberger. It was quite a hike to the top of the mountain so the dog must have been in good shape despite her age. Well, the man we too were in good shape too. You can read about our Skull Mountain adventure here.
As soon as we them, we shouted, “look a Leonberger”, and Amie started wagging her tail and running towards us. She obviously loved attention. Her owner let us pet her and take a few photos of her. Amie was very playful; she rolled around and wanted to be petted. She was very friendly. She reminded us of our late Leonberger Bronco, but being a female, she was a little bit smaller and more feminine looking. Below, are a couple of photos of Amie.
Amie at the top of Skule Berget.Amie was playful but very well behaved.
About the book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle
Finally, I would like to mention that I am currently is running a promotion for my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger”. It is to celebrate Bronco’s birthday and his memory. I should say the book features the amusing adventures of our Leonberger Bronco and his dog friends, and information on how to train and care for Leonbergers and other large breeds, as well as breed history, breed standard, Leonberger organizations, and a resource guide. I can add that all photos and illustrations are in color.
The price of the Kindle version of my book is now only $2.99 and the price of the paperback version is 17.95 (normal prize is $19.95). You can read more about the promotion here. I will keep the promotion going for a few more days.
This is the front cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click here or on the image to go to the United States Amazon location for the paperback version of the book.This is the back cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click here or on the image to go to the Amazon.com location for the kindle version of the book.Again, these are the endorsements for the book by some very prominent members of the Leonberger community. Click here or on the image to go to the location for the book Amazon in Canada.
Today, July 31st is National Mutt Day. Our Leonberger Bronco, or Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, was not a mutt, but our Labrador Baylor was. We kept referring to him as a Labrador, but he was actually 3/4 Labrador and 1/4 Rhodesian Ridgeback. Therefore, I am making a post about him today. You can also read about Baylor here . here and here.
Baylor our Labrador Rhodesian Ridgeback mix on the left and our German Shepherd Baby on the right. They were both old in this photo.
About Baylor
Our first family dog was Baylor, a yellow Labrador retriever mix who allegedly was one-quarter Rhodesian ridgeback. He was a rescue dog first adopted by our niece Jessica, and then when she went to college he stayed with Claudia’s parents until we finally adopted him a couple of years later. He was familiar with us, so the change was not a difficult experience for him. Naturally he was potty trained and well trained in other regards, so taking care of him was a relatively easy job.
Baylor is younger in this photo. The photo is from around 2005 or 2006. Baylor had a smile that would warm the coldest hearts.
Baylor was the dog who taught me what it means to be a dog owner. I didn’t grow up with dogs, and for years I felt like dogs were annoying and somewhat unpleasant and even scary. To me, they were just barking machines. People who let their aggressive and poorly trained dogs run loose and bother people on the street and children walking to school had cemented that impression on me. A dog was something I wasn’t interested in having. Hamsters and turtles seemed a lot easier to take care of, and they don’t run around growling and barking at people. But there was Baylor, and I had a lot to learn.
Baylor was an energetic and fun dog. He was also very social. He loved visiting the dog park and playing with other dogs. Like Bronco, he loved swimming. He loved running, chasing balls, and playing tug-of-war. I later learned that tug-of-war is not a great game to play with dogs. It can make them aggressive. Anyway, over the years I grew quite fond of him. I loved coming home to his enthusiastic greetings and then taking him for a walk.
Baylor loved to swim in Claudia’s parents’ pool. Claudia is my wife.
On several occasions, Baylor proved to be a hero. My wife Claudia’s mother told me that once, when she was walking him along a road near her house, she fell into a deep hole in the road. There were no other people around at the time, and the hole, which wasn’t covered and hadn’t been roped off, was around waist high. Not being young anymore, she couldn’t climb her way out. However, Baylor started pulling her. She held on to his leash while he smoothly but forcefully dragged her upward. Working together, they managed to pull her out of the hole. Baylor understood how to help, and he was strong enough to do it.
The Dog Fight
Baylor could also defend himself when he needed to. One time, as he and I were walking down a long straight road in the neighborhood, I turned around and saw two dogs running out of an alleyway around half a mile behind us. Right behind them came a woman, and she was running as well. The dogs were racing toward us and barking, and the woman behind the dogs was screaming at them. It was obvious that they had snuck out of a house and were ignoring their owner. For a moment I thought that maybe we should be running as well, but I decided against it. I would not be able to outrun the dogs, even though Baylor could, and letting him loose would be a bad idea. I decided to keep calm and continue walking.
A few seconds later I turned around to look again. The dogs were coming closer. I could see their glistening teeth and their faces full of rage as they charged toward us. The woman behind them was going as fast as she could, but she couldn’t keep up. Both dogs were around the size of Baylor. One of them looked like a pit bull, and the other looked like a golden retriever. I braced for the worst, and Baylor and I positioned ourselves for a fight.
Then the dog who looked like a golden retriever stopped and sat down. He seemed to be less aggressive. But the pit bull came right at us as if he wanted to kill us. There was a violent clash. Baylor fought back valiantly, and he was able to control the situation, despite being on a leash. (Well, I gave him all the leeway I could.) There were loud growls and snarls and sharp white teeth snapping and biting.
The woman finally arrived. Her face was red, and she was sweating profusely. It didn’t look like she was in good shape, and she had just sprinted half a mile without stopping. Breathing heavily, she grabbed her aggressive dog and apologized. I didn’t respond, even though I felt sorry for her. I knew the whole thing was probably an accident, but after that experience I couldn’t spare much sympathy for her. Luckily, there were no serious injuries.
Many dog owners intentionally let their dogs run loose in public, thinking they have them under perfect control, but then the dogs snap when they don’t expect it and they don’t know why. It probably wasn’t what happened in the episode with Baylor, but instances like this serve as powerful reminders of why we have leash laws.
After it was all over, I felt proud of Baylor for defending himself so well. He was a lot stronger and feistier than I expected, yet he was a very friendly and loving Labrador (mix).
Goodbye Baylor
All life ends and so did Baylor’s, in a tragic and sad way. Those who have read my book might know what happened. If you do read my book, this section is marked in grey and called an intermezzo. This way you can avoid reading this sad part. Less sensitive people are welcome to read it and learn some lessons from our experience.
You were our favorite HELLO and our hardest Goodbye. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
About the book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle
Finally, I would like to point out that I currently is running a promotion for my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger”. The book is focused on our late Leonberger Bronco, but Baylor and several other dogs are also featured in the book. The price of the Kindle version of my book is now only $2.99 and the price of the paperback version is 17.95 (normal prize is $19.95). You can read more about the promotion here.
This is the front cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click here or on the image to go to the United States Amazon location for the paperback version of the book.This is the back cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click here or on the image to go to the Amazon.com location for the kindle version of the book.Again, these are the endorsements for the book by some very prominent members of the Leonberger community. Click here or on the image to go to the Barnes and Noble location for the book.
Our late Leonberger Bronco’s birthday was on July 3rd and therefore I am holding a promotion. The price of the Kindle version of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle” is now only $2.99 and the price of the paperback version is 17.95 (normal prize is $19.95). I will keep that price until Jul 31st. The prices in all other countries, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Australia, etc., are lowered by the same amount. Below is some information about my book as well as four reviews from four different countries.
This is the front cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click here or on the image to go to the United States Amazon location for the paperback version of the book.
Advance Praise for the book
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
Amazon’s description of : The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger by Thomas Wikman
If you’re thinking of getting a Leonberger, or if you’ve already owned one and know how rewarding the experience can be, you’ll want to read the story of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, called Bronco, who came into the lives of the Wikman family of Dallas, Texas, in 2007. Bronco, a recipient of the Leonberger Health Foundation International’s Grey Muzzle Award, lived an unusually long life for a Leonberger—almost thirteen years. His human family is convinced that what helped him exceed his breed’s normal life expectancy was his brave and loving heart.
Here you’ll read about some of 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 author is donating the proceeds from the sale of this book to the Leonberger Health Foundation International
Thomas Wikman is a retired automation, robotics, and software engineer and inveterate dog lover who emigrated from Sweden to the United States, where he and his wife raised three children. Their cherished Leonberger, Bronco, crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2020. The Wikmans live in Dallas, Texas, with their two dogs—a pug and a miniature Australian shepherd.
This is the back cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click here or on the image to go to the Amazon.com location for the kindle version of the book.
Having been around big dogs my entire life, I was very much looking forward to reading about Bronco, a large breed of dog known as a Leonberger. Thomas Wikman has penned a wonderful memoir about his family’s 12+ year journey with Bronco. As I read this story, I realized this was no ordinary breed or dog. Bronco and the rest of the Wikmans’ dogs become like family members. The part of the story I enjoyed the most were the engaging and entertaining anecdotal stories. Wikman gives a very honest account and describes the wonderful parts and challenges of owning a Leoberger. It was fascinating how the smaller dogs quickly accepted Bronco into the fold and became pals.
In addition, the author includes lots of general information about Leonbergers including the extensive process involved adopting one of these dogs. I learned too much to describe here, but Wikman doesn’t miss anything from their history, diet, disposition, health challenges and quirks. It’s obvious how much research and energy went into writing this comprehensive book. I was thoroughly impressed and learned a great deal about these loving giants. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves dogs.
We became Leonberger human parents in October 2022. We knew very little about the breed so I searched online. I found a reference to Thomas Wikman’s book and was instantly intrigued given that the book was a personal experience of life with a Leonberger. This book has proven to be the best book about Leonbergers that I have purchased and I have purchased quite a few.
The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Lowenhohle is a heartwarming story of Bronco’s life with the Wikman family and their other canines. This book also contains a wealth of well researched and experienced information about Leonbergers, both good and bad. Also the bonus in this book is at the back where Thomas Wikman has included 2 Appendices which provided me with the Leonberger database and a Resources and References section.
This book has helped my family through the first amazing year with our male Leonberger, Hachi. We look forward to many more years with him and we keep Thomas Wikman’s book near by for any help we may need.
Photo that the reviewer submitted with the review. It is a Leonberger with the book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger by Thomas Wikman.
Maybe I should start this book review by clarifying that I’ve never owned a dog! I do like them and enjoy their presence when visiting family and friends. So why did I pick up this book about Bronco, a Leonberger, which is one of the world’s biggest dogs?
What I do love is stories and Thomas Wikman’s book is a terrific series of stories about one of the most affectionate, friendliest and gentle giant of personalities – Bronco. He just happens to be a massive dog, sometimes even mistaken for a bear!
The author is a natural storyteller and his fluid conversational writing style pulls the reader immediately into his family world and their dogs (yes, there are more than Bronco!) A family who care deeply for each other and their pets. It’s a book about character, perseverance, enjoying life to the full, of kindness and of giving. A book that encompasses love and warmth.
‘The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle’ is a terrific combination of storytelling of the life of Bronco along with factual expert information.
The book explores how Bronco came to the family (there is drama in that alone!), with hilarious and laugh-out-loud tales of his antics as well as some of his heroic deeds. Bronco was a superhero as he rescued two escaped hamsters — by putting them in the cheeks of his mouth! Luckily quick thinking Claudia, Thomas’s wife, performed CPR and they recovered. There were a few hilarious incidents when Bronco proved just too strong on the lead then on one occasion he successfully scared away a nighttime prowler as well as saving the life of another family dog. Bronco was a gifted escape artist and the scientist Thomas, not seeing any way this was possible, decided the dog had discovered ‘quantum tunnelling’.
The book is also a detailed and superlative reference and resource book for any owners or prospective owners of Leonbergers. The information includes the history of this rare and unusual breed, medical conditions etc in separate chapters as well as information panels regarding their care, diet, etc. Even as a non-dog owner, I found these all interesting and always enjoy learning something new. For example, Leonbergers were a favoured breed for many of the royal courts in Europe at one time and it was mind-boggling to read that after World War Two there were only eight Leonbergers left in the whole world. The medical conditions include many I recognise from human diseases and illness and not something I would associate with dogs. My learning curve was steep when reading these facts.
The numerous photos of Bronco (and some of the other dogs) are adorable and I was smitten with the captivating and beautiful illustrations which are interspersed throughout the book and these capture many of the humorous moments perfectly.
The addition of a small quiz was a welcome surprise and even this non-dog owner didn’t disgrace herself — although not quite acing it!
Just as Bronco becomes an integral part of the family he also became an important member of the local community. At one stage he proved too popular with the football players’ at the daughter’s local matches. Poor Bronco was asked to leave as the players attention was not on the game. The sense of community extended to the Leonberger groups around the globe and the Leonberger Health Foundation International awarded him the treasured Grey Muzzle Award, which is given to any Leonberger aged 12 by which time Bronco was a veritable canine centurion.
The chapters regarding Bronco’s failing health are particularly poignant and moving. By now the Bronco had won a place in my heart and I was tear-eyed as I read of these difficult times for him and the family.
‘The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle’ is a gem of a book which shines bright with humour, love and positive energy, the stories carrying the reader away with them while the expert facts are fascinating and informative. A book I highly recommend.
Finally, it should be noted that the author is donating his proceeds from book sales to the Leonberger Health Foundation International, an organisation that supports research aimed at improving the health of large dogs.
Again, these are the endorsements for the book by some very prominent members of the Leonberger community. Click here or on the image to go to the Barnes and Noble location for the book.
Getting My Book in Other Places
You can also get my book in many other places including Amazon in every country where Amazon exists, for example Canada, and other bookstores such as Chapters Indigo, Apple, etc. To see a list of the options visit my Book Page by clicking here.
This is another post with the “25 Leonberger photos” theme. This time the theme is “25 Leonberger Pictures with People”. I’ve selected photos and illustrations of our late Leonberger Bronco that also feature people. A few of the photos are stock images from Shutterstock but most of the pictures are mine. Below is a list of the previous posts using the theme 25 Leonberger photos.
Also, if you have not checked out my superfactful blog yet feel free to do so.
25 Leonberger Pictures with People
This is a photo of our family. It is a few years old. From left to right, our oldest son, our Japanese Chin Ryu, my wife Claudia and I am standing behind her, our Leonberger Bronco, our younger son, and our daughter with our Pug Daisy. I would like to add that since then I’ve gotten in better shape.Our one-year-old Leonberger Bronco wants to give me a hug. He wanted to give hugs all the time. We also danced a lot. He was a good dancer.Bronco’s direct ancestor on the male side Leo von der Sagmuhle in Germany about 100 years ago (18 generations). I got this information from the World Wide Leonberger Database.Leonbergers are muscular, big and strong. Bronco is pulling our daughter along the ground as she is desperately trying to hold on to him. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.Bronco is chasing off a peeping Tom who was terrorizing the women in the neighborhood including my wife. The trespassing peeping Tom never came back. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.This illustration depicts an occasion when Bronco was not so well behaved. We saw a dog across the street and our Leonberger Bronco became wild. He started barking and jumping around and he accidentally pushed our German Shepherd into a storm drain. I had to get her out while holding onto an agitated Bronco. The man across the street lifted his dog and ran as fast as he could down the street. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.Once Bronco had a toe amputation due to cancer and the doctor put a full leg cast on him. He told us that he should not bump the cast, and that he should not go for walks for ten days. But Bronco was begging to go out, so my wife finally took him for a walk. She did not use the leash because she thought that he could barely walk. A few minutes later I heard screaming, and I opened the door and saw this. Bronco was chasing our neighbor and his two corgis as Claudia was running after him and screaming at him to stop. The cast went bump, bump, BUMP, in the sidewalk. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.Our Leonberger Bronco got tired of watching the kids play games all day long. So, one day he calmly walked over to their laptop and bit the laptop hard. That was the end of the laptop. You could see the bite marks on the laptop. I took it back to Best Buy where the Geek Squad guy really wanted to know what happened. He said he had never seen anything like it. Luckily, they replaced the laptop. It is written Nerd Brigade instead of the Geek Squad in the illustration because of potential copyright issues. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.Our Leonberger Bronco at the dog park at five/six months old. He is wearing a bandage on his knee because he got a condition from growing too fast. The two ladies are the owners of the little dog.Our Leonberger Bronco is sitting in my wife’s lap. He was 167 pounds at the time. Silly Bronco thought he was a lap dog.My wife Claudia with Bronco’s Grey Muzzle Award. Leonbergers typically don’t live long and therefore Bronco’s long life was unusual. The Leonberger Health Foundation International awards Leonbergers who live longer than 12 years with an award called the Grey Muzzle Award.Bronco lived very long for a Leonberger. The typical lifespan is 8-9 years. As mentioned above, the Leonberger Health Foundation International gives out a grey-muzzle award to Leonbergers who have lived 12 years or longer. Here Bronco is receiving his grey-muzzle award.Photo of our Leonberger Bronco when he was very young. Less than one years old. He is sleeping on the floor. The kids are playing in the background.Our niece Jessica is giving Bronco a kiss.Our oldest son and our daughter are sitting in the sofa. Our Leonberger Bronco is in the foreground. In the back is our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo.My wife Claudia with our Leonberger Bronco.Me and Bronco during Covid-19 times.Claudia with Bronco and our pug Daisy down by White Rock Lake in Dallas, Texas.A nurse is putting on a bandage on Bronco’s paw. This was because he had a toe amputation due to a cancer cyst on his toe. The cancer was not aggressive and did not spread. The toe amputation took care of it. First, he had a cast. Then he had bandages.Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is giving Bronco a kiss. Our son is overseeing and petting them both.Young Leonberger, probably less than a year old. Leonbergers aren’t fully grown until they are close to two years old. Stock Photo ID: 2089116934 by cynoclub.Young Leonberger and woman in front of white background Asset id: 2022376910 by cynoclub.A little boy is playing with a giant dog in the garden Asset id: 1044912799 by Lolostock – by Apex Studios.RONNEBY, SWEDEN – JULY 05, 2014: Blekinge Kennelklubb international dog show. A Leonberger dog and a female handler running in a show ring. Asset id: 204221011 by ImfotoA woman and her Leonberger dog. Asset id: 1741753382 by Elena Podrezenko
At about 8:00AM Central Standard Time my Leonberger blog surpassed 100,000 views. At the moment of this writing, I have 55,000+ visitors, 10,600+ comments, 16,800+ likes, and 326 posts. I am very grateful for all of your visits, likes and comments. Thank you so much!
I started this blog to promote my Leonberger book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger” (see picture below). That was a bit more than three years ago. I can add that the three-year anniversary of the release of my book is coming up in July. Click here to read more about my book.
Since the launch of my blog, my blogging has evolved and in addition to Leonbergers my blog has become a personal blog featuring book reviews, travel stories, and other topics. In other words, I am using my blog for my personal entertainment, in addition to on occasion promoting my Leonberger book.
The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Lowenhohle
This is the front cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. It is the original reason for launching my blog. Click here or on the image to go to the United States Amazon location for the paperback version of the book.This is the back cover of the book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click here or on the image to go to the Amazon.com location for the kindle version of the book.These are the endorsements for the book. Click here or on the image to go to the Barnes and Noble location for the book.
Three Leonberger Photos
This is a photo of our Leonberger Bronco when he was three months old. It is the photo I’ve used the most throughout this blog. Click here to visit the blog which organizes and lists all of my 300+ posts.Hachi a Canadian Leonberger featured with my book. He was one year old when this photo was taken by Brenda Saito and her husband. Click here or on the photo to visit the paperback version for the book on Canadian Amazon.A Canadian Leonberger called Mak with my book. Photo by Debbie Ireland. Click here or on the photo to visit the page for the book on Chapters Indigo.
This is another post with the “25 Leonberger photos” theme. This time the theme is “25 silly Leonbergers”. The post feature Leonbergers looking silly or being in funny situations. A lot of the photos are of our late Leonberger Bronco but there are also Leonberger photos provided by friends as well as a couple of Leonberger stock photos. Below is a list of the previous posts using the theme 25 Leonberger photos.
Also if you have not checked out my new superfactful blog feel free to do so.
25 Silly Leonbergers
The first photos are not really silly, but they are photos of Leonberger puppies and they are cute and act silly. The first photo is of our Leonberger puppy at three months old. It was a chore to get him to sit still.
This is a photo of our Leonberger Bronco when he was three months old.Two light colored Leonberger puppies playing. My guess is that they are three months old. Shutterstock-ID: 2141564415 by AnetaZabranska.The silly Leonberger puppy is kissing a chihuahua who is getting annoyed. Stock Photo ID: 2166660069 by cynoclub.Baby our German Shepherd is playing with our four months old Leonberger Bronco. Baby loved Bronco as if it was her own puppy. They were playing all day long. Silly dogs.Our Leonberger Bronco at the White Rock Lake dog park at about five/six months old. He is wearing a bandage on his knee because at the time he had a condition from growing too fast. He had fun playing with the little dog. The two ladies are the owners of the little dog. As you can see one of them has an issue with her knee, just like Bronco.Our one-year-old Leonberger Bronco wants to give me a hug. He wanted to give hugs all the time. We also danced a lot. He was a good dancer and a silly Leonberger.Our Leonberger Bronco is sitting in my wife’s lap. He was 167 pounds at the time. Silly Bronco thought he was a lap dog.
A Leonberger in Action Illustrated
For a couple of weeks there was a peeping Tom who trespassed on our property and sat outside our bedroom window shouting obscenities and threats primarily at my wife. As it turned out the peeping Tom was doing the same thing to a lot of other women in the neighborhood. He had been quite busy looking through bedroom windows at night.
The police were not able to do anything about it, so I hired private detectives. The plan was that they were going to catch him in the act and turn him into the police. They sat in our backyard behind the bushes with a whole bunch of instruments, cameras, recording devices, and metal detectors. They also hid in a dark car parked nearby our house. My father-in-law was surprised that I was able to find the detectives. He did not think people like them existed and he asked me “how did you find them?”. I found them in the phone book (phone books still existed back then). They reminded us of the Ghost Busters with their enthusiasm, dress, and all their instruments.
Unfortunately, Ghost Busters, I mean the detectives did not catch the peeping Tom, so I had to let them go. However, that’s when Bronco stepped in. One night we heard a shuffling outside the house, and I sent Bronco out to chase him. It worked. The peeping Tom was really frightened, and he never came back. Bronco probably just wanted to say hello and lick him, but the peeping Tom did not know that. Bronco saved the entire neighborhood. Well Bronco was not the one who was silly this time, but everyone else was including the detectives.
Bronco is chasing off a peeping Tom who was terrorizing the women in the neighborhood including my wife. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
Back when Bronco our Leonberger was young, the kids had pet hamsters—Moldova and Montenegro. The hamsters escaped from their cages sometimes, but Bronco usually helped us find them whenever they did. Claudia would tell him, “Bronco, find the hamsters,” and he would go around the house sniffing until he found them. One time he found them in the linen closet; another time he found them on a shelf in the living room.
On one occasion, a friend of David trusted us with his two hamsters while he and his family went on vacation. A couple of days later, Claudia noticed that the two hamsters were missing from their cage. The next thing she noticed was that Bronco’s cheeks looked puffy, so she said, “Bronco, drop it!” Out came the two hamsters, both unconscious.
In a panic, Claudia started performing CPR on the unconscious hamsters. She put one hamster at a time in her hand and gently compressed each tiny chest using the finger of the other hand. Fortunately, one hamster revived right away. The CPR didn’t seem to be working on the other hamster, but Claudia put both of them back in their cage, and soon the second hamster also woke up. We decided to keep the incident to ourselves. Hamsters don’t squeal. In this case I think Bronco was silly, even though he might have been a hero.
Bronco’s puffy cheeks hold two hamsters he probably was trying to save. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
On yet another occasion Bronco was really silly. He had a toe amputation, and we were instructed to keep him inside for ten days and keep him as still as possible. We were to make sure he wouldn’t bump the cast. This was, of course, almost impossible to do, but we were going to try.
However, Bronco really wanted to go out, which he showed us in various ways, such as scratching at the front door. After a week or so, Claudia suggested that we take him outside a little bit, just in our driveway. I agreed. When I handed her the leash, she said, “He can barely walk; do you think he’s going to run off without it?” We laughed, and I agreed that it didn’t seem like we needed it this time. So, Claudia walked out with Bronco slowly limping beside her.
Less than a minute had passed when I heard shouting outside. I opened the door and looked outside to see what was going on. First I saw our neighbor and his two corgis running down the street as fast as they could. Our neighbor was screaming at the top of his lungs, “Get him off me! Get him off me!”
Behind him, Bronco was running with his cast going kabonk-kabonk-kabonk as it hit the sidewalk. Behind Bronco ran Claudia, who was also screaming at the top of her lungs. “Bronco! Sit! Stay! Stop!” Finally, Bronco stopped, and Claudia grabbed him. Holding his collar, she led him back in. This time Bronco was really silly.
This is an illustration showing Bronco running down the street while wearing a cast. He was not supposed to bump the cast. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
Another time that Bronco was silly was when he started barking and jumping around when he saw a dog across the street. In the process he accidentally pushed our German Shepherd baby into a storm drain. I had to lay down on the ground and lift Baby out of storm drain all while holding onto Bronco. The owner of the other dog lifted up his dog into his arms and ran as fast as he could down the street. That was embarrassing and stressful. Silly Bronco.
Once when Bronco was not so well behaved. He pushed our German Shepherd into a storm drain and I had to get her out while holding onto an agitated Bronco. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
Additional Silly Leonberger Photos
Bronco our Leonberger get washed off at a fairly young age. He liked water.Bronco standing by the kitchen gate. The kitchen gate was there to keep him from going inside the kitchen and do counter surfing.Bronco and our Pug Daisy. Daisy is leaving because she thinks Bronco is hogging the sofa.Our Leonberger Bronco is sleeping on our big leather sofa.Our Leonberger Bronco in the bushes.Our Leonberger Bronco in the backyard. He was a saint. This time it is me, the photographer, who is silly.It is Bronco’s 11th birthday.After a toe amputation due to toe cancer, Bronco needed to wear a cone, a big soft cone. Unfortunately, he frequently cleared tables as he swung the cone back and forth. Here he has just pushed a pile of books and papers off a table.Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo. Bronco is nicely welcoming our new puppy, but the size difference is silly.
In the photo below it is really our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo who is being silly. But he is very silly pulling Bronco’s tail. He even swung in it like a swing.
A rambunctious Rollo is biting Bronco’s tail. Bronco was very patient. One time Rollo swung in his tail as if it was a swing.
Below is a photo of silly gingerbread stealing dogs.
Bronco our Leonberger with Daisy our Pug in the Kitchen. Bronco says, “look what Daisy did to the gingerbread house that stood on the counter”. Actually, what really happened was that Bronco grabbed the gingerbread house and shared it with Daisy.Digory and Obi are two Leonbergers. Digory was a very brave Leonberger who fought cancer. He was featured in the Leo-Letter a Leonberger Magazine Photo by Jen O’Keefe. Jen is a friend in the Leonberger community.Five Leonbergers including Digory on 4th of July 2023. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.Six Leonbergers celebrating a birthday. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
When you are gone your dog misses you so much that his heart is sick. When you are gone his love for you is killing him. When you leave his life stops. He is howling, but no one can hear him.
Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd is looking out the window. He is watching the neighborhood and waiting for us to come home.
“Rollo go look out the window” is what we tell our dog Rollo when we leave. He runs to the window, and he looks out the window. We used to have two other dogs, a large Leonberger dog called Bronco, and a little Pug named Daisy. Bronco and Rollo were best friends, and he loved his little sister Daisy. They both died and now Rollo is alone. Now he is alone looking out the window when we leave. However, he does not accept any other dogs so there is not much we can do.
Are you leaving your dog to face his despair all by himself?
Are you going to leave your dog at home, sitting by the window all alone waiting for you? He is looking out the window, looking for you. It is like he is in a dark train station at night. There is only emptiness. When you are gone, he is like an orphan, like a stupid lonely kid singing to himself, howling into the emptiness. He does not have a life anymore. After you leave him, he cannot dream. He feels ugly without you. He feels dirty without you. He feels sick without you. Are you abandoning him? You should be happy dogs don’t drink whiskey to comfort themselves.
I wrote the above with the song below in my mind. It is a French song called “Je suis malade…” (I am sick…) by Lara Fabian about a lover leaving his beloved. However, I think it fits the way the dogs seem to feel when you leave them. We listened to it in French class. That’s how I came across it. I am learning French as a hobby. It is the saddest song I’ve ever heard but it is also a very beautiful song, so you may want to get your tissue box out. There are English subtitles.
Sometimes you have to leave your dogs for a little bit, and it is difficult. They are not happy. We cannot get a dog sitter every time we leave for a short bit, but we try to take him with us as much as possible. We are lucky. We have found a very professional dog sitter willing to stay almost 24/7 with our Rollo when we go on vacation. She is a veterinary assistant and Rollo loves her.
French Song Lyrics for « Je suis malade »
Je ne rêve plus, je ne fume plus Je n’ai même plus d’histoire Je suis sale sans toi, je suis laid sans toi Je suis comme un orphelin dans un dortoir
Je n’ai plus envie de vivre ma vie Ma vie cesse quand tu pars Je n’ai plus de vie et même mon lit Se transforme en quai de gare Quand tu t’en vas
Je suis malade, complètement malade Comme quand ma mère sortait le soir Et qu’elle me laissait seul avec mon désespoir
Je suis malade, parfaitement malade T’arrives on ne sait jamais quand Tu repars on ne sait jamais où Et ça va faire bientôt deux ans Que tu t’en fous
Comme à un rocher, comme à un péché Je suis accroché à toi Je suis fatigué, je suis épuisé De faire semblant d’être heureux quand ils sont là
Je bois toutes les nuits, mais tous les whiskys Pour moi ont le même goût Et tous les bateaux portent ton drapeau Je ne sais plus où aller, tu es partout
Je suis malade, complètement malade Je verse mon sang dans ton corps Et je suis comme un oiseau mort quand toi tu dors
Je suis malade, parfaitement malade Tu m’as privé de tous mes chants Tu m’as vidé de tous mes mots Pourtant, moi j’avais du talent avant ta peau
Cet amour me tue, si ça continue Je crèverai seul avec moi Près de ma radio comme un gosse idiot Écoutant ma propre voix qui chantera
Je suis malade, complètement malade Comme quand ma mère sortait le soir Et qu’elle me laissait seul avec mon désespoir
Je suis malade, c’est ça, je suis malade Tu m’as privé de tous mes chants Tu m’as vidé de tous mes mots Et j’ai le cœur complètement malade Cerné de barricades T’entends, je suis malade
Song lyrics English Translation for “Je suis malade”
I no longer dream, I no longer smoke I don’t even have a story anymore I’m dirty without you, I’m ugly without you I’m like an orphan in a dormitory
I don’t want to live my life anymore My life ends when you leave I no longer have a life and even my bed Transforms into a station platform When you leave
I’m sick, completely sick Like when my mother went out in the evening And she left me alone with my despair
I’m sick, perfectly sick You arrive, we never know when You go back, we never know where And it will be almost two years That you don’t care
Like a rock, like a sin I’m clinging to you I’m tired, I’m exhausted To pretend to be happy when they are around
I drink every night, but all the whiskeys To me they taste the same And all the boats carry your flag I don’t know where to go anymore, you are everywhere
I’m sick, completely sick I pour my blood into your body And I’m like a dead bird when you sleep
I’m sick, perfectly sick You deprived me of all my songs You emptied me of all my words However, I had talent before your skin
This love kills me, if it continues I will die alone with me By my radio like a stupid kid Listening to my own voice that will sing
I’m sick, completely sick Like when my mother went out in the evening And she left me alone with my despair
I’m sick, that’s it, I’m sick You deprived me of all my songs You emptied me of all my words And my heart is completely sick Surrounded by barricades You hear, I’m sick
Comics about Dogs love for you and you leaving them
Onions, garlic, alcohol, chocolate, coffee, macadamia nuts, raw bread/pizza dough, foods containing the sweetener xylitol (birch wood), salt, moldy food, currants, grapes and raisins can cause poisoning in dogs. Grapes and raisins are especially dangerous, potentially causing kidney failure, or even death.
Until recently, I did not realize how serious this is. We used to have a very large dog, a Leonberger named Bronco, who weighed 140lbs when he was not overweight. He seemed to have a stomach made of steel. On one occasion, Bronco got hold of a box of chocolates in the shape of small gnomes. Each gnome was filled with liquor—some with gin, some with vodka, some with whiskey, and some with rum. It was a gift from Rachel, our daughter, who had just come back from a visit to China. She had bought the present for us at the airport in Hong Kong.
What happened was that Bronco ate the entire thing—tinfoil wrappers, chocolate, liquor, and all. We were afraid he might get very sick, and we carefully monitored him, ready to rush him to the emergency clinic if necessary. Fortunately, nothing happened, except he threw up a little bit of tinfoil. I guess he had a stomach of steel. Below is a picture from Bronco’s gingerbread house raid. We laughed. It was just funny.
Our Leonberger Bronco raided the kitchen and partially ate a gingerbread house. He shared it with his little companion, the Pug Daisy. The open gate behind Daisy and Bronco permitted their gingerbread-house raid.
What this experience did not teach me is how dangerous certain foods can be to dogs. Bronco was fine eating the chocolate gnomes, and gingerbread houses, and you can laugh when it all ends well. However, recently Claudia and I witnessed the death of a dog who had eaten raisins. This was a shocking experience. It reminded us that knowing what food is dangerous to dogs is very important and preventing them from eating food that is dangerous to dogs is crucial. If you are not willing to keep track of this, don’t get a dog.
The Death of a Dog
Warning: The Story Below Can be Triggering to Sensitive People, Skip if Needed
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that we took our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo to the emergency. We took Rollo to the veterinary emergency because he had thrown up three times within six hours. He had been chewing on a lot of rawhide which is a bit risky, so we were worried. He got an X-ray and various blood tests. However, everything was normal. It was probably just a stomach flu or upset stomach. He received anti-nausea medication, and another medicine.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo with a soccer ball.
We like this emergency clinic because you can remain with your dog the whole time and participate in everything they are doing. The drawback is that you are in a big room with a lot of other dogs and their owners, and you’ll see everything that is going on, which sometimes is not pleasant, and this time we witnessed a shocking tragedy. We had to wait a long time because almost all of the attention was given to a dog who had eaten raisins. We were there from about 1:00AM to 5:00AM. We were clearly not a priority, but we did not complain.
About the same time as we came in a man and a woman brought in a sick dog. They also had a very tired little boy with them. He was maybe three years old. The dog was throwing up, and he was lethargic and obviously very sick. We overheard that he had eaten raisins. Suddenly the dog had a seizure. The nurses/doctors took blood samples. Then he had another even more severe seizure, and then another. It looked bad. The tests showed that his kidneys were shutting down. After a while the veterinarian informed the couple, and the boy, that the dog was dying a painful death and that the best might be to euthanize him.
They took the dog and the rest of the family to a private room. After a while the woman ran out of the room. She was crying hysterically as she ran out of the emergency clinic. She couldn’t control herself. The man and the boy came after, also crying, but they were calmer. The man paid the bill at the front desk, and they left. Claudia and I and Rollo, we just sat there, and we watched it all. We saw them bring out the dead dog from the room. It was a show that we had not anticipated and that would stay on our minds, maybe forever. We were told Rollo’s tests were fine and that his stomach was fine, and we paid, and we left. It was quiet in our car on the way home.
When I came home, I walked over to the pantry and I grabbed the raisins box and was about to throw it in the garbage, when I decided to just hide the box far into the pantry and never buy raisins again. I don’t like throwing away food.
Leonberger Life 