Leonbergers – Page 11 – Leonberger Life

Review of Leonberger Complete Training Guide and Promotion Reminder

In this post I am going to review a Leonberger book, “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” by Bella Ross. However, before I do, I would like to remind everyone about my e-Book promotion in honor of our late Leonberger Bronco’s birthday on July 3^rd, as well as the one-year anniversary of my book release.

I temporarily lowered the price of my e-Book from $4.99 to $2.99 on Amazon as well as on IngramSpark, which covers a range of bookstores including Barnes and Noble, Indigo in Canada, independent bookstores, libraries, and Apple devices. I am ending this promotion in a couple of days, but the lower price may stay longer on IngramSpark bookstores because they only update prices on Fridays.

Finally, this is my review of the book Leonberger Complete Training Guide by Bella Ross

I recently finished reading Leonberger Complete Training Guide: Essential Training Guide To Raising A Healthy And Obedient Dog: Caring, Health, Feeding, Exercise, Socialization, Breeding, Showing And Much More. Paperback – Large Print, April 21, 2023. The dimensions of this paperback are 6 x 0.1 x 9 inches, and the weight is 3.84 ounces, ISBN 979-8392099306, and it currently costs $7.99 on Amazon in the US. There is also a Kindle version, ASIN B0C3JGL9FP, which costs $2.99 but is free with Kindle unlimited.

Photo showing the front cover of the book “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” by Bella Ross. It features a commonly used Leonberger stock photo. — Front cover of “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” by Bella Ross. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.

In summary: The book has 34 pages of content in large text with no images. There are really 40 pages but a few pages are blank. The book does not have much to say about training Leonbergers, so the title “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” is an embellishment. The title also mentions the words breeding and showing and the book says nothing about those topics. The book also has issues with repetition, a few incorrect statements, and the listed categories “Veterinary Genetics”, “Veterinary Parasitology”, “Mammal Field Guides” don’t match the content at all. Aside from those weaknesses, the book is otherwise well edited and positive in its tone. I gave the book three stars. Click here to see my original Amazon review.

A Very Short Leonberger Book with some Strengths as well as Significant Weaknesses

This short book (34 pages of content) in large type gets a lot of information right including information that many Leonberger books get wrong. It is also well edited with respect to spelling, sentence building and paragraphs. I like how positive it is and how well it captures the personality of Leonbergers.

However, it also gets some things wrong. The town of Leonberg is not in Bavaria. Their fur should not be clipped and trimmed if you want to show your dog, and weekly bathing is too often for a Leonberger. Contrary to what it says on page 11 Leonbergers aren’t known for long lives. The book mentions hip dysplasia over and over and states how big of a problem it is when in reality other giant breeds have a significantly bigger problem with hip dysplasia. On page 18 puppies are referred to as kids and on page 35 a reference is made to something that has not been mentioned. The biggest issue with the book is probably that it is very repetitive. Certain things are repeated a half dozen times, which is a lot in a book with only 34 pages of content. The title says “Complete Training Guide” but the book does not say much about training a Leonberger. The book has no pictures and the photo on the front cover is a commonly used stock photo. One more issue; the current categories Veterinary Genetics, Veterinary Parasitology, and Mammal Field Guides do not match the content of the book.

It is a very short Leonberger book with some strengths as well as some significant weaknesses, so I think three stars is a fair rating.

Back cover of “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” by Bella Ross. The back cover is entirely blue except for the bar code and a grey right margin. — Back cover of “Leonberger Complete Training Guide” by Bella Ross.

Leonberger Detects Oncoming Insulin Shock

Our Labrador Baylor had diabetes. I gave him insulin shots before every meal. But he was very cooperative, and he never complained despite the pinch he must have felt every time.

A hand holding a shot — I gave Baylor insulin shots at every meal. Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

At this stage in Baylor’s life Bronco, our Leonberger, had joined the family, and one day we witnessed what seemed like a miracle. Bronco started barking while looking at Baylor, then he intently looked at us, then he turned his head toward Baylor and started barking again. He did this a few times—not aggressively, but to get our attention. It became clear that Bronco wanted us to look at Baylor. I examined Baylor but saw nothing wrong at first. Then I looked again. This time I saw that his back legs were shaking slightly. It quickly got worse. His gait became wobbly, then within perhaps fifteen seconds he fainted. He had gone into insulin shock. We rushed him to the emergency clinic, where fortunately the doctors were able to revive him.

Having too much insulin in your blood can lead to having too little glucose/sugar. The insulin shock causes your body to become starved for fuel and it begins to shut down.

We didn’t know this at the time, but giving a dog sugar, or something sweet, can bring him out of insulin shock.

Photo of woman lying on the floor surrounded by sugar. — Sugar for insulin shock. Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.com

Photo of our Leonberger Bronco standing on a sofa and giving me a hug. — Me and Bronco

Bronco detected a problem with Baylor before we could see anything wrong. His warnings gave us that little bit of extra time we needed to save Baylor’s life. I still wonder what it was that Bronco noticed. Leonbergers have a very keen sense of smell, and people have told me that the dogs can smell when there’s something physically wrong with a person. We had never taught Bronco to detect insulin shock or any other condition. It was entirely his own instinct. This was one of the amazing superpowers Bronco had.

Photo of our Leonberger Bronco on the lawn with a sun ray shining over his head — Bronco was a saint

I can add that you can train dogs to warn their owners when their blood sugar drops.

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the publication of my book I am lowering the price of the eBook version from $4.99 to $2.99. It will last until July 20. It is valid for Amazon, Barnes & Noble and many other places.

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 Kindle 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 Kindle version on Amazon.com.

The image shows the back 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 in image of a Leonberger in snow. Author is Thomas Wikman. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com paperback location for the book. — The back cover of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Click on the image to go to the paperback version on Amazon.com.

Endorsement by D'Nae Wilson, President, Leonberger Health Foundation International: "A wonderful tribute to the author's beloved Bronco. The stories are heartwarming as well as informative--a true glimpse into the life with a Leonberger". Endorsement by Julie Schaffert, LCA breeder since 1992: "A lovely tribute to Bronco, with lots of resources for general Leonberger Information" — These are the endorsements for the book. Click on the image to go to the Barnes and Noble e-Book location for the book.

Bronco our Leonberger is standing and looking straight into the camera. — Bronco in our living room. Click on the image to go to the Barnes and Noble paperback location for the book.

Finally, if you would like to learn more about the Leonberger book I wrote click here or here. All royalties are donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International.

All American Pet Photo Day with Leonbergers and Other Dogs

I almost missed it! Earlier today I found out that today is “All American Pet Photo Day”. So here are some photos of our dogs, past and present.

In this photo of our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo and our Pug Daisy, Rollo is in front and Daisy in the back. They are sitting on a white sofa chair. — A photo of our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo and our Pug Daisy that I took this afternoon.

Our Leonberger Bronco, three months old, wearing a scarf.

Young Bronco (Lenberger) with me. Bronco is standing on a sofa giving me a hug.

Our Leonberger Bronco, 167 pounds at the time, sitting in my wife's lap.

Our German Shepherd Baby at the dog park

Rachel with our young Japanese Chin Ryu. They are dancing.

Our Japanese Chin Ry and Pug Daisy protesting that we are going on a trip leaving them. They are sitting in a suitcase preventing us from packing.

Our Pug Daisy, Japanese Chin Ryu and Leonberger Bronco.

Our Labrador Baylor (left) and German Shepherd Baby (right)

Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo as a puppy. He is looking straight into the camera.

Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo biting our Leonbergers tail and pulling it.

Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is playing with an orange volleyball

Our Leonberger Bronco lying in the grass. He is very old in this photo. Almost 13 years old. We were out for a walk.

Our daughter Rachel is petting our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo and our Pug Daisy

Our Leonberger Bronco is lying in the grass in the front yard

Photo of Bronco our Leonberger and our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo in the grass in our backyard.

Also, as a reminder, the eBook version of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle” is temporarily $2.99 (until July 20^th).

Other eBook Versions of my Leonberger Book Are Now Also 2.99

It took a while, but I was finally able to lower the price of my e-Book on IngramSpark to $2.99. It’s been $2.99 on Amazon for almost a week already. IngramSpark only update prices on Fridays, and I managed to lock myself out of my account. Fixing it turned out to be complicated.

For those who don’t know; IngramSpark is a competitor to Amazon which distributes to a whole range of bookstores, Barnes and Noble, Indigo in Canada, independent bookstores, libraries, and Apple devices. Unlike Amazon IngramSpark does not translate the dollar amount to other currencies for you so to make it simple for myself I made it 2.99 in all currencies.

Click here to visit the Nook version of my book on Barnes and Noble

The reason for the 2.99 promotion is that our late Leonberger Bronco was born on July 3^rd 2007 and in his honor I launched my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle” on July 3^rd 2022, one year ago. I will do the $2.99 promotion until July 20^th.

The image shows the Leonberger lying in the green grass. Click on the image to go to the paperback version on Amazon.com. — This is a photo of our late Leonberger Bronco lying in the grass in the front yard soon after a toe surgery. Click on the image to go to the paperback version on Amazon.com.

Finally, if you would like to learn more about the Leonberger book I wrote click here or here. All royalties are donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International.

Celebrating Broncos Birthday

On July 3^rd 2007 our Leonberger Bronco was born. That was 16 years ago today. He died three years ago. On July 3^rd 2022, soon one year ago, I launched my book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle; Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger.

A photo of our Leonberger from when he turned 12 years old on July 3rd 2019. He is wearing a party hat. — This photo was taken on Bronco’s 12^th birthday on July 3^rd 2019.

To celebrate Bronco’s birthday as well as the one-year anniversary of the publication of my book I am lowering the price of the Kindle version from $4.99 to $2.99.

Click here to visit the Kindle version of my book on Amazon.

The photo shows an ad that was used for the LeoLetter the official publication for the Leonberger Club of America. — This is a special Ad for The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle (from the LeoLetter, the official publication of the Leonberger Club of America). Click on the image to go to the Kindle version on Amazon.com.

Kindle Version of my Leonberger Book is Temporarily 2.99

On July 3^rd 2007 our Leonberger Bronco was born. On July 3^rd 2022, soon one year ago, I launched my book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle; Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger. I can’t believe it’s been a year already.

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the publication of my book I am lowering the price of the Kindle version from $4.99 to $2.99.

Click here to visit the Kindle version of my book on Amazon.

The Amazon page says the publish date is July 2^nd for the paperback version and July 1^st for the Kindle. What happened was that they told me it would take 2-3 days for it to show up after I pressed the yellow publish button. The evening of July 1^st 2022 I pressed the yellow publish button on Amazon and it happened quicker than I expected. But the actual launch, i.e., telling friends, the Leonberger groups I was part of, and announcing the book on social media and on this blog that was July 3^rd.

I also published the book with Ingramspark, which distribute to Barnes and Nobles, Canadian stores, and in many other places. Due to technical problems, I am having a hard time changing the price on Ingramspark. I will make another announcement about Ingramspark once I solved the technical problems.

A Leonbergers Last Car Ride

Three years ago today, our beloved Bronco passed away. We miss him very much. Below is a snippet from my book about his passing. Warning, it might be sad reading.

Photo of our Leonberger Bronco at the age of three months. He is wearing a red bandana. — Our Leonberger Bronco three months old

Bronco (our Leonberger) was very old for a Leonberger, and his health had been badly failing him for months, including his first heart failure, as well as other issues. It seemed like the time had come for him to be put to sleep. This is an extremely difficult decision for any dog owner.

Our Leonberger Bronco 12 ½ years old. He is lying in the grass looking into the camera. — Our Leonberger Bronco 12 ½ years old

In the wee hours of the morning on June 16, 2020, Bronco collapsed. He was no longer able to get up or hold himself up even if we lifted him. His legs were like spaghetti, and his breathing was heavy. We called our veterinarian as soon as the clinic opened. She spent quite a bit of time with us over the phone trying to figure out what was going on. The preliminary conclusion was that he most likely was experiencing another episode of heart failure.

We decided, all of us, together with our veterinarian that it was time. Our veterinarian knew Bronco extremely well: she really cared for him, and she was not afraid to tell us how she felt.

Rachel and I would take Bronco to the clinic, where he would be put to sleep. Claudia would stay at home with the other dogs.

Rachel, Claudia, and I lifted him into the car—all 142 pounds of him. It was the first time he could do nothing to help. But once he was inside the car, he was able to rest his head on the center console, between the armrests of the front seats, and sometimes he lifted his head so that he could see out.

He was exhausted but very curious about what he could see out the windows. We had some extra time before our appointment, so we took him for a car ride instead of driving straight to the clinic. He seemed to enjoy it: he was looking at things that seemed to interest him, but he did not make a sound, and he didn’t move much. After a while we turned around and started heading toward the clinic. We dreaded what was coming, but it was time.

Our veterinarian was waiting for us. The staff put Bronco on a stretcher and rolled him inside. Seeing my best friend lying on a stretcher being rolled into a clinic and knowing these were his last moments on earth was surreal. Our veterinarian checked him to verify what was going on. His blood pressure was extremely low, and his heart was not pumping normally. It was indeed heart failure. Rachel was FaceTiming Claudia so she could talk to Bronco. We did everything we could to comfort him.

Our veterinarian and her assistant had taken care of Bronco for around ten years, and we had visited them quite often toward the end of his life. They both knew him really well, and they truly cared for him. The veterinarian had told us that Bronco was the oldest big dog she’d ever treated, and they both said that he had become like family to them; he wasn’t just another patient. The situation was upsetting for them, too. Putting him to sleep was not an easy thing for any of us, but it was the right thing to do.

We all petted him, and Rachel and Claudia spoke to him to comfort him. I was not able to say much—it was just too difficult—but I made sure Bronco heard my voice a few times and that he could see me. The room was somber but peaceful and filled with love. First he got a shot that put him to sleep, and then after he was completely asleep, the veterinarian gave him a drug that stopped his heart. It stopped beating less than fifteen seconds after the injection. Bronco had passed across the Rainbow Bridge. The room was quiet, but human hearts were not.

Paw print in the clouds. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.

Bronco was cremated, and we picked up the box containing his remains and his paw print the next day. The veterinarian and her assistant also wrote us a beautiful card that will forever stay with us.

Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing our Leonberger Bronco in the middle with our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo on his left and our Pug Daisy on the right. Rollo is saying "they still talk about you". Bronco is saying "I know".

Bronco had a long life and a big heart. He was loving, caring, protective, and brave. So it’s almost fitting that heart disease ultimately caused his death. This calls to mind the legend of Sven Dufva, the fictional Finnish hero who was shot in the heart in the Finnish War of 1808–1809. In the epic poem The Tales of Ensign Stål, Dufva’s commanding general stands over his body and proclaims:

That bullet knew what course to take, it must acknowledged be. . . .

It knew far more than we.

It let his brow be spared in peace, the weaker, poorer part,

And chose the portion that was best—his noble, valiant heart.

A photo of a rainbow by the coast Costa Rica. The white text says "Deat leaves a heartache no one can heal, But love leaves a memory no one can steal."

The rainbow bridge

According to an article in the Washington Post,* the Rainbow Bridge is “a mythical overpass said to connect heaven and earth—and, more to the point, a spot where grieving pet owners reunite for good with their departed furry friends.” It’s also a poem of unknown origin that spawned a pet-bereavement movement and even a worldwide Pet Remembrance Day, August 28. The poem in its entirety follows.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water, and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they each miss someone very special to them who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.

This is a photo of Bronco's obituary as it appeared in the September 2021 issue of the LeoLetter, the official publication of the Leonberger Club of America. Text below:

Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle
Breeders: Julie & Thorsten Schaffert
July 3, 2007 to June 16, 2020
Loved by Claudia, Thomas, Jacob, David, Rachel Wikman
Dallas, Texas

Our beloved Bronco passed away peacefully last summer two weeks short of thirteen years old. It was sudden but not unexpected. He was old, his heart was failing, and he had other health issues as well, and then when his second heart failure happened on June 16, we all knew it was time. We were with him all the way to the end and we said goodbye. He knew, but he was at peace. It was a heart-rending experience for all of us including the veterinary and her assistant. Bronco had become family to them as well. Our veterinarian said he was the biggest oldest dog she had ever treated.

When he came into our lives as a happy, rambunctious and confident puppy he instantly stole our hearts. He became the mascot for our daughter’s soccer team, and he went to every game. In half time the girls lined up to pet him, including the opposing team. He was the main attraction. Each girl got one minute to pet him. He wasn’t scared. He loved every minute of it. He grew big quickly and his size and strength amazed us and everyone in the neighborhood. He loved greeting people and dogs and wanted to say hello to everyone we met on walks. He was not just the greeter in chief at our house but at the dog park as well. He also loved swimming and chasing ducks in White Rock Lake.

Bronco amazed us with his intelligence and abilities so many times. When our hamsters escaped from their cage my wife tried to enlist Bronco in helping us find them. He understood and he sniffed them out and he found them. This happened twice. We had a Labrador with diabetes called Baylor. One day Bronco alerted us to the fact that something was going on with Baylor. Soon thereafter Baylor had an insulin shock. No one had taught Bronco to detect this, he just did, and it probably helped us get Baylor to the emergency sooner. On another occasion Bronco saved our Pug Daisy from an attacking loose German Shepherd. He also chased off a trespasser, but Bronco probably just wanted to greet him and lick him, but the intruder didn’t know that.

We will never forget Bronco’s loving and trusting eyes, his lust for life, his Leonberger hugs when he leaned into us. He was very social and his love for people and other dogs and especially small dogs was remarkable. He had an enormous patience for rambunctious small dogs, and he took it upon himself to protect them. At the age of twelve and a half he got the “grey muzzle award”, which was a fun experience for all of us. We think of Bronco every day and we miss him dearly. He will forever be in our hearts. — Bronco’s obituary appeared in the September 2021 issue of the LeoLetter, the official publication of the Leonberger Club of America.

When Dogs Trick You

Today our Dog Rollo, a mini-Australian Shepherd who also was a good friend of our late Leonberger Bronco, walked out into the backyard and then he came back a few minutes later. He looked at me a bit funny. He was watching me closer than he usually does, and he lowered his head as he passed me by, and he was tiptoeing quietly. I did not think about it too much. I mean what could be wrong? However, my daughter told me, “That looked very suspicious”. She thought Rollo might be trying to hide something. Therefore, we followed him, and we realized that he had something in his mouth. We told him to drop but he wouldn’t obey us. He was defiant. That’s when my daughter got a glimpse of what was in his mouth. It was a piece of poop.

A close up photo of our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo — Look at those innocent trusting and loving eyes

He is not supposed to eat poop. He is not allowed to. We are very strict about this. We never had to tell any of our other dogs not to eat poop, they just never did, except Rollo. You give him cooked ground bison, ham, and liver treats, specially prepared treats, things he loves, but then he has poop for dessert. Anyway, I got some toilet paper for him to spit in. We told him to drop. He looked at the toilet paper, and he looked at me with his big eyes. It was clearly a very difficult decision for him, and after sitting there thinking hard for a minute, he quickly swallowed the poop. What would you have done? Anyway, remember how he fooled me at first.

The artist poses with one of his creations.

Rollo also loved chewing on shoes when he was younger. Fortunately, he’s gotten over that behavior, but in the process we’ve lost a lot of shoes. One time I forgot that I had left my shoes under a table in our TV room. I was walking around the house when I met Rollo in a hallway holding one of my shoes in his mouth. He gave me a deer-in-the-headlights look, then he slowly turned around and tiptoed back into the TV room. He placed my shoe back under the table, right next to its mate, positioning it correctly so it was just the way I had left it. Then he tiptoed away as if pretending that nothing had happened.

Left to right, our pug Daisy, our Japanese Chin Ryu and our Leonberger Bronco. — Three of our escape artists stand ready for their next adventure.

Our Leonberger Bronco, our pug and Japanese Chin also played us a few times, extorting treats from us by tricking us and they also tricked us when escaping the backyard in ways that we couldn’t figure out. Well actually, we figured out how Daisy and Ryu escaped, and we repaired the hole in the fence behind the tree that we found.

Our pu Daisy and our Leonberger Bronco in the kitchen. They just ate some of a now destroyed gingerbread house. — Daisy and Bronco opening the gate to the kitchen and eating the gingerbread house.

So how do you deal with this? My advice is to be smarter than I am, well at least, try to be smarter than your dog. Being smarter than your dog is very helpful. Watch them, observe them in the backyard. A Leonberger digging frenetically by the fence is soon going to be out roaming the neighborhood. A Leonberger shaking an unlocked gate using his paw, or trying to lift the lever with his nose, is soon going to be out roaming the neighborhood and eating Hors d’oeuvres at a neighbor’s cocktail party.

From Puppy to Old Dog I Will Always Be There

Photo of a Leonberger puppy with a scarf — Bronco our Leonberger at three months old

Our Leonberger Bronco and me. He is standing on the sofa giving me a hug. — Bronco and me. Bronco about one years old.

Our Leonberger Bronco in Claudia’s lap, He weighs 167 pounds in the picture and is a bit overweight, but he lost weight. — Bronco in Claudia’s lap, a little bigger, and chubbier (but he lost weight)

Our Leonberger Bronco lying down in the grass. You can see shaved fur resulting from his toe amputation. — Bronco about nine years old. He had just had a toe amputation.

Our Leonberger Bronco lying down in the grass. He is very old in the picture. — Bronco closing in on 13 years old at the end of his life

With permission from Brend Saito (see comment), in this post I am sharing something she shared on Facebook in memory of her golden retriever, Odie, who passed away in May 2021 at the age of 12. The author is unknown.

“A dog asked :

“Tell me, human, why’d you record me? ”

The human replied, “You were so little and cute then and I couldn’t resist”

“But I ate your flowers, peed on your carpet and broke the expensive vase and all your clothes are full of hair from me… never thought about giving me away? ”

Again the man replied:

“I was also upset at first and had more work to do, but then when you sat down on my lap as usual, everything was fine… you don’t give your children to the orphanage because they once are mischievous. ”

The dog looked attentively at his owner and asked:

“But look, now I’m very old and I have my problems too… I cost a lot of money because you go to the vet with me more often and I need special food… I’m not as agile as I was 10 years ago… and i don’t smell like a baby anymore”

The mistress swallowed briefly and struggled with tears for a moment when she then answered:

“My love, you will ALWAYS be my baby, you have enriched my life and given me countless beautiful moments, now you are old and not quite healthy but that doesn’t change how much I love you.

You have always been there for me, comforted me when I was sad and made me laugh, you are my most precious treasure. And I wish we can spend more time together.

I will continue to do my best to make your life beautiful.

I will do everything for you my little darling.. ”

The dog gently placed its paws on his wife’s cheek and licked.

The sun shone in his eyes that shone like opals.

Satisfaction.

H a p p y.

L O V E

Perfection.

Harmony.

Anyone who has and loves dogs understands without words….

Illustration showing our Leonberger Bronco in the middle with a dog on each side. Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd to the left and Daisy our Pug to the right. Rollo says "They still talk about you". Daisy says ""I know. — Bronco is in the middle, Rollo left, Daisy right. We still have Rollo and Daisy. We will never stop talking about Bronco. Illustration Naomi Rosenblatt.

Joining the Covenant of Dracula in Transylvania

I found out that today, or rather yesterday, that May 26 is World Dracula Day. It is celebrated to remember the day that the famous novel Dracula by Bram Stoker was published (1897). For most of you I am posting this one a day late. However, I found out about it a bit late. Check out VAMP JENN’S CORNER.

It reminded me of our trip to Romania and Transylvania in 2008. During that trip my son and I were inducted into the covenant of Dracula as special protectors of Dracula. Perhaps you could join as well? Viking Blood tastes pretty good and you can buy it at Specs. More on that later. (Photos by me).

Photo of a guy wearing a mask in the Bran Castle — Dressed up dude scaring tourists at the Bran Castle.

First a little bit about Dracula. Prince Vlad “Tepes” Draculea (Vlad the Impaler) known as Dracula was born in Sighisoara, Transylvania, Romania, in 1431. He was the second son of Vlad Dracul (Vlad the Dragon), who became the ruler of Wallachia in 1436. Wallachia is the province to the south of Transylvania. He got the nickname Vlad the Impaler because his favorite method of execution was to impale people, and he is rumored to have impaled tens of thousands. In 1442 the Ottoman Empire tried to invade Transylvania and Vlad Dracul and Vlad Tepes Draculea were imprisoned by the Ottomans. They were able to flee, and Vlad Tepes became the Voivod (ruler) of Wallachia, defender of Transylvania and ultimately the defender of all of Europe. For this reason, Vlad Tepes alias Dracula is a local hero, despite his impalement activities and being rumored to be a vampire.

Stray dog that we came across in Sighisoara. Do you think he was a vampire dog?

It was a Water polo team trip. In addition to the kids on the team, including my son Jacob, there was the coach Mihai, and two chaperones, me, and Jim Smith. We arrived in Bucharest (Wallachia) where the boys played water polo against other teams, and we also visited various tourist attractions such as the enormous Palace of the Parliament erected by Communist Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. We also visited the Snagov island and the Snagov monastery located not far from Bucharest. The Snagov monastery is where Dracula’s grave is located and it is tended to by a monk, Dracula’s monk, and he was extremely happy to welcome us. He had been waiting for us.

Photo of the enormous Palace erected by Nicolay Ceausescu. It is the largest administrative building in the World. — This enormous Palace was erected by Nicolay Ceausescu. It is the largest administrative building in the World.

Photo of a room inside Ceausescu’s palace. — One of hundreds of public rooms in Ceausescu’s palace.

Photo of Dracula’s monk, Mihai the coach, and the seven kids plus two small dogs. My son Jacob is second from right in the dark green shirt. — Dracula’s monk, Mihai and the kids. My son Jacob is second from right in the dark green shirt. Notice the little dogs. Dracula had nice little dogs.

Photo of three of us standing right behind Dracula's grave on the Snagov island. I am to the right in blue, my son in the middle. I forgot his friend’s name. Dracula’s monk took the photo using my camera. Focus could have been better. — We are standing right behind Dracula’s grave. I am to the right in blue, my son in the middle and I forgot his friend’s name. Dracula’s monk took the photo using my camera. Focus could have been better.

Next the monk took us to Dracula’s well and he asked us if we were willing to join the covenant of Dracula as protectors of Dracula. I am not sure if that is the same as the order of the Dragon, the order that Dracula was part of. The monk said that my son was very special. He was the incarnation of the arch angel Gabriel and a special protector of Dracula. I am not sure if that had anything to do with me giving him a good tip earlier. I asked whom I was an incarnation of. The monk answered, no one special, you are just Pedro. I don’t know who Pedro is. Anyway, we drank from Dracula’s well and got inducted into the Dracula’s covenant.

Dracula's monk is preparing for us to drink from Dracula's well. — Drinking from Dracula’s well.

Next, we headed off to Transylvania where we visited the cities of Brasov and Sibiu and the town of Sighisoara. We stayed at a hotel “Casa cu Cerb” built inside the three-story house, at “Piata Muzeului” number 6, where Dracula was born. It was an interesting experience and we got to know the owner well. It is a famous small hotel with only ten guestrooms. We also ate at Dracula’s restaurant next-door. We had brain, not human brains, but cow brains, we aren’t zombies.

View of Brasov from nearby mountain — Brasov

Plaque for Dracula's restaurant — Dracula ’s restaurant

Photo of fried brain at Dracula's restaurant — Brain food at Dracula’s restaurant

We also climbed the Transylvanian mountains and visited the Bran castle. The Bran castle is allegedly Dracula’s castle, but it is not really true. It is more of a tourist trap. The Poienari Castle, which we also visited, was on the other hand built or rather renovated by Dracula.

Photo of the Bran Castle — View of the Bran Castle

Photo of the courtyard in the Bran Castle — Courtyard inside Bran Castle.

Photo of stray dogs by the Bran Castle. — Stray dogs by the Bran Castle.

Photo of my son Jacob and a team mate at the Poienari Castle — My son at the Poienari Castle

Photo of the coach Mihai in the Transylvanians mountains — Mihai in the Transylvanian Mountains

Photo of a beer I drank today. Darkness Falls, a run barrel aged coconut milk stout from Fort Worth, Texas, ABV 9.8%. Perfect for Dracula Day. — Darkness Falls, a run barrel aged coconut milk stout from Fort Worth, Texas, ABV 9.8%, that I drank today. Perfect for Dracula Day.

Photo of Viking Blood a Danish mead, ABV 19.0%. I drank it some time ago. Perfect for Dracula Day. — Viking Blood a Danish mead, ABV 19.0%, that I drank some time ago. Perfect for Dracula Day.