The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle – Page 2

Todays Mail the LeoLetter Badlands and Reunion Coda

Today I received interesting mail. In addition to the usual junk mail and a couple of bills I got the LeoLetter, the Leoberger magazine, and I got a box from Amazon containing two brand new books that I am very excited to read.

The LeoLetter

The “LeoLetter : Great Dogs, Great People,” is the official quarterly publication of the Leonberger Club of America. You can read about the history of the Leonberger Club of America here. What makes today’s LeoLetter special to me is because I have an Ad in it for my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger”. To visit the Amazon location for my book, click here.

The Ad features the front cover of the book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle as well as information and praise for the book. — This is my ad for my book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger. Click on the picture to visit the Amazon location for the book.

The gold and beige book cover features the face of our Leonberger Bronco and the text "The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle. Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger." — The front cover of the book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger. Click on the picture to visit the Amazon location for the book.

The back cover in gold and beige features a photo of a Leonberger in a snowy forest and an introduction to the book. — The back cover of the book The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger. Click on the picture to visit the Canadian Amazon location for the book.

Badlands

Next, I opened the box in it was two books. One of them was Badlands (Savage Land) by Jacqui Murray. I bought the paperback version. I have only read the beginning, and it is very exciting. It is book two in a trilogy about prehistoric man. I read the previous book Endangered Species, a book I loved, and you can read my book tour post here and my review here. There is an ongoing book tour for Badlands, and you visit the five first book tour posts here:

The front cover features a volcano and a woman surrounded by wolves. — Front cover of Badlands by Jacqui Murray. Click here or on the picture to visit the Amazon location for the paperback version.

Below is Amazon’s Overview of the Badlands

Savage Land is the third trilogy about prehistoric man in the series, Man. Vs. Nature.Written in the spirit of Jean Auel, Savage Land explores how two bands of humans survived one of the worst natural disasters in Earth’s history, when volcanic eruptions darkened the sky, massive tsunamis crossed the ocean in crushing waves, and raging fires burned the land. Each of the tribes considered themselves apex predators. Neither was. That crown belonged to Nature and she was intent on washing the blight of man from her face. Join me in this three-book fictional exploration of Neanderthals. Be ready for a world nothing like what you thought it would be, filled with clever minds, brilliant acts, and innovative solutions to life-ending problems, all based on real events. At the end of this trilogy, you’ll be proud to call Neanderthals family.

In Badlands, Book Two, the tribes must split up, each independently crossing what Nature has turned into a wasteland. They struggle against starvation, thirst, and desperate enemies more feral than human. If they quit or worse, lose, they will never reunite with their groups or escape the most deadly natural disaster ever faced by our kind.

The back cover features the overview of the book. — This is the back cover of the book Badlands by Jacqui Murray.

Reunion Coda

Another nice surprise in the box was Reunion: Coda: Book 2 of the Reunion Duology by Alex Diaz-Granados. I also read parts of this book so far, and I loved it. It also has a lot of nice pictures to support the story. The end of the book features my interview with the author, which you can read here. You can read my review for the first book in the duology (Reunion) here <<Link-10>>.

The front cover features a photo of New York at night taken from above. — Front cover of Reunion: Coda: Book 2 of the Reunion Duology. To visit the Amazon page for the paperback version of the book you can click here or on the picture.

Below is Amazon’s Overview of the Reunion Coda

In Reunion: Coda, Jim Garraty’s journey continues as he navigates the intricate dance between past regrets and present hopes. Now a successful history professor, Jim’s life is a tapestry of unspoken love, haunting memories, and the pursuit of emotional closure.

As Jim reflects on his high school years and the profound impact of his relationships, he grapples with the lessons learned from missed opportunities and the unpredictable nature of life. Through introspective moments and heartfelt letters, Jim uncovers the strength to confront his deepest fears and embrace new beginnings.

Reunion: Coda delves into the complexities of love, loss, and the enduring power of memory. It also explores the significance of friendship and the unpredictable turns that shape our lives. This poignant novel is a heartfelt exploration of the choices that define us, the connections that sustain us, and the hope that guides us on the journey of self-discovery.

The back cover features the Amazon overview of the book. — Back cover of Reunion: Coda: Book 2 of the Reunion Duology.

What if we get it right?

However, before I finish the two books above I will finish another good book that I am reading for my book club called “What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson”.

The front cover features the title and author and an illustration of the sun in the upper right corner and a blue planet in the lower left corner. — Front cover of What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. You can visit the hardcover version of the book by clicking here or by click on the picture.

Below is Amazon’s Overview of What If We Get It Right?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “With a thoughtfully curated series of essays, poetry, and conversations, the brilliant scientist and climate expert Ayana Elizabeth Johnson has assembled a group of dynamic people who are willing to imagine what seems impossible, and articulate those visions with enthusiastic clarity.”—Roxane Gay

Our climate future is not yet written. What if we act as if we love the future?

A SMITHSONIAN BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Sometimes the bravest thing we can do while facing an existential crisis is imagine life on the other side. This provocative and joyous book maps an inspiring landscape of possible climate futures.

Through clear-eyed essays and vibrant conversations, infused with data, poetry, and art, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson guides us through solutions and possibilities at the nexus of science, policy, culture, and justice. Visionary farmers and financiers, architects and advocates, help us conjure a flourishing future, one worth the effort it will take—from every one of us, with whatever we have to offer—to create.

If you haven’t yet been able to picture a transformed and replenished world—or to see yourself, your loved ones, and your community in it—this book is for you. If you haven’t yet found your role in shaping this new world or you’re not sure how we can actually get there, this book is for you.

With grace, humor, and humanity, Johnson invites readers to ask and answer this ultimate question together: What if we get it right?

The back cover features a brief introduction to the book, a list of names of people who contributed to the book, and a blue planet in the lower right corner. — Back cover of What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.

The Life and Times of Le Bronco Von Der Lowenhohle

I started this blog three years ago to spread the word about my, at the time, upcoming book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. To celebrate the three-year anniversary of my blog I decided to have a little promotion for my book. The price for paperback version of the book is normally $19.95 but Amazon lowered the price to $17.95 several months ago and I cannot set it back. My guess is that some store somewhere is selling it for $17.95. They have a lowest price policy. Instead of complaining about that I decided to roll with it and to lower the price of the Kindle version as well, to only $2.99. I will keep that price until April 1^st. The prices in all other countries, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Australia, etc., are lowered by the same amount.

Before I continue, I would like to highlight a few important facts about my book.

The book is about our late Leonberger dog Bronco von der Löwenhöhle and his crazy and amusing adventures and his heroic deeds.
Bronco saved the lives of other dogs and protected out neighborhood.
In the book there is information about Leonberger dogs, the breed standard(s), history, Leonberger organizations, training and care, and health.
The book has lots of photos, illustrations and it is in color.
All proceeds are donated to the Leonberger Health Foundation International
It is a book for all dog lovers not just Leonberger lovers. It is intended to be both fun and educational.

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

Canadian Leonbergers with my Book

A Leonberger is lying on the floor, and my book is leaning against the dog. — Hachi a Canadian Leonberger featured with my book. He was one year old when this photo was taken by Brenda Saito and her husband. Click here or on the photo to visit the paperback version for the book on Canadian Amazon.

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. Click here<<Link-5>> or on the photo to visit the page for the book on Chapters Indigo.

Getting My Book in Other Places

You can also get my book in many other places including Amazon in every country where Amazon exists, Chapters Indigo, Apple, etc. To see most of the options visit my Book Page by clicking here.

A Leonberger Story

The book features a lot of stories about Bronco as well as other dogs. Below is one short story.

Bronco’s Hamster Search and Rescue

Back when Bronco our Leonberger was young, the kids had pet hamsters—Moldova and Montenegro. The hamsters escaped from their cages sometimes, but Bronco usually helped us find them whenever they did. Claudia would tell him, “Bronco, find the hamsters,” and he would go around the house sniffing until he found them. One time he found them in the linen closet; another time he found them on a shelf in the living room.

On one occasion, a friend of David trusted us with his two hamsters while he and his family went on vacation. A couple of days later, Claudia noticed that the two hamsters were missing from their cage. The next thing she noticed was that Bronco’s cheeks looked puffy, so she said, “Bronco, drop it!” Out came the two hamsters, both unconscious.

An illustration of a Leonbergers face with puffy cheeks. — Cheeks full of hamsters (illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt)

In a panic, Claudia started performing CPR on the unconscious hamsters. She put one hamster at a time in her hand and gently compressed each tiny chest using the finger of the other hand. Fortunately, one hamster revived right away. The CPR didn’t seem to be working on the other hamster, but Claudia put both of them back in their cage, and soon the second hamster also woke up. We decided to keep the incident to ourselves. Hamsters don’t squeal.

Illustration of a hamster lying in woman hand. The hamster is receiving CPR from the finger on the woman’s second hand. — Hamster CPR (illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt)

The question is, Did Bronco try to eat the hamsters? Or did he simply find them and pick them up, intending to alert us to their presence? I’ve asked several people this question, including some who know Leonbergers well. The answer they give is that he tried to save them from whatever danger he thought they might have been in. If he wanted to eat them, they say, he would have tried chewing them. But clearly, he didn’t.

The hamsters may have felt differently about the situation and may have fainted from the shock. Who knows? Bronco was a hero on many occasions, but this time, perhaps, he was a hamster superhero.

Eventually our own hamsters died, but that didn’t end Bronco’s interest in them. When the first hamster died, we held a funeral. We put the hamster in a shoe box, said goodbye, put some flowers in the box, and buried it in the backyard underneath some bushes. But when we turned our backs, Bronco was there, digging under the bushes. Perhaps he thought he could save the hamster. So, we called Bronco off and tried again: this time I dug a deeper hole and put a wide rock over the shoe box before covering it. Now Bronco couldn’t dig up the hamster. When the second hamster died, I had learned my lesson and did the same thing.

Important Note : I am going on a ski vacation early tomorrow morning and I will take a one-week break from blogging as well as a break from reading other people’s blogs. I will try to catch up when I get back.

Wolves and Dogs and Leonbergers

Image above by Kevin from The Beginning at Last

This is a submission for Kevin’s No Theme Thursday

Canis Lupus Familiaris

Canis Lupus Familiaris, the dog, is a close relative of the grey wolf. Dogs and wolves share a high percentage of DNA and are in fact the same species. They can mate and produce offspring referred to as wolf dogs. However, keeping wolves or wolf dogs as pets is not recommended. Our late Leonberger dog Bronco was in fact accused of being a wolf by a little boy and he was accused of being a bear by a neighbor. The boy was very close to being right.

The left-hand side of the picture shows a grey wolf looking into the camera and the text underneath says : Canis Lupus, the grey wolf is a fearsome and courageous hunter in nature. The right-hand side of the picture shows our Leonberger dog Bronco looking into the camera and the text underneath says : Canis Lupus familiaris, a close relative of the grey wolf, is sometimes also brave. This specimen bravely protects the life of smaller dogs and hamsters. — Leonbergers are big dogs, and little boys may think they are wolves, but Leonbergers are very friendly.

Are Big Dogs Wolves ?

The short stories below are from my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger”. A Leonberger is a large type of dog, a so-called giant breed, closely related to Saint Bernards, and allegedly also Great Pyrenees dogs Newfoundland dogs. Bronco weighed 140 pounds when he was not overweight.

Bronco was a big dog. Once when I was walking Bronco around the neighborhood, a neighbor who always let his black Labs run loose saw us. He shouted to his wife, “Honey, get the dogs inside! Someone is walking a bear out here.” I guess letting your large dogs run loose isn’t a problem until someone walks a dog much bigger than yours.

On a number of occasions, we’ve met people who said to us that Bronco is the biggest dog they’ve ever seen. However, there are bigger dogs. We’ve met bigger English bullmastiffs and bigger Great Danes.

One day I took Bronco into PetSmart, and after I did my shopping, he and I were standing in the checkout line. Bronco was very quiet and well-behaved, but a boy ahead of us in line became quite alarmed when he saw us. He shouted, “Look! A wolf, a wolf, a wolf!” He pointed his finger at Bronco. His mom tried to calm the boy, but he would not stop shouting. He didn’t seem to be afraid of Bronco, but he was really concerned that there was a big wolf in the pet store. I tried to explain to the boy that Bronco was not a wolf. He was just a big dog.

Since our neighbor called Bronco a bear, I am including a second image from Kevin’s post that I think illustrates what our neighbor saw as I walked passed his house. Well, I had only one Leonberger/Bear and I don’t have antlers or a beard, and our neighborhood does not have that many trees. Other than that, it is spot on.

AI generated image showing an old man with a long beard wearing antlers as he is walking his two Grizzly Bears through a dense coniferous forest. — Walking my bear through the neighborhood. Image from Kevin’s No Theme Thursday

Nordic Wolf Lullaby

Finally, a beautiful Nordic Lullaby sung by Jonna Jinton. Jonna Jinton is a Swedish singer who lives nearby Örnsköldsvik in northern Sweden, which is the town where I am originally from (now I live in Dallas, Texas). So, if you watch the video, the nature you see is from my old neighborhood.

The Lullaby is about a wolf who is hungry and cold, but he can’t have the singer’s baby for dinner. But she could offer a pig tail. What some may find remarkable about the Lullaby is that the mother being threatened by the wolf shows the wolf empathy. The existence of the stomach creates conflict between us creatures. To see the English translation turn on subtitles.

Big Events In 2024

This post is about big events that happened to me or my family during 2024 and that I blogged about. I selected six events that stood out to me. They are sort of my 2024 blogging summary. Our pug Daisy died at the age of 15 ½ and we still miss her a lot. On April 8, 2024, we experienced the event of the year, the total solar eclipse. Dallas (where we live) was in the path of totality and the weather was clear. It was spectacular. Then the largest newspaper trade association in the United States the National Newspaper Association (NNA, 2,300 newspapers) awarded a Dallas magazine that had written a review for my book “Le Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle” an honorable mention for best book review of the year. That was fourth place out of thousands of newspapers and magazines.

In August I launched a new blog, superfactful (please feel free to follow) and in September my oldest son and his wife and me traveled to Sweden and Norway where we saw a lot and encountered magical creatures. On October 21^st, 2024, NBC news interviewed me about a tornado that ravaged our neighborhood five years ago.

We miss our Pug Daisy

On April 5th, 2024, our beloved pug Daisy took her last breath. 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 that morning came unexpectedly. Our veterinary told us it was time. It was a dark day for us, and we still miss her dearly. Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo also seems to miss her and now he is alone. To read the tribute post I made for her click here.

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.

Total Solar Eclipse in Dallas

On April 8^th, 2024, there was a total solar eclipse and Dallas, where we live, was in the path of totality, and we were lucky with the weather. A total solar eclipse is a totally different experience from a partial solar eclipse. Despite knowing this beforehand, and having seen a partial solar eclipse, I was amazed. As you approach totality you will have a partial solar eclipse, so you’ll experience both. The partial solar eclipse portion lasted for a few hours and totality lasted only four minutes, but during those four minutes the sun and the moon put on a spectacular show. For the event we had prepared a little party on our backyard patio.

A partial solar eclipse is interesting too. The shadows change during a partial solar eclipse. The shadows of the tree leaves look like moon crescents, but it is not dark, it is still daylight. The sun will look like a bright crescent if you are wearing solar eclipse glasses, but the light is too strong for you to see anything without glasses, and trying to look at the sun during a partial eclipse is dangerous.

When the total solar eclipse happened it suddenly got dark, but not midnight dark, more like late twilight. The stars came out, the birds and the crickets got quiet, Rollo hid under the table, it felt colder, and straight above us Venus came out bright and shining. You usually see Venus in the west soon after sunset or in the east before sun dawn, not above your head in the middle of the day. You could take off your solar eclipse glasses and look straight at the sun, because it was no longer very bright. What you saw was a big black circle surrounded by wispy foggy lights about as bright as the full moon, maybe a little brighter. That was the sun’s corona, which is only visible to the naked eye during a total solar eclipse. To read more about this event click here.

Black circle surrounded by a wispy white fog like light. That’s the sun’s corona. — We took many pictures (see below) but this is a good stock photo. Solar Eclipse Stock Photo ID: 2344355767 by aeonWAVE

Preston Hollow People Magazine receives a National Award for a Book Review of my Leonberger Book

In September 2023 a Dallas journalist wrote a half page positive book review for my book “Le Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. In 2024 her and the newspaper/magazine received an honorable mention for Best Book Review (that’s 4^th place) at the annual National Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest organized by The National Newspaper Association (NNA). NNA has 2,300 members (newspapers and magazines). I can add that Preston Hollow is an area in north Dallas. To read more about this, click here.

The book review of “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. Including photos and text. — This is a photo of the page of Preston Hollow People Magazine where the review appeared. If you click on the picture (or click here you can see the online version of the book review in Preston Hollow People Magazine.

Launch of the Super Facts Blog

On August 5, 2024, I launched my new blog superfactful url https://superfactful.com. The goal of this blog is to create a long list of facts that are important, not trivia, and that are known to be true and yet are either disputed by large segments of the public or highly surprising or misunderstood by many. These kinds of facts are special because they are important and at the same time there is a lot of confusion around them, or they are shocking. Therefore, I call these facts super facts. I should say that in addition to super fact posts I am also posting about other interesting and fun information. My first post “Bamboozlement Misunderstandings, Big Surprises and My Journey” was not a super fact post. To read more click here .

Image showing a disintegrating brain — Smashing our old beliefs with new surprising facts, super facts. Expand your mind and teach me some unexpected truths. Shutterstock ID: 1685660680 by MattL_Images.

I can add that this site certainly needs more followers so feel free to subscribe. The subscribe button is on the right on a PC and at the bottom on a mobile device.

Scandinavian Adventure

In September 2024 I visited my native country Sweden and Norway with my oldest son and his new wife. We visited Stockholm, Uppsala, Oslo and Norwegian fjords. We saw palaces and castles, the old city in Stockholm (800 years old city on an island), we saw many museums including the Vasa Museum featuring an extremely well-preserved Swedish war ship that sank in 1628. We encountered a Huldra, a female magical creature, in the Norwegian mountains (OK this was a tourist ploy, but a fun one). To read more about our adventures click here, or here, or here.

Three people standing on a boat on the fjord. Left to right, me Thomas Wikman, my son Jacob and his wife Ashley. — From a cruise in Sognefjord, Norway. Left to right, me, my oldest son and his wife. Click on the image to visit my post titled : “Tourism in Scandinavia on World Tourism Day”.

An image AI-illustration of a Huldra — Imagining how a Huldra would look like. Stock AI-generated image ID: 2400845203 by Shutterstock AI Generator. Click on the image to visit my post titled : “Scandinavian Folklore”.

A Tomte wearing a red hat in a snowy winter forest | Scandinavian Folklore — An illustration of a Tomte another Scandinavian mythical creature. Shutterstock ID: 2060057882 by PLIMPLUM.

The NBC Interview with me about Dallas Tornado

October 19 and October 20, 2024, I got phone calls from NBC Universal. NBC Universal is a large media company that is a merger between NBC news and Universal Studios. I ignored the phone calls, because why would NBC call me. I thought it must be spam or a scam. Then I listened to the message they left, and I realized it was not spam. The NBC journalists had been reading my Leonberger blog, specifically a post I had made about the tornado that hit Dallas and ravaged our neighborhood on October 20, 2019. They wanted some of my photos and they wanted to interview me. You can read more here and you can listen and see the interview here. It is at one minute and ten seconds.

A photo of my TV above the fireplace. I am on the TV screen. — Seeing myself on the TV was a bit surreal. Click on the image to see the interview. My interview starts at 1 minute and 11 seconds.

A neighbor’s house with the roof ripped off. — NBC used this photo. A neighbor’s house the morning of October 21st, 2019. Again, click on the image to see the interview.

Below are some additional photos in from these events in the form of a photo collage.

I wish everyone a peaceful and wonderful 2025

Holiday Book Promotion and the Leonberger Health Foundation

The Price Has Been Reduced

Amazon lowered the price of the paperback version of my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle” from $19.95 to $17.95 some time ago and I cannot set it back to $19.95. I am guessing that it is because of Amazon’s lowest price policy and that another bookstore somewhere is selling it for $17.95. So, I am thinking, why not roll with it and have a holiday promotion. I also just lowered the price of the Kindle version from $4.95 to $2.99. The prices in all other countries, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Australia, etc., are likewise lowered by the same amount.

I would like to add that the reason I tried to set the price back to $19.95 is not because I want more money. I am donating all royalties to the Leonberger Health Foundation International, which is a great organization that supports health related breed-specific research. However, the research frequently improves the health of other dog breeds as well. You can read more about the Leonberger Health Foundation International below.

In this book you’ll read about some of Bronco’s amazing feats: the night he scared away a prowler; the day he performed a hamster search and rescue; the time he stumped the Geek Squad; and the late night he snuck into the kitchen and ate a two-pound bag of dog treats, a box of pastries, a loaf of bread, a grilled chicken, and a Key lime pie, all in one sitting. You’ll also read about his unflappable calm during a north Texas tornado and his stoicism as he endured health challenges in his later years.

In addition to entertaining stories, these pages contain a wealth of practical guidance, including:

a history of the Leonberger breed;
advice for the care of very large dogs;
breed-specific health and genetic information;
training and feeding tips;
suggestions for finding a breeder;
the official breed standard; and
an extensive resource guide.

Below is a list of places where you can get my book.

The Leonberger Health Foundation International

The Leonberger Health Foundation International is an organization that supports science and research impacting Leonberger health, longevity and breed preservation. Examples of research they’ve supported include research on Addison’s Disease, Inherited Leonberger Polyneuropathy (LPN), LEMP research, the Rabies Challenge Fund, Osteosarcoma, Hemangiosarcoma, genetic causes of male (dog) infertility, Cryptorchidism, study of cruciate ligament repair, Glaucoma, cardiac diseases, thyroid disease, neurological disorders, longevity & aging, population diversity, juvenile renal dysplasia, anal furunculosis, the EGFR Immunotherapy Project, and Leonberger inherited Arrythmia. As mentioned above, a lot of the progress applies to other dog breeds as well.

LHFI’s global biobank contains DNA samples from more than nine thousand Leonbergers. Among the organization’s notable achievements are the eradication of Addison’s disease among Leonbergers and the raising of more than $650,000 for research into conditions that affect canine health. Another success is the fact that since 2011, no Leonbergers with two copies of the LPN1 gene mutation (which causes Leonberger polyneuropathy) have been recorded in LHFI’s biobank. LHFI does other things as well. LHFI grants an award called the Grey Muzzle Award to Leonbergers who reach the impressive age of 12 years. Leonbergers and other giant breeds tend to live short lives, something LHFI is trying to solve and they have made progress. One of the recipients of the Grey Muzzle Award was our Leonberger Bronco.

The picture shows our Leonberger Bronco’s Grey Muzzle Award. It says “The Grey Muzzle Award, for Leonberger longevity, is presented with gratitude by The Leonberger Health Foundation International To Bronco, For offering hope and potential for longer lives for Leonbergers throughout the world.”. — The Grey Muzzle Award from the Leonberger Health Foundation International.

Below is an 8-minute video explaining the ongoing research on sudden cardiac death in young Leonbergers.

Five Years After the Dallas Tornado of October 20 2019

Today, October 20, 2024, is the 5-year anniversary of the EF3 Tornado that ravaged our neighborhood. Our chimney was smashed by a piece of concrete flying off a neighbor’s house, our roof was damaged and needed to be replaced, our garage door was destroyed, and the wiring and pipes in the attic were destroyed. In addition, our fence was damaged, and my grill flew across the yard. The cost of the repairs was $50,000.00. However, we were lucky compared to many of our neighbors whose houses were destroyed.

Debris on the street from a neighbor’s destroyed house. — Another neighbor’s house. This house was about 100 yards from our house. It took a direct hit from the tornado.

The house of my wife’s parents was more severely damaged than our house. The wind from the Tornado lifted my 89-year-old father-in-law up in the air and he was hit by a broken marble table that injured his back. He had a sore that was about one foot long. He did not go to the hospital. The school where our boys used to go, St. Marks School of Texas, was badly damaged and the walls of the gymnasium blew away. The neighborhood looked terrible afterwards.

My wife Claudia is walking among the debris in my in-laws house. — Inside Claudia’s parents’ house. This was the morning after. We are walking into their house to check on them (that’s my wife).

It was also a tough time for our Leonberger dog Bronco. He was more than 12 years old, which is old for a Leonberger, and he had various age-related illnesses. Earlier in October he had amputated a toe due to a type of cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. One week after that we discovered a large deep ulcerous sore on the same paw a few inches above the surgical scar. Fortunately, it was not cancerous, as we first thought, but we would have to treat this sore in addition to nursing him back from his amputation. In addition, he also had the first signs of geriatric-onset laryngeal paralysis polyneuropathy (or GOLPP).

Our Leonberger Bronco is in the background. Our pug Daisy is sitting on a chair in the kitchen. — Bronco our Leonberger and Daisy our Pug the evening before the big storm. None of us suspected what was about to happen.

We lost power for four days due to the tornado and about one week after the tornado Bronco had a congestive heart failure. He eventually recovered but October 2019 was a very difficult month for him.

Bronco is laying on the ground facing the broken fence. He has a plastic bag around his bandage. — Bronco had just had a toe amputation. He did not blow down our fence.

Mini-Australian Shepherd standing guard over medical equipment next to his big brother the large Leonberger Bronco. — We had to change Bronco’s bandages every now and then but Rollo, our mini–Australian Shepherd made sure we did it right.

Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd is on the left and Bronco our Leonberger is on the right. He is wearing a bandage on his back leg. — Bronco and Rollo a few days after the Tornado.

I remember October 20, 2019, as if it was yesterday. I was sitting outside in my backyard drinking my favorite SMASH IPA, Yellow Rose, from Lone Pint, Texas, ABV 6.8%. IPA stands for India Pale Ale, a type of beer that contains a lot of hops. SMASH IPA is an IPA brewed with one type of Malts and one type of Hops (Single Malt, Single Hop). The single hop in this case is Mosaic. My phone started making a loud sound. It was an alarm announcing a tornado warning and, in the distance, I could hear a faint tornado siren. At first, I thought it was nothing but when I saw the lightning approaching, I decided to go inside. Two minutes later a hailstorm made things very loud, the wind was strong, and the house shook, and then we heard a loud explosion. That was a concrete block that had smashed our chimney.

A photo of a beer glass next to a can of Yellow Rose IPA. The beer label shows a young woman in a yellow and green outfit. — I was sitting in my backyard drinking Yellow Rose my favorite SMASH IPA, not knowing that a tornado was advancing down the street nearby.

After the wind had died down a bit, I opened the door to the backyard, and what I saw shocked me. My gas grill had flown across the patio. There were bricks and pieces of concrete all over the patio and the lawn. There was a big sheet of metal lying on the patio. Big tree branches covered the lawn. There was debris everywhere. We had also lost power. It turns out that the EF3 tornado had gone through our neighborhood and passed within fifty to one hundred yards of our house.

This house is totally destroyed. — Another neighbor’s house (a bit further away from us).

My wife Claudia asked me to go check on her parents. I drove about 50-100 yards when a neighbor’s roof lying across the road stopped me. I turned around but this time I was stopped by a large pile of trees lying across the street. So, I started walking, but this time I was stopped by a group of firemen telling me that it was too dangerous to be outside. They told me to go back home, and I did.

The entire top of this house is gone. — This is the next-door neighbor of Claudia’s (my wife) parents.

I can add that we got some unexpected help from our congressman at the time, Colin Allred, congressional district 32. My wife left the neighborhood in her car, but the police would not let anyone back in. This made it difficult to, for example, go shopping. I complained about this on Colin Allred’s Facebook page and within hours I received an email from Colin Allred’s legislative director (Judith). They had contacted city hall and the police and now the police would allow residents back in the neighborhood as long as they could show ID. Colin Allred’s office had my email from a previous communication. I did not leave that with my Facebook comment. My wife was happy since she now could go shopping.

Below are some additional photos that I took, showing the carnage in the neighborhood.

The Gap is a big store, but it had the entire backside ripped off. — The remains of the Gap, a store at a nearby shopping center.

The house is completely flattened. A large tree is destroyed. It has no branches. — Destroyed house in the neighborhood.

Crashed cars and destroyed stores. — View of the shopping center in our neighborhood.

The yellow school bus is wrapped around a tree. — This was a school bus belonging to the school where my boys went.

Trees are ripped up, vehicles are crushed. — Streetview from the neighborhood.

A big nice-looking house destroyed by a tornado. — Another house in the neighborhood.

A photo taken from the inside of a destroyed office. — The remains of the veterinary clinic where we used to take our dogs. Luckily there were no animals staying overnight at this time.

A photo of severely damaged house. The roof is lying in the street. — Our street, just two/three houses down from us.

Featured on Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

I am so happy to announce that Sally Cronin is kindly featuring my book on her smorgasbord blog. You can read the excerpt from my book on her blog. I invite you all visit Smorgasbord Book Promotions 2024. Comments will be closed here. Leave all comments over there. Thank you so much.

Smorgasbord Book Promotions 2024 – Share an Excerpt – #Doglovers – The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger by Thomas Wikman

The Blog Tag

I just got tagged by deanne01 – Vegan Book Blogger for this blog tag. This is her last post. I’ve never been tagged before, and I have to admit I am not entirely sure how it works but as I understand I should tag other people by linking to their website. I am also linking to their last post to generate a pingback because I don’t know how you would know otherwise. I selected some random fellow bloggers who I thought might find these kinds of games amusing but I certainly don’t expect anyone to participate. It is only if you feel so inclined. However, the opposite is also true, if you want to do it, tell me and I will add you. Below are the people I picked.

If you have been tagged (or want to be tagged) and want to participate then you answer the six questions below. My answers are included below.

How did you come up with your blog name?

This blog was originally a blog about our late Leonberger dog Bronco and the book I wrote about him “Le Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle”. The blog and the book is about his life so I chose the name “Leonberger Life”. The blog and the book also feature photos and information about Leonbergers. As time passed, I’ve added other topics too including my adventures and background as well as book reviews. I also launched a second blog “Super Factful”, which is about something different.

If your blog was a person (fiction or real), who would it be?

If my blog was a person, it would be our Leonberger dog Bronco. He was the best person ever.

What helps you create new content if you feel like you need some inspiration?

I get inspiration from looking at other people’s blogs or reading about Leonbergers.

Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with?

I have collaborated with a few people and that was fun. The first person I collaborated with was Jacqui Murray.

Is there anything more you wish you had or would like to learn as a blogger?

Yes, I need to learn how to use the Word Press features better, experiment with themes, and learn about SEO.

Do you have a specific style of blogging?

I am all over the place in terms of topics. When I review a Leonberger book I don’t hesitate to be critical, and I rate it from one star to five stars. I am trying to read all the Leonberger books there are, and I want to review them on my blog, so I need to rate the full spectrum. One day I would like to create a super post featuring around 40 Leonberger books. For other types of books, I like to keep it positive, so I only post books I thought were five stars. All other books I rate on Amazon but not on my blog. I like to add a lot of photos to my dog related posts.

Rainbow Bridge Day and the Dogs We Lost

I almost missed that today is Rainbow Bridge Day or more correctly Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day. Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day is a day of reflection and gratitude that takes place every year on August 28th to honor pets who have passed away. We lost several pets through the years, hamsters, snakes, rabbits and dogs. In this post I will focus on the dogs we lost including Daisy our Pug, Bronco our Leonberger, Ryu our Japanese Chin, Baby our German Shepherd and Baylor or Labrador, or rather Yellow Lab mix. I will start with the dog we lost last, our Pug Daisy and end with the dog we lost first, our Labrador Baylor. I should say that my wife had dogs before we met each other, but Baylor was my first dog. I did not grow up with dogs. We miss them all very much. They left a hole in our hearts.

Our Pug Daisy was a sweet and easy dog who lived a long life. On April 5^th this year she died peacefully in our arms at the age of 15 ½ years old. This was just a few months ago, and it still feels strangely empty without her. Our dog Rollo, a mini–Australian Shepherd has been alone ever since.

A puppy in the arms of our son wearing a red shirt. — Daisy came to us a little pug puppy almost 16 years ago. Our son David, eleven years old at the time, was holding her. A few months ago, I held her for the last time.

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. This is one of the last photos of Daisy.

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 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. Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is still with us. He is six years old.

Daisy our beige pug is laying in the grass and there are some flowers. — A painting of our late pug Daisy who passed away in April. It is based on one of our photos and created by Etsy. I believe by the same woman who made Bronco’s portrait (see below).

The dog we lost before Daisy was our Leonberger dog Bronco. The Leonberger dog is a very large dog related to St. Bernards, Newfound land dogs, and Great Pyrenees, He died on June 16, 2020, just a couple of weeks before his 13^th birthday. He lived a long life for a Leonberger. He was s sweetheart who protected our smaller dogs. He likely saved the life of our other dogs a couple of times, he found run-away hamsters, and he saved our neighborhood from a nightly intruder harassing the women in the neighborhood. He was also incredibly funny. I wrote a book about him and the Leonberger breed. Look to the right if you are using a laptop and at the bottom of the screen if you are using a mobile phone.

Color photo of Leonberger puppy. He is wearing a scarf. — Bronco our Leonberger three months old.

Our old Leonberger lying in the grass. He is approaching 13 years old. — Today’s walk with Bronco and rest stop : April 18 2020, Bronco is 12 years 9 1/2 months.

Painting showing our Leonberger Bronco’s face. Like all Leonbergers he has a black mask and fluffy hair. — The portrait was drawn by Veniceme at Etsy (Natasha Dall’Ara) and it is based on one of our photos.

Illustration showing Rollo our mini-Australian Shepherd, Bronco our Leonberger, and Daisy our Pug. Bronco lived a very long life for a Leonberger. Giant breeds don’t live long. The Leonberger Health Foundation International is trying to fix that. Bronco’s longevity is an inspiration for all Leonbergers and giant breeds around the world. Hopefully his DNA sample will be of some help. — Bronco lived a very long life for a Leonberger. Giant breeds don’t live long. The Leonberger Health Foundation International is trying to fix that. Bronco’s longevity is an inspiration for all Leonbergers and giant breeds around the world. Hopefully his DNA sample will be of some help.

In February of 2018 we lost Bronco’s little friend our little Japanese Chin Ryu. We bought him from Petland not knowing that they got their dogs from Puppy Mills. One time when we went to Petland to buy dog food we brought Ryu with us. As we approached the store he started shaking out of fear. That was a wakeup call for us. He loved howling and it sounded like he was singing an opera. Perhaps he loved howling for the attention he got when he did. Everyone turned around and clapped when he howled. He was a happy fella who died a bit prematurely at the age of 10 from cancer. I was working 16-hour days in Oklahoma when he passed so I could not be with him when he died, which is something I will forever regret.

Photo of Ryu standing with Rachel. Ruy loved dancing and singing and Bronco partially visible on the left was his big brother and protector. — Ryu loved dancing and singing and Bronco partially visible on the left was his big brother and protector.

Photo of our daughter Rachel with Ryu her Japanese Chin. They are sitting on a chair at the dogpark. — Rachel and Ryu, the Japanese Shin at the dogpark.

Drawing of Ryu our smart little Japanese Chin. Our smart little angel was unlucky with cancer, and I was not there for him. — Our smart little angel was unlucky with cancer, and I was not there for him. That is Baby and Baylor waiting at the end of the rainbow bridge.

Baby was a female German Shepherd. One of Claudia’s sisters had rescued her. We were told she had been abused by her first owners and she was a very anxious dog. We frequently took the dogs to the dog park, but she was never comfortable there and kept to herself. She was very protective of our Leonberger Bronco when he was a puppy. She played with him and protected him fiercely as if she was his mother. She died from cancer at home on her mattress. It would have been better for her to get an injection at the veterinary, but we did not react quick enough. Another thing we regret.

Photo of our German Shepherd playing with our Leonberger puppy Bronco. — Bronco, at the age of four or five months, would soon outgrow his playmate Baby.

Photo of our German Shepherd Baby at the dog park. — Baby was always a little wary at the dog park.

Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing our late German Shepherd Baby under a star. — Sometimes not thinking things through is cruel. Watch your emotions. We could have done better for our brave German Shepherd Baby.

Baylor was a ¾ Yellow Lab and ¼ Ridgeback. He was a happy and brave dog who fought bravely when attacked by other dogs. He was also food crazy and stole a lot of food. As he got older, he developed diabetes and cataracts. His passing was the saddest and most shocking. We had left our dogs with a dog sitter during a ski vacation when she called us and told us she could not stay at our house because she had several other dogs to take care of. Something she had not told us. We were forced to allow her to take our dogs to her house. The next phone call was much worse. She had put Baylor out in her backyard because he was barking at night, and he had escaped. It was a cold night. He was found dead the next morning halfway between her house and our house. Hit by a driver who just left him there. Apparently, he had tried to get back to our house. It was quite a shock, and the kids were bawling their eyes out. That was the last time we hired a dog sitter.

Photo of Baylor and Baby — Baylor and Baby

Photo of our Labrador Baylor. He is looking into the camera. — Photo of our Labrador Baylor

Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing our Labrador Baylor crossing the rainbow bridge. — Our Labrador left us tragically and unexpectantly. Evidence that we humans our cruel.

Illustration by Naomi Rosenblatt showing a paw print in the sky. — The paw prints that dogs leave in your heart are eternal.

All illustrations are by Naomi Rosenblatt

25 Photos of Young Leonbergers

This is another one of my 25 Leonberger photos posts. This time the theme is young Leonbergers, puppies as well as teenage Leonbergers. The teenager photos show them before their bodies has filled out. Below is a list of the previous 25 Leonberger posts I’ve made.

25 Leonberger Photos and Illustrations.
Another 25 Leonberger Photos and Illustrations.
25 Waterberger Photos (Leonbergers in water or swimming).
25 Leonberger Puppies and Other Puppies for National Puppy Day.
25 Photos of Leonbergers with Other Dogs.
25 Photos of Leonbergers in Nature.

If you’ve been following my blog, you will have seen many of these photos already but not all of them. About half of the photos are of our Leonberger Bronco and then there are stock photos and photos from other people.

Also don’t forget to check out my new blog if you haven’t done so.