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.
This post is not about Leonbergers. It is a post about me or rather about us, the family who would come to raise our Leonberger Bronco. Oh, how do I wish we could hold the hand inside Bronco. We miss him every day. “I Wanna Hold the Hand Inside You” or “Fade Into You” by Mazzi Star was released September 1993. That was when our first son Jacob was born in Akron, Ohio. At the time I was working on my PhD in Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering / Robotics at Case Western Reserve University, Ohio. The YouTube video below is from October 1994. I was done with my PhD, and I was working for ABB Robotics in Detroit. Our clients were the Detroit car industry. We were preparing for our move to Sweden where our young son would learn to speak English, the adult language, and some Swedish, the children’s language, or so he thought.
To me it seems like times were better back then, but the facts say otherwise. Crime in the US was much worse than it is today, there were more and worse wars, there was more poverty, more children starved, and the Rwandan genocide of Tutsis in 1994 had just finished. 800,000, nearly a million defenseless Tutsis had been intentionally slaughtered in just 100 days. Another thing that had happened that was close to home was that on September 28 1994 a ferry, M/S Estonia, sank in heavy seas as it going from Tallin to Stockholm, killing 852 people, most of them Swedes and Estonians. Only 137 people on board survived. Some of the vicitms worked at the location where I was going. Times were different back then, but they were not better, or were they? Perhaps the time of our youth is better no matter the state of the world.
This song reminds me of the word poignant. I like to use that word. As I understand it means sad, but beautiful and meaningful. The lyrics are poignant, but you don’t really use that word for music, but if you could, I think it would apply to the music as well.
Fade Into You by Mazzi Star recorded October 2nd 1994
The lyrics for “Fade Into”
I wanna hold the hand inside you I wanna take the breath that’s true I look to you and I see nothing I look to you to see the truth You live your life, you go in shadows You’ll come apart and you’ll go blind Some kind of night into your darkness Colors your eyes with what’s not there
[Chorus]
Fade into you Strange you never knew Fade into you I think it’s strange you never knew
[Verse 2]
A stranger light comes on slowly A stranger’s heart without a home You put your hands into your head And then its smiles cover your heart
[Chorus]
Fade into you Strange you never knew Fade into you I think it’s strange you never knew Fade into you Strange you never knew Fade into you I think it’s strange you never knew
You who are old enough to remember 1993 and 1994, do you think times were better back then?
Many of you know that I have a new blog. The goal of this new blog is to create a long list of facts that are important, not trivia, and that are known to be true and yet are either disputed by large segments of the public or highly surprising or misunderstood by many. I call these special facts “super facts” in lack of a better term.
In my Leonberger blog (this one) I write about Leonberger dogs, but I also write book reviews and about non-Leonberger related topics. I am thinking about splitting the book reviews between my Leonberger blog and the Superfactful blog. I am thinking of putting Leonberger books, pure fiction and poetry on my Leonberger blog and non-fiction books and fiction books related to something factual on my Superfactful blog. I wonder if that is a good idea. Naturally the book reviews would not be part of the super fact list but would be on my blog. Any opinions about this split are welcome.
Finally, I would like to highlight my first post on my new blog. It describes my journey through the valley of bamboozlement and miscomprehension. In the past I have had to give up cherished beliefs that were wrong and I had to accept facts that were hard pills to swallow. I consider this growth. Click on any of the pictures below to read that post.
I learned that Earth is not 6,000 years old. It is billions of years old, and we know this with certainty. I learned that lightspeed in vacuum is a universal constant, time is relative, and other strange facts from science. Stock Photo ID: 2024419973 by Elena11. Click on the picture to read my post called Bamboozlement Misunderstandings Big Surprises and My Journey.I doubted human caused global warming, but I was forced to revise my belief after a deep dive into the topic. Natural causes for global warming / climate change would have cooled the planet, not warm it. Click on the picture to read my post called Bamboozlement Misunderstandings Big Surprises and My Journey.
This is another one of my 25 Leonberger photos posts. This time the theme is young Leonbergers, puppies as well as teenage Leonbergers. The teenager photos show them before their bodies has filled out. Below is a list of the previous 25 Leonberger posts I’ve made.
If you’ve been following my blog, you will have seen many of these photos already but not all of them. About half of the photos are of our Leonberger Bronco and then there are stock photos and photos from other people.
Also don’t forget to check out my new blog if you haven’t done so.
Photo of Hachi a young Leonberger in Canada. He is about six months old. The photo is taken with permission from a review for my book. Click on the photo to see the associated review.This is a photo of our Leonberger Bronco when he was three months old.Baby (German Shepherd) is playing with our four months old Leonberger Bronco.About five months old Bronco sleeping on his back.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 about one year old Leonberger at the dog park. He is gangly looking and not yet stocky. In the background you can see our yellow lab Baylor.Another photo of our not yet one year old Leonberger Bronco at the dog park.Our not yet one year old Leonberger Bronco at the dog park with our German Shepherd Baby.Our one-year-old Leonberger Bronco wants to give me a hug.Our Leonberger Bronco swimming in White Rock Lake. He is about one year old in the photo.Bronco our Leonberger get washed off and 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.Ten Leonberger puppies. My guess is that they are about two months old. Shutterstock-ID:561107710 by Akbudak Rimma.Leonberger puppy Stock Photo ID: 561111403 by Akbudak Rimma.Leonberger puppy. My guess is that he is around two months old. Shutterstock-ID: 629624396 by TOM KAROLA.A Leonberger puppy running in the snow. Shutterstock Stock Photo ID: 2056502327 by Nikky de Graaf.Young Leonberger Stock Photo ID: 2089116934 by cynoclubTwo light colored Leonberger puppies playing. My guess is that they are three months old. Shutterstock-ID: 2141564415 by AnetaZabranska.Leonberger + Chihuahua Stock Photo ID: 2166660069 by cynoclub.Young Leonberger Stock Photo ID: 2170918265 by cynoclub.Young Leonberger Stock Photo ID: 2192241957 by cynoclub.Leonberger Puppy Stock Photo ID: 2233375083 by VeronArt16Two Leonberger puppies. Shutter stock Photo ID: 2294202331 by Olga Shusters.A Leonberger puppy standing in the snow. Shutterstock Stock Photo ID: 2390810457 by VeronArt16.And finally a black and white photo of our Leonberger Bronco at three months old.
Our late Leonberger Bronco’s birthday and the two years anniversary of the release of my book about him was at the beginning of July. Therefore, I decided to have a promotion for the month of July. I lowered the price of both the paperback and the kindle version on Amazon by two dollars in all countries (or close to two dollars). For the United States I lowered the price of the Kindle version from $4.99 to $2.99 and for the paperback from $19.95 to $17.95. In Sweden I lowered the price from 180 Swedish Crowns to 150 Crowns or 159 Crowns with VAT.
This is a reminder of that promotion. Since I sort of forgot about my promotion and this reminder is late I am extending it three more days until the end if August 3rd, midnight Central Standard Time.
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 paperback version of 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 location for the kindle version of the book.These are the endorsements for the book. Click on the image to got to the Barnes and Noble location for the book.
In this book 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.
Below is a list of places where you can get my book.
I am overjoyed to see this very beautifully written and supportive review of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle.” Please take a look at this blog post.
It should be noted that I did not see a reblog button on the post so I hope it is OK that I just link to it here.
Park Cities People and Preston Hollow People Magazine here in Dallas (Preston Hollow) received 15 awards in this year’s National Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest. The National Newspaper Association (NNA), founded in 1885, has over 2,300 members, making it the largest newspaper trade association in the United States. There are slightly more than 100 categories and there is a first price, second price, third price, and an honorable mention, so a bit more than 400 opportunities for an award. Considering that there are 2,300 newspapers I think winning 15 is quite impressive. It is certainly a high-quality magazine. They earned three first-place awards, two second places, five third places, and five honorable mentions. One of the honorable mentions was for Best Book Review. That book review was written by Journalist Kersten Rettig and the book in question was “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”.
This is a photo of the page of Preston Hollow People Magazine where the review appeared. If you click on the picture (or click here) you can see the online version of the book review in Preston Hollow People Magazine.
A screenshot of another online version of Preston Hollow People Magazine where the review appeared. If you click on the picture (or click here) you can see it online.
It is certainly not my accomplishment. It is the newspaper’s award and Kersten Rettig’s accomplishment, but I am very happy about this for myself as well, since I wrote the book, and that is kind of exciting.
Close up of the review in Preston Hollow People Magazine.Close up of the review in Preston Hollow People Magazine.
I’ve written about this book review before back when it was published in September/October last year (2023). You can click here or here to see those blog posts. Finally, a reminder. To celebrate Bronco’s birthday (July 3rd), for the month of July I am lowering the price of the paperback on Amazon from $19.95 to $17.95 and I am lowering the price of the kindle from $4.95 to $2.95. That applies to all countries. By clicking on the pictures below you can visit the Amazon locations for the book.
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 paperback version of 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 location for the kindle version of the book.These are the endorsements for the book. Click on the image to go to the Barnes and Noble location for the book.
Below is a list of places where you can get my book.
I was overjoyed to see this very supportive and beautifully written review of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle.” It is detailed and filled with helpful information. Please take a look at this blog post.
Our late Leonberger Bronco’s birthday was a few days ago, and so was the two years anniversary of the release of my book about him. It is a special occasion and therefore I’ve decided to have a promotion for the month of July. I lowered the price of both the paperback and the kindle version on Amazon by two dollars in all countries (or close to two dollars). For the United States I lowered the price of the Kindle version from $4.99 to $2.99 and for the paperback from $19.95 to $17.95. In Sweden I lowered the price from 180 Swedish Crowns to 150 Crowns or 159 Crowns with VAT.
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 paperback version of 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 location for the kindle version of the book.
If you’re thinking of getting a Leonberger, or if you’ve already owned one and know how rewarding the experience can be, or if you are just a dog lover, then you’ll want to read the story of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, called Bronco, who came to live with us in 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. We believe that what helped him exceed his breed’s normal life expectancy was his brave and loving heart.
These are the endorsements for the book. Click on the image to got to the Barnes and Noble location for the book.
In this book 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.
This is a sample spread from my book (The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle). It is page 24 and 25. The illustration (by Naomi Rosenblatt) showing Bronco with puffy cheaks depicts him holding two rescued hamsters in his mouth.This is another sample spread from my book. It is page 92 and 93. The spread contains the story about when Bronco was chasing our nice neighbor while wearing full leg cast, despite the fact he was not supposed to bump it. The illustrations were made by Naomi Rosenblatt.This is another sample spread from my book. It is page 102 and 103. The other dog is our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo.
Below is a list of places where you can get my book.
Our Leonberger Bronco was born in British Columbia, Canada (nearby Vancouver), on July 3rd, 2007. That was 17 years ago today. His full name was Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle. His father’s name was Priamos Vom Dreiburgenland and his mother’s name was Justus Aria Von Drevas. He had four full siblings, or twins, Little Jonah, Love Ryan, LRV’s Moose, and Lakeisha Makita. That was his litter. Notice that all names begin with an ‘L’. He had 83 siblings in total. The breeder’s name was Julie Schaffert, who is a Leonberger Club of America certified breeder (since 1992), and arguably North America’s most prominent breeder.
Bronco’s entry in the Leonberger Data Base. Click on the picture to visit the Leonberger Data Base.
About 8-9 weeks later he came to Dallas, Texas to be with his new family. That was us. 13 years later he passed away. The name we picked for him was Bronco. However, we were told that his name needed to begin with an ‘L’, so my wife said, “Let’s do Le Bronco”, intending it to be “Le Bronco”. It took us several years to change his name from “Lets Do Le Bronco”, which also begins with an ‘L’, to “Le Bronco”.
Bronco’s original birth certificate from LCA (Leonberger Club of America). His name at this time was “Lets Do Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”.Close up of his name, which incorrectly was “Lets Do Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”.Bronco at the age of three months and at the age of almost 13.
Bronco quickly grew to become a big dog. At one point he was 167lbs but his ideal weight was 135lbs. When he joined our family, we had two other dogs, a Labrador (or Labrador mix) called Baylor and a female German Shepherd called Baby. Baby was like a mother to Bronco, and she was fiercely protective of him. We would soon get two more dogs, a Japanese Chin called Ryu and a pug called Daisy. Once Bronco was older, we would get one more dog, a mini-Australian Shepherd called Rollo. Bronco loved all the other dogs, and he was very protective of them. He saved the life of our Labrador by sniffing out an oncoming insulin shock and he saved our pug Daisy from an attacking German Shepherd.
This is Bronco and me. He is about one year old. Not yet fully grown but still big.Bronco when he was 167lbs sitting in my wife’s lap. He went on a diet after this photo.Bronco with our pug Daisy and Japanese Chin Ryu.Bronco with our pug Daisy and Japanese Chin Ryu again.The portrait was drawn by Veniceme at Etsy (Natasha Dall’Ara) and it is based on one of our photos.
One thing that we are proud of is that Bronco lived very long for a Leonberger. The typical lifespan for a Leonberger is 8-10 years. Giant breeds tend to have a short lifespan. The Leonbergers who live at least 12 years are awarded the so-called Grey-Muzzle Award by the Leonberger Health Foundation International, and Bronco was a recipient. The Leonberger Health Foundation International (LHFI) is supporting research that aims to solve health issues in Leonbergers and other giant breeds. All proceeds from the sale of my book are donated to 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.
Bronco was a very special dog, and he also gave us many amusing stories. Some of the stories were great, like when he chased off a trespasser / peeping Tom who had been terrorizing my wife and the other women in the neighborhood, but that the police and the private detectives I hired could not catch. Or when he saved runaway hamsters or saved the lives of other dogs. He also gave us some embarrassing stories, such as when he put our neighbor’s head in his mouth, like the circus lion trick, or pushed our German Shepherd into a storm drain. After Bronco passed, I decided that the world needed to know about Bronco, so I wrote a book about him. It is a tribute to him as well as a collection of funny stories. I also added information about Leonbergers in the book, their origins, care, training, health, etc.
Bronco is chasing off a trespassing peeping Tom who had been terrorizing the women in the neighborhood at night. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.Bronco with hamsters in his mouth. When he dropped them, they were unconscious, so my wife gave the hamsters CPR. They were fine. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.Bronco acting wild pushing our German Shepherd into a storm drain. I am trying to get her up. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
Finally, I would like to give an overview of my book about Bronco and Leonbergers. I intended to release the Book on July 3rd, 2022, on what would have been Bronco’s 15th birthday. However, Amazon was quicker than I expected. The Kindle version became available on the day I uploaded it July 1st, 2022, and the paperback version July 2nd, 2022, but I did not tell people about it until July 3rd. Well today it is July 3rd again. To read more about my book click here.
In July of 2022 my book was the number one new release on American Amazon in the category “dog breeds”This is a sample spread from my book (The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle). It is page 102 and 103. The other dog is our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo.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 paperback version of 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 location for the kindle version of the book.These are the endorsements for the book. Click on the image to got to the Barnes and Noble location for the book.
If you haven’t already, please take a look at my book
For American Father’s Day (yesterday) I got a number of presents and cards including a portrait of our late pug Daisy. She passed April 5th. For my birthday in March, I got a portrait of our late Leonberger Bronco. With this post I just wanted to show these portraits. They are made by a company called Etsy and the portraits are based on our photos.
A painting of our late pug Daisy who passed two months ago. It is based on one of our photos and created by Etsy. I believe by the same woman who made Bronco’s portrait (have to verify this).The portrait was drawn by Veniceme at Etsy (Natasha Dall’Ara) and it is based on one of our photos.
Leonberger Life 