25 Photos of Leonbergers with Other Dogs

In the past I’ve made a few posts featuring 25 photos of Leonbergers around a certain theme.

This is another post featuring 25 photos. This time it is photos of Leonbergers in the company of other dogs. Most of the photos are of our late Leonberger Bronco and the dogs he grew up with (our Labrador Baylor, German Shepherd Baby, Japanese Chin Ryu, Pug Daisy, and mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo). However, I have also included photos of other Leonbergers. A few photos from friends and two stock photos. I hope you will like them.

A black-brown German Shephard is playing with a young Leonberger lying on his back.
Baby (German Shepherd) is playing with our four months old Leonberger Bronco.
A young gangly Leonberger with a bandage on his knee is next to a little Chihuahua. The two owners of the little dog are a lady in blue jeans and a lady in white pants. The lady with white pants is also wearing a bandage on her knee.
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.
A Leonberger is sniffing a black dog. It is probably a black lab.
Our five/six months old Leonberger is sniffing a dog at the dog park.
Photo of our gangly Leonberger Bronco in the foreground with two Labradors in the background. A white Labrador on the left and a beige Labrador to the right.
Our not yet one year old Leonberger Bronco at the dog park. Bronco has not yet finished growing, he has not yet filled out and he is gangly. Not quite the Leonberger look yet. Our beige-brown Labrador Baylor can be seen in the background.
Photo of our gangly Leonberger Bronco in the foreground with two Labradors in the background. A white Labrador on the left and a beige Labrador to the right.
Again our not yet one year old Leonberger Bronco at the dog park. Baylor in the background.
Photo of our gangly Leonberger Bronco on the left. Our black-brown German Shepherd Baby on the right.
Our not yet one year old Leonberger Bronco at the dog park with our German Shepherd Baby.
Our Labrador Baylor on the left. Our Leonberger Bronco on the right but you can only see his behind.
Our Labrador Baylor behind our Leonberger Bronco at a dog park.
Our Labrador Baylor slightly on the left running towards the camera. He has a gray face from old age. There is another dog to left of him. Our Japanese Chin Ryu is also running towards the camera but slightly more to the right.
Our old Labrador Baylor running behind our Japanese Chin Ryu at a dog park. Bronco is not in this photo, but he was there.
Bronco our Leonberger is shown with a sunray over his head. Baylor our Labrador is on the left.
Bronco our Leonberger once sniffed out an oncoming insulin shock in Baylor and alerted us. Bronco was a hero.
An illustration showing me lying on the street. I am trying to pull up our German Shepherd Baby from a storm drain while holding onto our Leonberger Bronco who is jumping up and down and barking.
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.
Ten Leonberger puppies sitting on a sofa. They are brown with black face masks.
Ten Leonberger puppies. My guess is that they are about two months old. Shutterstock-ID:561107710 by Akbudak Rimma.
A pug running to the left with a Leonberger following. They are running through a wintry forest.
A Leonberger and a Pug running through the snow. Shutterstock-ID:1659034960 AnetaZabranska.
Two Leonbergers wearing festive hats and glasses.
Digory and Obi, two Leonbergers. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
Two big Leonbergers next to each other.
Digory and Obi, two Leonbergers. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
Six Leonbergers sitting in a row and wearing festive hats. A house with a big yard and a pond in the background.
Six Leonbergers from left to right: Caspian (Obi’s nephew), Austin (Obi’s son), Delfi, Obi, Digory, and Rilian (Obi’s son). Photo by Velvy TheLion.
From left to right; our pug Daisy, our Japanese Chin Ryu, and our Leonberger Bronco.
Our Leonberger Bronco with our Japanese Chin Ryu and our pug Daisy.
Two of our dogs in the kitchen. Our pug Daisy on the right and our Leonberger Bronco on the right. Pieces of a gingerbread house on the floor.
Our Leonberger Bronco stole and smashed a gingerbread house. He shared some with his little pug sister Daisy.
From the left to the right: Our Leonberger Bronco, our Japanese Chin Ryu, and our pug Daisy.
Our Leonberger Bronco with our Japanese Chin Ryu and our pug Daisy.
On the left, our Japanese Chin Ryu and our pug Daisy. On the right is our Leonberger Bronco.
Our Leonberger Bronco with our Japanese Chin Ryu and our pug Daisy.
On the left, our pug Daisy and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo. They are in a dog bed. On the right is Bronco our Leonberger who is lying on the floor.
Our pug Daisy and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo in the little bed and Bronco our Leonberger is lying on the floor.
The photo shows our Leonberger Bronco lying on a big read leather sofa and our beige pug Daisy is leaving.
Our pug Daisy and our Leonberger Bronco is sharing the big red leather sofa, but Daisy decided Bronco took up too much room.
The photo shows our big Leonberger on the left and our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo on the right. They are in the backyard. Bronco is sniffing Rollo.
Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
The photo shows our big Leonberger lying behind our little mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo. There is also a dog toy in the photo.
Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo.
Photo shows our mini-Australian Shepherd  Rollo biting our Leonberger Bronco’s tail.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is playing with Bronco’s tail. Bronco did not like it but tolerated it. Well, when Rollo was swinging in the tail it was a bit much.
The illustration shows our Leonberger Bronco sitting in the middle. Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is on the left and our pug Daisy is on the right. Rollo says “They still talk about you”. Bronco answers “Yes I know”
One day Bronco left us, leaving Rollo and Daisy behind. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.

Tears Are Falling in My Heart

This morning at 10:20AM our pug Daisy died. She was 15 ½ years old. She had an enlarged heart, her back legs were giving out, and she had breathing problems. She took lots of different medications. Yet, the breathing crisis she had this morning came unexpectedly. Our veterinary told us it was time. We did not want her to suffer. I was holding her in my arms and my wife, daughter and doctor Sara Thomas petted her. Then when we were ready Dr. Thomas gave her the injections.

A puppy in the arms of our son wearing a red shirt
Daisy came to us a little pug puppy 15 ½ years ago. Our son David, eleven years old at the time, was holding her. Today I held her for the last time.

Daisy was a sweet, friendly and funny pug who loved cuddling, eating and sitting on the sofa. She also loved sunbathing as well as sitting in front of the vent when it was cold. All our dogs loved her, and our Leonberger Bronco saved her life once. He protected her from an attacking young German Shepherd. Our Labrador Baylor and our German Shepherd Baby loved her. Our Japanese Shin loved her more than anything. They were always together. They made mischief together, they escaped together, and they went for walks together and at the dog park Ryu wouldn’t let any other dog be too friendly with Daisy. Later, our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo loved her too. Unfortunately, Rollo is now alone. He is confused and sad like we are.

Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo on the left. Our pug Daisy on the right.
Rollo and Daisy in our red sofa. Rollo was one year old, and Daisy was 11 years old.

I wrote a poem in French, a language I am learning. I am not a poet. I think it is my first poem as an adult in any language. I chose French because everything sounds so much better in French. It rhymes/ I apologize for any errors.

Ce soir, il pleure dans mon coeur. (tonight, tear falls in my heart, pleure & coeur rhyme with fur)

Notre belle carline Daisy est mort (Our beautiful pug Daisy is dead)

Il est temps, dit notre docteur (It is time said our doctor)

Tu es parti dans un coup du sort (You are gone in a twist of fate)

Nous nous souviendrons toujours (we will always remember)

Ta gentillesse. Tes yeux aimants (Your kindness. Your loving eyes)

Tu auras pour toujours notre amour (You will forever have our love)

pour nous tu étais comme un enfant (to us you were like a child)

Below are two YouTube songs that express how I feel. The first one is in French “Je suis malade..” / I am sick without you, I am ugly without you, …. Warning this one is very sad. The second one is your love….to feel your love again… to feel you close once more… (no lyrics in song) by Ennio Morricone.

Je suis malade / I am sick … without you
to feel your love again
Our pug Daisy on top of the sofa. Her legs are dangling over the sofa and her tongue is out.
Daisy on the sofa after an exhausting day of doing nothing.
Our pug Daisy is stranding on the wood floor.
Our pug Daisy when she was young.
Daisy is sleeping in our son’s arms, and he is sleeping on the sofa.
Daisy our new pug puppy with our son David.
Our pug is leaning on vent located close to our wood floor.
Daisy liked to sit in front of the vent when it was cold or alternatively too hot.
Daisy our pug loved lying on her back and bathe in the sun.
Daisy loved sunbathing.
Our pug Daisy is wearing sunglasses.
Daisy in sunglasses.
Our Japanese Shin Ryu is on the left and our Pug Daisy on the right. They are sitting in our red suitcase.
Ryu and Daisy jumped into our suitcase to protest that we were leaving for a trip.
Our Pug Daisy is holding Ryu’s leash in her mouth. Ryu is our Japanese Shin.
Daisy is taking Ryu for a walk.
Our pug Daisy is lying on her back on the patio.
Daisy sunbathing on our patio in the backyard.
Daisy our pug is standing on kitchen floor tiling.
Daisy standing on our kitchen floor.
Daisy our pug is sitting on a red sofa.
Daisy on the red sofa.
Daisy our pug has a tissue box over her head.
Once when we came home Daisy met us in the doorway with a tissue box over her head. She had gotten her head stuck in a tissue box.
Our Leonberger is spread out on our leather sofa and Daisy our pug is walking in front of him.
Daisy decided to leave because Bronco our Leonberger was taking up too much room.
Daisy our pug is sleeping and resting her head on my wife Claudia’s knee.
Daisy resting her head on Claudia’s knee.
From left to right, Bronco, Ryu, Daisy.
Bronco our Leonberger, Ryu our Japanese Shin, and then Daisy our Pug.
Our Pug Daisy is sitting at the table to the left. She is wearing a blue birthday hat. Our Leonberger Bronco is on the right.
Daisy’s 11th birthday.
Daisy is sitting on our bed, and she is looking into the camera.
Daisy is sitting on our bed.
Daisy our pug (left) and Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd (right).
Daisy and Rollo in the sofa.
Our daughter is sitting on her knees on the floor.  Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo sits on her left and our Pug Daisy sits on her right.
Our daughter is petting Rollo and Daisy.
Daisy and Rollo are looking out the window. Daisy says : Rollo do you want to hear a joke? Rollo says : OK. Daisy says : Knock! Knock! Rollo says : Woof! Woof!, Woof!. Daisy says : Woof! Woof! Woof!.
Daisy and Rollo barking at the mailman + a joke.
Daisy is wearing a pink party hat. She is sitting in front of a cake and my wife is giving her cake.
Daisy’s 15th birthday.
Daisy is standing on the wood floor. She is wearing blue diapers with black suspenders.
Towards the end of her life Daisy had to wear diapers with suspenders.
Daisy our pug is sitting in a blue stroller.
Towards the end of her life Daisy had a hard time walking so she sat in a stroller during our walks.

Goodbye Daisy

25 Leonberger Puppies and Other Puppies for National Puppy Day

Today is National Puppy Day. Therefore, I am posting 25 puppy photos. It is mostly Leonberger puppies but there are also puppy photos of some of our other dogs. Most of the photos in this post are mine but I am including a few Leonberger puppy photos from shutterstock. If you want to check out the Leonberger book I wrote click here, or look to the right if you are on a desktop or at the bottom if you are on a mobile.

This is a black and white photo of our Leonberger puppy Bronco at three months old. He is sitting and staring at the camera. He is wearing a silk scarf.
Our Leonberger Bronco at three months old.
This is color photo of our Leonberger puppy Bronco at three months old. He is sitting and staring at the camera. He is wearing a silk scarf.
Our Leonberger Bronco at three months old.
Our black and white Japanese Shin Ryu is on our red sofa. You can see our pug Daisy in the upper left corner.
Our Japanese Shin Ryu when he was young.
Photo of our son David on the sofa holding a little pug puppy in his arms.
Our son David with our pug Daisy when she was a puppy.
Photo of our son David on the sofa holding a little pug puppy in his arms.
Our son David is holding our pug Daisy when she was still a puppy (now she is 15 ½ years old).
Two brown Leonberger puppies lying on a wood floor.
Two Leonberger puppies. Shutter stock Photo ID: 2294202331 by Olga Shusters.
A Leonberger puppy running in the snow.
A Leonberger puppy running in the snow. Shutterstock Stock Photo ID: 2056502327 by Nikky de Graaf.
A Leonberger puppy standing in the snow.
A Leonberger puppy standing in the snow. Shutterstock Stock Photo ID: 2390810457 by VeronArt16.
A Leonberger puppy sitting on a white floor next to pink flowers.
Another Leonberger puppy. Stock Photo ID: 561111403 by Akbudak Rimma.
Ten Leonberger puppies sitting on a sofa. They are brown with black face masks.
Ten Leonberger puppies. My guess is that they are about two months old. Shutterstock-ID:561107710 by Akbudak Rimma.
Leonberger puppy running through green grass. The puppy has its mouth open, and he is looking straight into the camera.
Leonberger puppy. My guess is that he is around two months old. Shutterstock-ID: 629624396 by TOM KAROLA.
Two sand colored Leonberger puppies playing in the snow. The play seems to be a little bit rough. Like all Leonbergers they have a black facemask.
Two light colored Leonberger puppies playing. My guess is that they are three months old. Shutterstock-ID: 2141564415 by AnetaZabranska.
The German Shepherd is lying on the floor and the Leonberger puppy is on his back.
Our German Shepherd Baby playing with our 4 months old Leonberger Bronco.
Our Leonberger Bronco about 9 months old is lying on his back on the floor.
Our Leonberger Bronco about 9 months old is lying on his back on the floor.
Bronco our Leonberger at the dog park. He is about one year old. He is maybe not a puppy but far from an adult. He is an adolescent, which is why he looks so thin and gangly. Our Labrador Baylor is in the background.
Bronco our Leonberger at the dog park. He is about one year old. He is maybe not a puppy but far from an adult. He is an adolescent, which is why he looks so thin and gangly. Our Labrador Baylor is in the background.
Our black and white Japanese Shin Ryu (left) sleeping next to our beige pug Daisy (right).
Our Japanese Shin Ryu sleeping next to our pug Daisy.
Our black and white Japanese Shin Ryu (right) licking our pug Daisy’s ear (left).
Our Japanese Shin Ryu licking our pug Daisy’s ear.
Photo shows a little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy on top. He is looking up at us. Right below him is an English Bulldog puppy.
The day we picked up our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo. He was nine weeks old. The other puppy is an English bulldog puppy.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is lying on the grass.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is lying on a blanket.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
The photo shows our pug Daisy on the right and our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo on the left. They are on the sofa.
Our pug Daisy and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
The photo shows our big Leonberger on the left and our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo on the right. They are in the backyard.
Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
The photo shows our big Leonberger standing behind our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is playing with an orange volleyball on the green grass.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo playing with an orange ball.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo (left) is biting Bronco’s tail and pulling on it.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is playing with our Leonberger Bronco’s tail. Once he even dangled in it like a swing.

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Happy National Puppy Day

National Love Your Pet Day with Leonbergers and Other Dogs

Today, Tuesday, February 20, 2024, is National Love Your Pet Day. So, I thought I would show some photos of our current dogs and dogs from the past, naturally including our late Leonberger Bronco. I think the photos I am displaying show some of our love for them.

Photo of a Leonberger puppy looking into the camera
Our Leonberger Bronco when he was a three-month-old puppy.
A yellow lab on the left and the dark brown German Shepherd on the right
On the left our Labrador Baylor and on the right our German Shepherd Baby. Baby took care of and protected Bronco when he was a pup, just like a good mother.
Our Leonberger Bronco is standing on our red sofa and giving me a hug and a kiss
Our young Leonberger Bronco is giving me a hug.
Jessica is on the left and she is giving our Leonberger Bronco a kiss
Our niece Jessica giving Bronco a kiss
Our 167-pound Leonberger is sitting in my wife’s lap and she is disappearing behind him.
Our Leonberger Bronco sitting in my wife Claudia’s lap. He was the perfect lap dog.
Our Japanese Shin Ryu is sitting in the middle of the floor
Our Japanese Shin Ryu
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy is lying on a blanket on the floor while turning his head and looking into the camera.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo as a puppy.
Our 20-year-old daughter is sitting in between our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo (left) and our pug Daisy (right) while petting them both
Our daughter petting Rollo and our pug Daisy
Our pug Daisy’s 15th birthday.
Our dogs are sitting on a very nice leather sofa chair. Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is sitting on the left and our pug Daisy on the right. They are looking into the camera.
Rollo and Daisy own the best furniture.
Photo of 32 Leonberger faces
The 2019-2020 Grey Muzzle Awardees. Bronco is on the second row from the top and second from left. Click on the picture to visit the YouTube video. Bronco is at two minutes.
Video showing 32 2019 & 2020 Grey Muzzle Awardees (Leonbergers). Bronco at two minutes in.

Another 25 Leonberger Photos and Illustrations

My blog is primarily about Leonbergers, an unusual and fascinating dog breed that is known for its size, affectionate nature, and intelligence. I know a lot about Leonbergers because we were lucky enough to live with one for thirteen years. His name was Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle—but we called him “Bronco” for short. I also wrote a book about Leonbergers and about Bronco’s many adventures : The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle. If you are on a desktop computer you’ll see the book on the right, and if you are on a phone you have to scroll to the bottom of the page. You can also click here.

This post features 25 photos and illustrations. Most of the photos are of our Leonberger Bronco, a few are photos by friends and the illustrations were created by Naomi Rosenblatt. If you want to see another set of 25 Leonberger photos click here. If you want to see Leonberger puppy photos, then click here.

This is a black and white photo of our Leonberger puppy Bronco at three months old. He is sitting and staring at the camera. He is wearing a silk scarf.
Our Leonberger Bronco at three months old.
Photo of a Leonberger swimming in a lake.
Bronco our Leonberger is swimming in White Rock Lake.
Bronco our Leonberger is standing in lake water.
Bronco is standing in the water in White Rock Lake.
Photo of a Leonberger lying on a leather sofa with my book leaning towards his chest.
A Canadian Leonberger called Mak with my book. Photo by Debbie Ireland.
Photo of our Leonberger lying on his back and taking up all the room in the sofa
Our Leonberger Bronco is sleeping on our big leather sofa.
Our Leonberger Bronco is lying on top of our red leather sofa as our Pug Daisy is walking next to him and away from him
Bronco with our Pug Daisy. They were sharing the sofa until Daisy decided to move.
Illustration showing our daughter lying on the ground while holding onto a leash. Our Leonberger Bronco is dragging her.
Bronco is pulling our daughter along the ground as she is desperately trying to hold on to him. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
Colorful illustration showing a big dog wearing a cast on his front left leg and running with it.
Illustration showing Bronco running down the street while wearing a cast. He was not supposed to bump the cast. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
The photo is showing a beige pug on the left and next to her a black and white Japanese Shin and to the right of them both our Leonberger Bronco.
Our Leonberger Bronco with two small dogs, our Japanese Shin Ryu and our pug Daisy.
The photo shows our Leonberger Bronco wearing a cone shaped party hat.
It is Bronco’s birthday.
Two Leonbergers standing next to each other and wearing party headwear typical for a carnival.
Digory and Obi two Leonbergers. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
The photo shows a Leonberger in a bathtub.
Digory Jen O’Keefe’s Leonberger. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
The photo shows a Leonberger standing in water.
Swimming time for Digory Jen O’Keefe’s Leonberger. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
The photo shows two Leonbergers sitting next to each other.
Digory got bone cancer, had an amputation, and this photo is two years later. He lived long for a Leonberger with this condition. Here is with a Leonberger friend. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
The photo shows a Leonberger standing and looking into the camera.
Bronco our Leonberger is standing in front of our hallway. He is pretty old in this photo.
Our Leonberger Bronco is lying in the grass in the front yard.
Bronco in our front yard.
Photo shows our Leonberger Bronco standing in the backyard as a sun ray shines down upon him.
Bronco saved our pug’s life. He is a saint.
Photo shows our Leonberger Bronco standing next to my wife Claudia. She is holding the grey-muzzle award.
Bronco lived very long for a Leonberger. The typical lifespan is 8-9 years. The Leonberger Health Foundation International gives out a grey-muzzle award to Leonbergers who has lived 12 years or longer. Here Bronco is receiving his grey-muzzle award.
The Grey Muzzle Award states “For Leonberger longevity is presented with gratitude by the Leonberger Health Foundation Internation To Bronco for Offering Hope and Potential for longer Lives for Leonbergers throughout the world.
The Grey Muzzle Award.
The photo shows our big Leonberger on the left and our little pug Daisy on the right.
Bronco and our pug Daisy.
The photo shows our big Leonberger on the left and our little mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo on the right.
Bronco and our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo.
The photo shows our Leonberger Bronco lying in our backyard in front of our broken fence. He has a plastic bag over his foot where he has a bandage.
A tornado ravaged our neighborhood. Several of our neighbor’s houses were destroyed. Our house stood but the chimney, roof, attic, garage, and fence were severely damaged. It was a tough time for Bronco. He had just had a toe amputation due to cancer; he had ulcerous sores on his foot, then came the tornado and less than a week later he had a heart failure. He is not in good shape in this picture.
The photo shows our Leonberger Bronco wearing a large soft cone. He has just pulled the content on a table off the table onto the floor.
Bronco is walking around the house with his giant soft cone and pulling things off tables.
A very old Bronco lying in the grass and looking straight into the camera.
One of the last photos of Bronco.
The illustration shows a mini-Australian Shepherd on the right, a pug on the left, and a Leonberger in the middle. The mini-Australian Shepherd says, “They still talk about you”. The Leonberger answers “I know”
We will always remember Bronco. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.

25 Leonberger Photos and Illustrations

First, check out my Leonberger book and consider purchasing it. It features amusing and amazing stories about our truly remarkable Leonberger Bronco, as well as information about Leonbergers. It is a great book for all dog lovers. All royalties/proceeds from sales are donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International. To check out my book click on the book cover images on the right.

This post has 25 photos and illustrations. Most of the photos are of our late Leonberger Bronco (Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle) but there are also Leonberger photos by friends as well as a few Shutterstock photos. The illustrations are from my book. The illustrations for my book were made by Naomi Rosenblatt (I don’t know how to draw).

On the left there is a color photo of our Leonberger as a puppy. He is wearing a scarf. On the right he is big, old and gray and lying in the grass looking into the camera.
On the left our Leonberger Bronco three months old. On the right Bronco as an unusually old Leonberger at almost 13.
Bronco is standing on our red leather sofa giving me hug and a kiss.
Bronco our Leonberger is giving me a kiss. He is about one year old and not yet fully grown.
Old black and white photo showing a man holding a Leonberger with a leash.
Bronco’s direct ancestor on the male side Leo von der Sagmuhle in Germany about 100 years ago (18 generations).
Claudia my wife sitting in a red sofa with our very big dog in her lap.
Our Leonberger Bronco sitting in my wife’s lap. He was 167 pounds at the time.
A Leonberger is lying on the floor and my book is leaning against the dog.
Hachi a one-year-old Canadian Leonberger with my book. The owner and photographer is Brenda Saito and her husband.
A photo a majestic Leonberger sitting in grass.
A majestic Leonberger. Shutterstock-ID: 731020957 by Peter Josto.
Brown big dog chasing a man running.
Bronco is chasing off a peeping Tom who was terrorizing the women in the neighborhood including my wife. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
Bronco’s face has puffy cheeks.
Bronco’s puffy cheeks hold two hamsters he probably was trying to save. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
I am lying on the ground holding Baby and trying to drag her out of the storm drain, while at the same time holding Bronco’s leash.
Bronco accidentally pushed our German Shepherd Baby into a storm drain. I am trying to drag Baby out of the storm drain while holding Bronco as he is very excited about a dog across the street. Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt.
Leonberger puppy running through green grass. The puppy has its mouth open, and he is looking straight into the camera.
Leonberger puppy. My guess is that he is around two months old. Shutterstock-ID: 629624396 by TOM KAROLA.
On the right is our Leonberger Bronco’s behind and to the right is Rollo biting and pulling his tail.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is biting Bronco’s tail. He even swung it in as if it was a swing.
The photo shows our pug Daisy on the left and our Leonberger Bronco on the right. They are both looking into the camera. Pieces of the gingerbread house are lying on the floor.
Bronco got into the kitchen, and he grabbed a gingerbread house. He and our pug Daisy are sharing the gingerbread house.
Bronco is standing in a blue kiddie pool.
Bronco is getting a bath in the kiddie pool.
The photo shows a Leonberger standing in the snow in the forest.
Leonberger standing in snow. Shutterstock-ID: 705193912 by Eric Isselee.
Amie is standing on top of a wooden bench on a mountain top.
Amie a Leonberger in Sweden who was at the top of a mountain that we hiked up to (Skule Berget). She must have been very athletic.
Seven Leonbergers lying or sitting on the sand on a beach.
Seven Leonbergers by the beach. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
Close up of two Leonberger faces. All Leonbergers have a black face mask.
Digory and Obi two Leonbergers. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
Five Leonbergers lying in the grass. They are wearing hats showing the American flag.
Five Leonbergers including Digory on 4th of July 2023. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
Little Rollo is lying in front of Bronco. Rollo is on the left. Bronco is on the right.
Bronco and Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd.
Close up of Bronco’s face. He is looking straight into the camera.
Close up of Bronco about 12 years old. Leonbergers typically live 8-9 years.
Bronco is wearing a very large soft cone. It barely fit through the bathroom door. He is looking straight at me.
Bronco our Leonberger kept following me around while he was recovering from a couple of sores that took a long time to heal. They get a very attached when they are not feeling well. Here he is barging into the bathroom. Rollo was terrified of the huge cone.
Six Leonbergers with celebration hats are looking straight into the camera.
Six Leonbergers and a birthday celebration. Photo by Jen O’Keefe.
A Leonberger photographed from the side. In the background there is a lake and a snowcapped mountain.
Sitting Leonberger. Shutterstock-ID:1333669760 by Britta Paasch.
In a snowy forest a Leonberger and a pug are running towards the left.
Leonberger and pug running in the snow. Shutterstock- ID:1659034960 by AnetaZabranska.
It is a picture of a Leonberger with 18 specifications in black text.
Overview of the physical aspects of the Leonberger breed standard.

A Typical Day with The Dogs

It was a rainy day today, but we didn’t just sit here all day. In the morning my wife Claudia and I had a French lesson. It was over zoom. We discussed tourism including tourism to cities. I spoke about my visits to Paris and Aix-En-Provence. Daisy, our Pug sat and slept under the computer desk during the class. Her snoring was audible to the rest of the class. Rollo, our mini-Australian Shepherd is very afraid of the sound that rain makes on the roof and on our skylights, so he was very nervous.

A comical cartoon showing a man in a rainjacket and a dog. The dog is saying "Thanks, anyways. But I think I'm just gonna poop somewhere in the house tonight."

Falling in mud

After the class it was no longer pouring, but it was still raining. However, Rollo still wanted to go for a walk so I took them for a walk. Daisy is old, 15+ years old, and she has a problem walking. Therefore, I put her in our pet stroller and raised the hood of the stroller over her. It was wet and muddy and after walking a quarter mile I slipped badly, feet straight up, and landed on my behind and back in a muddy puddle. Daisy’s stroller fell over but luckily, she did not fall out. I was not so lucky though. I was soaking wet; it was cold and my back and behind was covered in mud. I tried to nudge Rollo to go home, but he insisted on continuing. I was worried about what people who saw me would think but we took a long walk.

A photo of my muddy jeans and my muddy jacket
My muddy jacket and jeans after the walk
Our wet mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo in front if the front door.
Wet pup at the door
our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo inside but still a little bit wet
Rollo after the walk
Our pug Daisy in her green and black stroller. She has a coat on.
Daisy in her stroller
A little video of Rollo by the door.

Behold, the vaccine is killing us all

When I came home, I had a text from one of my Swedish aunts. She thanked me for a Holiday Card I had sent, and that she had just gotten. What’s wrong with the post office? She also warned me about the covid-19 vaccine (Pfizer)s, which she claimed have killed 17 million people and given 567 million people injuries for life. In other words, one in ten people who received the vaccine worldwide was injured for life. I know about people in my circle who died from Covid-19, but I don’t know of anyone who died from the covid-19 vaccine. I don’t even know anyone who was injured by it. How is that statistically possible?  In addition, my family doctor, who is an extremely good and caring doctor, recommends it, and thinking about it, so does every doctor I know. Most importantly, there are no reliable sources backing up her claim. Her claim was bunk of course.

So, I told her that her information was false and not to worry. When I was young, I did not want to contradict people, but I’ve come to realize that we are drowning in misinformation, and it is very common that people blindly believe whatever seems to support their preexisting beliefs. Therefore, it is important to contradict misinformation when we know that it is false. It is a public service.

Our pug Daisy with her tongue sticking out. She is on top of our sofa.
Daisy after an exhausting day of doing nothing.

We don’t pick up dead animals

After doing the laundry I noticed that the city had picked up our recycling, finally. They are supposed to pick it up once a week, but it took them three weeks. Last week I tried to file a report about the missed pick up. I was not able to do that using the city’s cryptic website, and search yielded nothing useful. I know you can file a report because I’ve done it before. Therefore, I started the chat, and I got a chatbot.

The bot: How can I help you?

Me: The recycling has not been picked up and I would like to make a report.

The bot: We don’t pick up dead animals.

End of chat……

So, the chatbot was useless. It seems like they are always useless. I’ve gotten restricted on Facebook several times, for selling beer outside the marketplace and without stating the price, when all I did was write a beer review in a beer review Facebook group. When Facebook still employed people for those tasks I could complain, get the restriction revoked and an apology. Once all that remained were bots that ended.

Photo showing our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo on the left, then our pug Daisy and then a visiting dog, Oslo, on the right. Rollo is threatening Oslo.
It was Daisy’s birthday (pug in the middle). Rollo is growling at Oslo sitting at the end of the table. It is an old photo.

After I gave the dogs dinner Rollo came to sit next to me on the sofa. He loves sitting next to me and pushing his back towards my side. It seems very cozy, but there’s a problem. Rollo is very possessive and jealous, and he gets aggressive towards others he thinks may threaten his position. Yesterday, he started showing his teeth and growling at Daisy as he was snuggling with me, and I immediately put him down on the floor. He screamed like a choleric two-year-old as I did that. This is one major reason we are hesitating to get another Leonberger. We don’t know how that would play out with Rollo. We have a behavior problem with Rollo that we need to solve. We also set up another baby jail for Rollo.

Picture of our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo inside a playpen. He has a toy and water.
Rollo’s Baby Jail
Our late Leonberger Bronco and our pug Daisy sharing our red sofa.
Photo from the past. Our Leonberger Bronco is sharing the sofa with Daisy.

Towards the end of the day Rollo and I played with his duck, and then he asked for a belly rub. When Rollo wants a belly rub, he lays down on the floor on his side , a couple of legs up, and then he barks one time and then he waits. If no one comes he loudly barks one time and then he waits. Eventually he gets his belly-rub.

Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd holding a duck in his mouth.
Rollo with his Duck
Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo lying on his side in front of our Leonberger Bronco as if he wants a belly rub.
Rollo wants a belly rub.

Now Daisy is asleep, and Rollo is almost asleep

Beer and Fruitiness

I wanted to write a post about craft beer, but I realized that putting everything I wanted to say about craft beer into one post would make it a very long post. I am starting with a post about fruity beers, craft beers or otherwise.

A woman drinking a beer
Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

First a word about Lager beer. Lager beer is a relatively recent invention that originated in Bavaria. Lager beers use a special kind of yeast for the fermentation process, it is typically bottom fermented, and fermented and conditioned in cool temperatures, unlike other beer styles. Lager beers can be of many colors, pale, amber, dark, even black such as Schwarzbier. The Pale Lager originated in Pilsen in Bohemia (Western Czech Republic) in the mid-19th century. The pale lager has become the world’s most common beer style and bland tasting mass-produced pale lager beers dominate the market. In countries that are not traditional beer countries such as France, Italy, China, Japan and South America, the bland pale lager is very dominant. I’ve come across many people who think that the more tasteless the pale lager is, the better beer it is (Corona).

A photo of a bottle of corona with a lime
Photo by Arthur Swiffen on Pexels.com

Many people believe that beer is the same thing as pale lagers. However, the beer advocate counted 120 beer styles (so far). I can add that some mass-produced American pale lagers, such as Budweiser, contain adjuncts, such as rice and maize, which is prohibited by the German Reinheitsgebot tradition. The Reinheitsgebot tradition states that the only ingredients allowed in beer are water, malt, hops, and yeast and for bottom fermented beer (lager) the malt must be malted barley only. Therefore, what many people think of as beer, well, it’s complicated.

A photo of a bottle of Samuel Adams Remastered Lager.
Samuel Adams Remastered Lager is a pretty good lager beer.

Beers with fruity flavors

Pale lager beers aren’t associated with fruity flavors, which can lead to the incorrect impression that beer with fruity flavors isn’t real beer. However, beers with fruity flavors have a very long history, and many fruity beers, perhaps surprisingly to some, follow the German Reinheitsgebot tradition. In addition, many beers with fruity flavors are among the most celebrated beers in the world. There are many fruit Lambics (Belgium) that are sold for several hundred dollars per bottle. There are a number of ways to add fruit flavors to beer.

  • Hops is a flower that is used as a flavoring and stability agent in beer. It has been used since at least the 9th century and is allowed/part of the Reinheitsgebot tradition. There are at least 147 hop varieties in the world, many of them having fruity flavors. 
  • The fermentation process frequently generates esters (in addition to alcohol), a compound responsible for the fruity aromas and flavors in fruit. The amount of fruitiness that you get depends on the yeast and the grain used. For example, German and Belgian wheat beers often have more or less prominent notes of banana or pear due to an ester called Isoamyl acetate, also known as isopentyl acetate. Belgian lambics (not fruit lambics), gueuze, red flanders, and oud bruin beer styles has tart and very fruity flavors without any fruit or fruit juice being added. 
  • The German Berliner Weisse, a wheat beer, gets its fruity and tart flavor from a bacterium. Traditionally no fruit is added. However, now a day it is very common to add fruit or fruit syrup to enhance the fruit flavor. 
  • Sometimes fruity flavors can to some degree be added by aging the beer in, for example, wine barrels, adding notes of wine or grapes. 
  • Naturally you can also add fruit, or fruit juice, to the fermentation process. This is not in accordance with the German Reinheitsgebot tradition but perfectly acceptable among beer connoisseurs. Many of the highest rated beers in the world are so called fruit lambics that have added fruit. 
  • There are other ways to add fruit flavors in beer but above are four very common ones.

Below are some photos of beers with fruit flavors

Photo of a bottle of 3 Fonteinen Framboos standing on a table. There is a glass filled with Lambic.
The day I launched my book I drank 3 Fonteinen Framboos a so-called fruit Lambic. Raspberries were added to the fermentation process, so it does not follow the German Reinheitsgebot tradition. On the other hand, Reinheitsgebot has little meaning outside Germany and that includes Belgium. This beer is rated 100 out 100 on beer advocate and is listed as one of the best beers in the world.
A can of Yellow Rose an IPA from Lone Pint Brewery, Texas. There is an IPA glass filled with Yellow Rose.
Yellow Rose, Lone Pint, Texas, is my favorite SMASH IPA. SMASH stands for Single Malt And Single Hop. IPA stands for India Pale Ale, and flavorful and bitter beer. The Hop in question is Mosaic Hops, which add notes of mango, other tropical fruits, blueberry, and grapefruit.
A tall glass filled with Hefeweizen beer. The glass has unfortunately a slice of lemon on top.
This is a Hefeweizen that I drank at a brewery in Wisconsin. It had strong notes of banana, in other words Isoamyl acetate, an ester generated during the fermentation process. The lemon slice is technically added fruit, but it happened after brewing and after pouring against my wishes.
A bottle of Oude Geuze from 3 Fonteinen is standing on table in my backyard. Our Pug Daisy is visible in the background.
Oude Geuze from 3 Fonteinen, Belgium, is blend of three Lambics. I think the flavor is tart green apple, lemon, grapefruit, white wine, some oak barrel woodiness. It is very fruity, but all the fruit flavor comes from esters generated during the fermentation process. There is no fruit added.
A bottle of Atrial Rubicite a so called Wild Ale from Jester King, Texas, is standing on a table in my backyard. There is a glass filled with Atrial Rubicite and boot shaped opener.
This is a so-called Wild Ale from Jester King, Texas. It is more specifically a raspberry Wild Ale. It is fermented using wild yeast (giving it a fruity and tart foundation), and raspberries have been added to the fermentation process. The result is a beer that taste like raspberry jam. It’s tart, sweet, thick body, lots of raspberry flavor. Most people that I’ve seen tasting it have a positive reaction to it. They think it is delicious even though it is not what they expect from a beer.
A can of Blue Dream, a Fruited Kettle Sour is standing on my brick wall. Next to it is my snörkel glass filled with Blue Dream.
Blue Dream is a so-called Fruited Kettle Sour from Martin Brewhouse, Fort Worth, Texas. Fruited Kettle Sours are a little different from the five examples I gave above. Bacteria is added to the wort to generate acid/tartness, then the bacteria are killed (boiling). Then it is fermented normally and the fruit, in this case blue raspberry, is added after primary fermentation. It was pretty sour, and it tasted like liquid jolly ranchers. The reactions to it were mixed. I liked it though. This type of beer is an American invention.
Standing on my table in my backyard, a box of Silent Blue (two cans) on the left, a glass of The Silent Blue (purple) in the middle and a can of The Silent Blue on the right.
The Silent Blue is another Fruited Kettle Sour from Martin Brewhouse, Fort Worth, Texas. The fruit/berry used in this case was blueberry, but it was also aged in whiskey barrels giving a whiskey aroma and flavor. So, it tasted like blueberry and whiskey, which I think turned out quite good.

Happy New Year from Our Dogs

With this post I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year and remind everyone that Fireworks is not appreciated by many dogs. Our Leonberger Bronco did not mind fireworks. Our Labrador Baylor did not mind fireworks and our Pug Daisy does not seem to mind either. However, our Japanese Shin Ryu was terrified of fireworks and so was our German Shepherd Baby. Our mini–Australian Shepherd Rollo is more than terrified of fireworks, and he was traumatized by a rouge bottle rocket that was launched in the middle of the neighborhood against the rules. Kids having fun can do a lot of damage to a puppy.

Pexels photo showing a man holding a sparkler. Fireworks in the background.
Fireworks are beautiful but not appreciated by all dogs. Photo by Rakicevic Nenad on Pexels.com

Here are some photos of our dogs.

Photo by Jill Wellington on Pexels.com

Happy New Year Everyone