Tag: Leonbergers

Very Helpful Guide to Leonbergers, but DO NOT Neuter or Spay a Leonberger at Six Months Doing So Will Harm The Dog

On this blog I’ve previously reviewed six good Leonberger books:

I’ve also reviewed four Leonberger books that I don’t recommend:

With this post I am adding another Leonberger book that I recommend. It is a very good guide for new Leonberger owners with one caveat. It implies that you should neuter/spay your Leonberger at six months old, which would severely harm your dog if you did. The in general recommended six months does not apply to Leonbergers. Vannessa Richie did her research except regarding this. She has written many dog books, interviewed many Leonberger breeders, and she is a skilled author. However, it is obvious that she has never owned a Leonberger. Therefore, I am giving this otherwise great book four stars instead of five.

Photo of the front cover of the book the Complete Guide To Leonbergers by Vanessa Richie. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the book.
Front cover of the book the Complete Guide To Leonbergers by Vanessa Richie. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the book.

The book is The Complete Guide to Leonbergers: Selecting, Training, Feeding, Exercising, Socializing, and Loving Your New Leonberger Puppy Paperback – May 12, 2022 by Vanessa Richie. It is 195 pages, and the current price on Amazon for the paperback is $19.95, the hardback is $26.95, and the Kindle is $9.95. ISBN-13 978-1954288485, weight ‎12.5 ounces and the dimensions ‎are 6 x 0.44 x 9 inches.

This is my review for the book

Complete and Very Helpful Guide to Leonbergers, but DON’T Neuter/Spay a Leonberger at Six Months

As the title promises this book is indeed a complete guide to Leonbergers. It is focused on training and care. First the book examines whether a Leonberger is the right dog for you as well as the history of the breed. The rest of the book includes topics on how to find and prepare your home for a Leonberger, puppy training, socialization, exercise, grooming, nutrition, health, etc. The book has a lot of detail and a lot of useful information. The author clearly did her research. She interviewed ten breeders after all.

The content of the book is almost 100% correct as far as I can tell, and the information is very useful to Leonberger owners. I question the second page of the chapter on history where she claims that Essig bred his Leonbergers from two dogs, a white and black Newfoundland and a long-haired St. Bernard. Essig claimed a third dog was also involved, a Pyrenean Mountain Wolfhound or possibly a Pyrenean Mountain Dog (Great Pyrenees). However, Essig’s claims have been disputed, and this is not important.

The book design is very professionally done with various sorts of sidebars, highlighted headers, professional looking tables, dividers, little corner boxes with graphics for “helpful tips”, “fun facts”, “historical facts”, “Health Alerts”, pros-cons sidebars with graphics, and 62 black and white Leonberger photos. The author is not only a good writer, but she also knows a thing or two about book design.

I’ve read more than a dozen Leonberger books and this is among the best Leonberger books I’ve read. I wish this book had existed when we got our Leonberger. I should say that we did not do everything right, but we got a lot right, and he lived exceptionally long for a Leonberger, 13 years. If we have had this book, maybe he would have lived even longer. I should add that we donated his DNA to Leonberger health research (upon request).

The reason I am not giving this book five stars is because of a problematic blooper in the middle of page 30. It says “….the dog is spayed or neutered once it reaches maturity (typically six months)”. Leonbergers aren’t fully matured until the age of two and should not be neutered/spayed until then. If you spay/neuter a Leonberger much earlier (six months) you will harm the dog. Yes, they are different from most dogs. I should say that we did not wait two years, it was not practical, but we waited about one and half year, which is much better than six months. If the author removes the faulty parenthesis, I will change my rating to five stars and update this paragraph and the title of the review. Assuming the book is print on demand you can update so that future prints here on Amazon will be correct.

So, in conclusion, this is a great Leonberger book with a lot of useful information, and I highly recommend it to Leonberger owners and prospective owners, but the blooper on page 30 prevents me from giving a perfect rating at the moment.

Photo of the back cover of the book the Complete Guide To Leonbergers by Vanessa Richie
Back cover of the book the Complete Guide To Leonbergers by Vanessa Richie.

For more information on neutering and spaying a Leonberger click here

Happy New Year from Velvy’s Leonbergers

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

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

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

Happy New Year to you all

She and The Wolf

This blog is primarily about Leonbergers, especially our late Leonberger Bronco, or Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, which was his full name. I also review Leonberger books and sometimes I promote books that I love and this post is one of those. This time I am reviewing She & The Wolf: A Flash Fiction Collection Paperback – August 19, 2018 by Sara Kjeldsen. This paperback is 46 pages, ISBN 978-1719801263, item weight 2.88 ounces, dimensions 6 x 0.12 x 9 inches. You can buy it from Amazon, as a paperback or e-Book. The paperback version is currently $9.99 on Amazon. The Kindle version is $3.99 or free if you are part of Kindle Unlimited.

This book is a fascinating collection of historical fiction and fantasy short stories. I wrote a review on Amazon, which can be found here (Beautiful Stories That Will Stay With You), as well as on my social media.

This is a photo of the front cover of the book She & The Wolf by Sara Kljeldsen. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for She & The Wolf.
Front cover of the book She & The Wolf by Sara Kljeldsen. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for She & The Wolf.

Below I am posting my Amazon review for She & The Wolf a flash fiction collection.

Beautiful Stories That Will Stay With You

This book is a collection of 15 short stories mostly about women but also men living during dramatic times in the past, or more recently, as well as people and creatures living in imaginary worlds. The American Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars are examples of historic settings in the book. She & the Wolf, the last story, is an example of an imaginary setting. The focus of the stories isn’t so much the time or the location, or even the events. The stories are about the emotions of the characters living through complicated and extreme experiences. The emotions are often dark, there’s depression, hostility, loss, tragedy, and death, but also hope, compassion and reconciliation (Pacific Ocean, 1814).

The stories are intriguing, poetic and above all beautiful. The characters are fascinating, and they are quite relatable despite their extreme situations. You really feel for them and with them. It’s a book that leaves you with feelings and thoughts about our existence. I highly recommend this unique collection of short stories.

Photo of the back cover of the book She and The Wolf by Sara Kjeldsen.
Back cover of the book She and The Wolf by Sara Kjeldsen.

Short Leonberger Book Packed With Useful Information But With Some Inaccuracies

On this blog I’ve previously reviewed five good Leonberger books:

I’ve also reviewed four Leonberger books I don’t recommend:

With this post I am adding a sixth Leonberger book that I recommend. It is a very short book, but it contains a lot of useful information. It contained a few inaccuracies, so I am giving it four stars instead of five, but it is still a good book.

Photo of the front cover of the book Leonberger Dog by Lankford Marcus. Click on the book to go to the Amazon page for this book.
The book Leonberger Dog by Lankford Marcus. Click on the book to go to the Amazon page for this book.

The book is Leonberger Dog: A Large and Friendly Leonberger for Your Family: Leonberger Dog Breed Origin, Behavior, Trainability and Facts by Lankford Marcus. The book is 57 pages, and the current price on Amazon for the paperback is $6.99 and the Kindle is $2.99 unless you have kindle unlimited in which case it is free. ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8463499851, weight ‏ : ‎ 3.53 ounces and the dimensions ‎are 6 x 0.15 x 9 inches.

This is my review for the book

Short Leonberger book packed with useful information but some inaccuracies

This is a short book. It has 55 pages of actual content. However, it is densely packed with information useful to Leonberger owners and those interested in getting one. The book is primarily addressing British readers, but it also mentions the Leonberger Club of America and give some advice specific to American prospective owners. It is quite useful to both American and European readers. The book feature 17 black and white photographs. I would have preferred the photos to be in color but that raises the printing cost, and some Leonberger books have no photos in them at all.

The book contains 11 chapters; Overview, History, Appearance, Temperament and Personality, Living Needs, Caring for a Leonberger, Feeding, Leonberger Health, Choosing a Leonberger Breeder, Average Cost to Keep for a Leonberger, How to identify a Leonberger. Almost all of the chapters were condensed but contained very useful information to Leonberger owners and prospective Leonberger owners. I especially cherished the “Temperament and Personality” and “Caring for a Leonberger” chapters. However, I had an issue with the two first chapters.

I would have given the book a five-star rating if it wasn’t for some incorrect information regarding the history of the breed. On page 4 it says that Heinrich Essig, the creator of the Leonberger breed, was the mayor of the town of Leonberg. Heinrich Essig was a prominent citizen of the town, and he was a successful businessman, farmer, innkeeper, horse and dog trader, large-dog enthusiast, dog breeder, and town councilman, but he was never the mayor of Leonberg.

On page 5 it says that after World War I there were only 5 Leonberger left alive. World War I was tough on the breed, but it was not quite that bad. After the war, Karl Stadelmann and Otto Josenhans, worked hard to save the breed, and they were able to find twenty-five Leonbergers whose owners were willing to cooperate in reestablishing the breed. Of these, only five were suitable for breeding. That’s where that info comes from. That’s a little different from saying that only five Leonbergers survived.

On page 6 it says that after World War II there were only 8 Leonbergers left. However, that is once again an exaggeration. However, there was indeed a “genetic bottleneck” of Leonbergers in the 1940s. This was largely because people repeatedly bred the dogs they thought were the best specimens in a misguided attempt to improve the breed. Scientific pedigree analyses demonstrate that the Leonberger has twenty-two founder animals, or animal ancestors unrelated to one another (ten males and twelve females). Again, a little bit different from “only 8 survived”. Another inaccuracy is that on page 2 the book state that the Leonberger have a tragically short lifespan of 6-8 years. First, all giant breeds have a very short lifespan and the lifespan of the Leonberger has improved partially due to the work of the Leonberger Health Foundation International. Today the Leonberger lifespan is 8-10 years. Ours lived almost 13 years (two weeks short of 13), so the Leonberger Health Foundation International wanted his DNA, which we provided.

This book is short, but it packs a lot of mostly accurate information that is truly useful to Leonberger owners. In that sense I think it is great. I wrote quite a bit about the few mistakes in this book, but I think it is important to point out inaccuracies. These inaccuracies frequently appear on-line and in other Leonberger books as well and they are not important to Leonberger owners. I feel I cannot give five stars considering these inaccuracies are in the book. However, I can still highly recommend this book to all readers interested in a short Leonberger book.

The Day Leonberger Squamous Cell Carcinoma caused Hullabaloo in the Neighborhood

Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) is a tumor of skin cells that usually appear as a single, solitary lesion in one location. It is common in large dark coated dogs and typically appear in the nailbed, but it can appear in other places. Our Leonberger Bronco was plagued by Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the toe nailbeds. In fact, he got it five times starting when he was eight years old and after that it occurred about once a year. It did not spread, and his second and third tumor, etc., were not metastatic growths. He got this type of cancer five times, each time independent of the other times.

Our veterinarian was at loss as to why he got it so many times. Remember, there was no spread of the cancer. SCC is caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays/sunlight and the exposure to papilloma-like viruses, but as with many cancers the cause is a bit of a mystery. Our veterinarian suggested it could be genetic, but recently we discovered that our pest control guy was using roundup for our lawn where Bronco walked and ran a lot, and he had been doing that for decades. We asked him to stop but we have no idea whether it had anything to do with Bronco’s SCC.

Luckily handling a case of Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the toe is quite straightforward. This type of cancer is not aggressive, even though it can spread (and is therefore called cancer), so if you don’t take too long to amputate the toe you should be fine. In fact, Bronco seemed to enjoy the annual toe amputation. He got to go to the Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center, he was pampered, everyone felt sorry for him, he got treats, he had a bandage for a few weeks and then the pain in his toe was gone. He was always very cooperative. Perhaps he understood that we were helping him.

Photo of an agitated Bronco standing guard at the back door. Note the missing toe on his left (your right) front paw. It is enclosed by a red circle.
An agitated Bronco stands guard at the back door. Note the missing toe on his left (your right) front paw. It is enclosed by a red circle.

Below is an excerpt from the book regarding Bronco’s Squamous Cell Carcinoma. One day his toe amputation led to hullabaloo in the neighborhood, and we ended up having to apologize to some neighbors.

When Bronco was almost eight years old, we discovered a case of squamous cell carcinoma in one of his toes—or, rather, in one of his toenails. It was on his right rear paw.

Squamous cell carcinoma is a type of skin cancer that certain large-breed dogs, including Leonbergers, are susceptible to. It often grows out from the skin around the nail and can affect the bone and tissue around it. It is typically not very aggressive, but it can spread, and it is painful. It manifests itself as a swollen toe, or you may be able to see a large red papule that looks like a pimple. Sometimes the toenail falls off. The dog is likely to limp and lick the toe and may become reluctant to go for walks, although that was never the case with Bronco.

Primarily because of the pain, but also because of the small risk of metastasis, it is usually recommended that the affected toe be amputated. So we went through with the procedure.

When we picked Bronco up the day after the surgery, his paw was in a bandage. But he got some treats, and he was in a good mood. We went back to the veterinary surgical center for a bandage change a few times, and then he was done.

Unfortunately, though, we discovered another lesion a year later. This time it was on a large toe on his left front leg. We asked the doctors if the cancer had spread to this toe. We were told no—Bronco was just prone to getting this type of cancer. But the cause could also have been something in the environment. In Texas, the ultraviolet radiation from the sun is significant. We really don’t know why this happened to him, but we were assured that it was not because the cancer had spread.

This time around, Bronco’s entire leg was put in a cast, to be replaced by a bandage after ten days. We were instructed to keep him inside during those 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……….let’s just say that what I saw was a sight for sore eyes. If I had thought of videotaping it, it would have become a viral video. The crazy thing that happened was also an embarrassment to us and we had to apologize to neighbors. That’s all I am saying. The story is too good to reveal in this post. The rest of the story you have to read in my book. I give you a hint with the illustration below.

Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing a Leonberger running wearing full leg cast.
OMG what is happening? Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.

The Littlest Leonberger Book

On this blog I’ve reviewed several good Leonberger books including:

Note the books above are Leonberger books that I do recommend. Here is a set of three more reviews for Leonberger books that I don’t recommend.

To this list I am adding another Leonberger book that could have been better; Leonberger: The Comprehensive Owners Guide For Costs, Feeding, Care, Grooming, Health, Nutrition, Breeding And Training Paperback – August 23, 2022 by by Ben Bradley. The book is 24 pages, kindle version 10 pages, and the current price on Amazon for the paperback is $7.66 and the Kindle is $3.00. ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8847969666, weight ‏ : ‎ 2.72 ounces and the dimensions ‎ 5 x 0.06 x 8 inches.

Photo of the book Leonberger by Ben Bradley.
The book Leonberger by Ben Bradley.

This is my review for the book

The World’s Littlest Leonberger Book

This is a very short book that takes 5-10 minutes to read. As a brief introduction to the Leonberger it is fairly good. It does not contain any obvious errors, which is unlike some other Leonberger books I’ve read, and the font is large, which is helpful to those with bad eyesight. So, to some I believe this book could be useful.

However, the title is misleading. This book is anything, but a “Comprehensive Owners Guide” and the book says nothing about costs, nutrition and breeding. It is not even a brief owner’s guide. The Product details states that it is 24 pages (Kindle version 10 pages), which is probably true if you include the blank pages. Considering the large print, and that the number of pages with text is 21, my guess is that the content of the book corresponds to maybe 6-7 pages of a book with normal sized font. The book contains no photos, no pictures, no illustrations and no details. The product details state that the categories are Veterinary Parasitology, Food Animals in Veterinary Medicine, Fish & Aquarium Care. The book never touches on any of those subjects, so the categories are wrong.

Todays Dog Stroller Mishap

I don’t think there are any pet strollers that could accommodate a grown Leonberger, but there are certainly pet strollers that accommodate pugs and mini-Australian shepherds. We bought a stroller, for our old pug Daisy. She’s got arthritis and in addition she easily get tired. Our mini-Australian shepherd Rollo frequently wants to sit in the stroller too but not because he is tired, its because he heard a strange sound and feels safer in the stroller.

Left: Wolf who is not sitting in a stroller. Right: Rollo sitting in Daisy’s stroller. The photo contains text. Text on the left: Canis Lupus, the grey wolf is a fearsome and courageous hunter in nature. Text on the right: Canis Lupus familiaris, the dog, a close relative to the grey wolf, is sometimes less brave. This specimen prefers to sit in a stroller when he hears strange sounds.
Left: Wolf who is not sitting in a stroller. Right: Rollo sitting in Daisy’s stroller.

This morning our stroller broke. The front wheel suddenly caved, and the stroller took a nosedive with Daisy in it. Daisy slid from the back of the stroller to the front but luckily, she did not fall out. She was fine. Rollo, who was watching the misadventure, was not fine. Seeing the stroller capsizing with Daisy in it really scared him and he let out a scream, eeeeek!

Photo of a pug (Daisy) in a pet stroller
Daisy in her stroller at a time when the stroller was in better shape

I left the broken stroller on the sidewalk and walked home with the dogs, carrying Daisy part of the way. After I dropped off the dogs, I took my car and returned to where I left the stroller to pick it up. However, it was gone. Who would steal a broken stroller? I had been gone for maybe 15 minutes. I had also left a bag of dog feces in the stroller basket. I always pick up after my dogs. So, I don’t think the stroller thief got a good deal.

Daisy and Rollo both like to sit in the stroller, but the stroller is really for Daisy.

Announcement Leonberger Book Deal on Black Friday

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

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

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

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

Turkey Stealing Labradors and Leonbergers Who Share Their Loot

Our Labrador Baylor was a stealthy, opportunist and quick food thief. Food tended to disappear around him as if it never was there. Our German Shepherd on the other hand never stole food and took it upon herself to guard the entrance to the kitchen to the chagrin of Baylor. If she could have spoken, she would have said “you shall not pass”. 

Photo of Baylor and Baby
Baylor and Baby

Our Leonberger Bronco was our biggest dog, and he could eat a lot. Once we had prepared a big plate with five pounds of roast beef for a dinner party. Bronco finished those five pounds of roast beef with astonishing speed. I saw him do it, but I was not quick enough to stop him. Luckily, he thoughtfully left us the carrots, the broccoli and the dip, so the guests had something to eat. All our dogs were, and are, great dogs, but many dogs have this vice, food theft. I should say that Bronco often willingly shared his loot with other dogs. He was not selfish. Below I am including a few excerpts from my book concerning food theft.

Labrador food theft stories

Photo of our Labrador Baylor
Photo of our Labrador Baylor

In addition to his hatred for mailmen, Baylor had one more vice, and that was stealing food. He was always hungry, and he was pretty good at culinary theft. On one occasion, I was standing in the kitchen holding a sandwich in my hand. Suddenly the sandwich disappeared from my fingers as if it had been teleported. I didn’t feel a thing—no pull, no touch, no wet nose. It just vanished. I turned around, and behind me stood Baylor, swallowing something. He looked at me, wagging his tail. Was he innocent? Did Captain Kirk beam my sandwich to another dimension? How could I be mad at him when I didn’t have proof?

On another occasion, Baylor jumped up on top of the kitchen table using a chair as a step stool and cleared it of the desserts that Claudia’s grandmother had brought for the kids and the family. That’s how I learned that she had a swear-word vocabulary—and that it was substantial. Fortunately, the kids weren’t nearby. On yet another occasion, Baylor emptied a tray of baklava that had been sitting on the kitchen counter.

His most notable food raid was probably when he stole the Thanksgiving turkey and ran off with it. We salvaged most of it, but knowing that Baylor had been all over it, we decided not to eat what he left us. It wasn’t very appetizing.

Leonberger food theft stories

Photo of our Leonberger Bronco. He is ready for dinner.
Our Leonberger Bronco is ready for dinner

I believe dogs have empathy, and sometimes they want to share, at least Bronco did. There was a time when we were in our home eating take-out food and Bronco stole one of our dinners, including meat, vegetables, and a baked potato. He started eating the meat, then he glanced at Daisy, who was sitting in the middle of the floor looking sad. Immediately he took the baked potato in his mouth and carried it over to her and dropped it right at her feet. I was going to get mad at him for stealing, but when I saw his kindhearted and unselfish act, I let it be.

On another occasion, Rachel made a gingerbread house and left it on the kitchen counter. I had forgotten to lock the kitchen gate, and the photograph above shows what greeted me when I got home. Guess who ate half the gingerbread house. I should say that Bronco shared some with Daisy. He was always very generous.

Photo of our Leonberger Bronco and our Pug Daisy sharing a gingerbread house in the kitchen.
Bronco and our Pug Daisy sharing a gingerbread house

On yet another 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, who had just come back from a visit to China. She had bought the present for us at the airport in Hong Kong. But 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.

So, for this Thanksgiving watch your dogs so they don’t run off with your Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate

Review of The Pup and The Pianist

As you know this blog is primarily about Leonbergers and Leonberger books but sometimes I write a review for a book or story that I find to be exceptional and therefore want to promote. Today, well it is after midnight so yesterday, I read a really fun and intriguing adventure novella by Sara Kjeldsen called “The Pup and The Pianist”. I wrote an Amazon review for it, and it showed up pretty quickly. It was a real page turner and therefore I would like to promote it. I bought the paperback version since I prefer that over Kindle. The Pup and The Pianist paperback version currently cost $12.99 on Amazon.com and is 86 pages. The kindle version cost $4.99 and is 70 pages. It was released January 5, 2018. The paper version is 6 x 0.22 x 9 inches, it weighs 5 ounces, and the ISBN number is 978-1976819599.  The ASIN number for the Kindle Edition is B078TMT9KX.

Photo of the front cover of The Pup and The Pianist by Sara Kjeldsen. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com page for the paperback version.
The front cover of The Pup and The Pianist by Sara Kjeldsen. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com page for the paperback version.

Below is my review of The Pup and The Pianist by Sara Kjeldsen. I also shared on my social media. Click here to go to my review.

War, Loss, Friendship and Captivating Adventure

This is a beautifully written and fast paced novella. Right from the start you are thrown into the Napoleonic wars as seen through the eyes of a young “powder monkey” on a British warship. A lot happens after that.

As I read it, I was reminded of when I read Treasure Island as a kid. That was a long time ago back in my native country of Sweden. I had the same feelings of anticipation and adventure all while the descriptions stimulated my imagination. However, the author of this book added another dimension represented by the emotions and thoughts that comes with a complicated and unlikely friendship, a friendship that developed despite initial extreme hostility, and compelled by the human instincts for companionship and survival. At the same time this novella is also a statement on the senselessness and cruelty of war. A side note: at least six million people died in the six Napoleonic wars.

The scenic descriptions were vivid and beautiful, the character development was excellent, the dialog was well crafted and realistic, and the story was truly captivating and unique. It was a true page turner, which is one reason I read this novella in one sitting this afternoon. Sara Kjeldsen is a truly gifted author and I highly recommend this novella.

Photo of the back cover of The Pup and The Pianist by Sara Kjeldsen. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com page for the Kindle version.
The back cover of The Pup and The Pianist by Sara Kjeldsen. Click on the image to go to the Amazon.com page for the Kindle version.

Sara Kjeldsen is from Canada so her main market is likely Canada. Click here to go to the paper version on Canadian Amazon and click here to go to the Kindle version on Canadian Amazon.