Updated on August 8, 2003

Trouble on Eight Legs

One of the first things people would ask after Jasper, my four-legged companion of 13 years, died this January was whether or not I would get another dog. Dogs are a lot of responsibility. You have to feed them, and walk them, and clean up after them, and train them, and find someone to watch them if you go away. With Jasper's passing, suddenly, the years of being responsible for another living being were over. No more visits to the vet. No more walking in the rain and cold when I really didn't want to. No more feeling guilty if I left him home alone for the day. I was freer than I had been in over a decade.

And I hated it. For me, the question wasn't if I was going to get another dog, but, rather, how soon and what kind. "Convenience" was no substitute for canine companionship - I missed having a dog big time.

In truth, the search for another dog began before Jasper took a turn for the worse. Last summer, while at the vet with Jasper, I was idling away the time waiting for the vet by looking at the dogs on a breed chart they had on the wall. Near the bottom of the chart was a large, handsome dog that I had never heard of - a Leonberger. While the vet was examining Jasper, I asked him if he knew anything about the breed. He knew of them, but had never had one as a patient. I made note of the breed name, vowing to find out more.

And, indeed, a quick search on the Internet led to a wealth of information about the breed. The more I learned, the more convinced I became that this was the dog for me. Large, gentle, agile, smart, good with children and other animals, lovers of water - all traits I was seeking in a dog. The seed was planted - we decided we would look for a puppy and have Jasper be it's role model for desired behavior.

There was one "small" problem, however. You couldn't just find a Leonberger by looking through the newspaper or other "for sale" ads. The dogs are rare in the U.S., where only about 2000 of them reside. And, although I had never heard of them, others had, so the relatively small number of breeders in the states had waiting lists.

Sometimes ignorance and luck go hand-in-hand, however. I decided to e-mail breeders near to us to ask about the breed and inquire how one goes about acquiring a puppy. The two nearest breeders were in Nova Scotia and southern New Hampshire. I e-mailed the breeder in southern New Hampshire first and hit the jackpot - they were planning a litter, and if we would want to be placed on the list of possible owners, we could send a $200 deposit, along with a lengthy application form.

A lesson for all the newlyweds out there. When considering adding a large, furry family member to your household, it might not be the wisest thing to act first, and tell your wife later. While Denise and I had discussed the possibility of getting a puppy, I ended up taking it upon myself to mail in the deposit and application. Let's just say she was a bit "surprised" when she learned of this a few weeks later. We're still married, so I guess she's forgiven me.

Since the dogs are so rare in this country, the Leonberger Club of America tries to ensure that the utmost care is taken in breeding the dogs and placing them in homes. Suffice it to say that the application was "thorough." I often joke that I think it would have been easier to adopt a child. As the process went on, I think it became less of a joke and more of a fact.

All this occurred in mid-December. In early January, those of us who sent in a deposit learned that "Elsa" was pregnant. This still didn't ensure us a puppy, however - there was no way of knowing how big the litter was going to be, and we still weren't sure if we would be deemed "worthy" of adopting a puppy.

The gestation period for the dogs is 8 weeks. So, all we could do was wait. In the interim, Jasper's health deteriorated, and he passed away at the end of January. In our grief, we lamented the fact that the puppy, if there would be one, would never come to know this wonderful dog.

On February 25, the blessed event occurred. A rather terse e-mail informed us that Elsa had had her puppies. No mention of how many, other than the fact that after the 5th one, they had to take her to the vet to have a cesarean to deliver the rest of them. Since the breeder was no doubt extremely busy with the birth, we didn't want to bother her with questions. So again, we waited.

About two weeks later, the breeder updated their web page with a picture of the puppies. Elsa gave birth to 12 puppies, although one was stillborn, and another died three days later. That left ten - six girls and four boys. They looked like little sausages. And still, we weren't sure if one would be ours.

It wasn't until the pups were four weeks old that it was confirmed that we would be getting a puppy. Now, all we had to do was hold out for another excruciated month until we could pick up our little girl. In the interim, I had to fence in a portion of our yard (one of the requirements of the breeder). We checked the breeder's website daily for picture updates, but they came few and far between. We asked if we could come down ahead of time to pick out our pup, but were told that the pups were assigned to us, based on our lifestyle and the results of the puppy's "temperament test" given at seven weeks. Many times, I questioned why I didn't just get a dog from the pound, but each time I would tell myself, "well, you've made it this far..."

And then the day finally arrived. The puppies turned eight weeks old on a Tuesday. We would be picking up "Alona" on the following Friday. It is a four hour drive from our house to the breeder's so we arranged to stay at a friend's house in New Hampshire the night before. That night, while attempting to sleep, felt a lot like Christmas night when I was a kid - there wasn't a whole lot of sleep involved.

The breeder's house smelled like dog, which I suppose we should have expected since there were 10 puppies in the kitchen. We waited in the living room and they brought Alona out - 19 pounds of a big, fuzzy, fur-ball of a puppy. We also got to meet, and get checked out by, Elsa, the mother. She seemed to approve of us, which was a good sign. Alona was feisty and not really all that focused on us - instead she was focused on all the "new" things to be found in the living room that she wasn't normally allowed in.

The papers were signed, the money exchanged, and soon we were on our way with one big, adorable puppy.

Denise had never had a puppy before. She wasn't sure what to expect. This was a good thing, because if she had, I don't think the puppy would be living with us right now. Puppy liked to nibble. Okay, "bite" would be a more appropriate word. Sharp puppy teeth grabbing our feet and ankles and arms any chance she could get. After a week of this, Denise was literally in tears. I tried to convince her that it was something the dog would outgrow, but it fell upon deaf ears. Finally, I had to send her to Bar Harbor for a "respite" from the puppy in hopes of calming her down. Even that didn't work all too well.

The good news was that Alona was smart. Within a day, she started going to the door when she needed to go the bathroom, and within a week, she was pretty much potty trained. She didn't bark. She stayed in the yard. She didn't cry too much when we had to leave her. Having to get up every few hours during the night to let her out seemed like a small price to pay for the joys of puppy breath, unbelievably soft fur, and watching her discover the world.

Before we got Alona, we were warned by other Leonberger owners that you couldn't walk down the street without getting a million questions. Living in a relatively rural area, we didn't think that would be much of a problem. We were wrong. "What kind of dog is that?" was the question from just about anyone we happened to pass. People will even stop in their cars to ask. It is, of course, kind of fun to enlighten them, but the dog doesn't always appreciate the interruptions. Now, as soon as we start talking to someone, Alona lies down, knowing that it might be a while before we get moving again.

Leonbergers are BIG dogs. Which of course means they are big puppies. When we first got Alona, at almost 9 weeks old, she weighed 19.2 pounds. Ever since then she has gained, on average, 1/2 pound a day.

After we had Alona for about a month, we began to entertain thoughts of getting her a playmate. Two dogs, after all, aren't that much more trouble than one, we reasoned. And, in fact, they might even be less trouble since they tend to keep each other entertained. So, I took a look at petfinders.com and attempted to find a suitable partner.

At about the same time, through e-mail, we learned that the breeder still had three puppies left. They had intended to keep one female from the litter, but then one of the males turned out to have a crooked leg, so they couldn't legitimately sell him. A third pup, a male, had yet to be placed - they had a number of interested parties, but none of them were "ideal" in their eyes. So, on a whim, I e-mailed them and asked if they'd consider letting us be home to two Leonbergers!

They said they had to think about it. The pup was now four months old and they had grown quite attached to it. A few days later, however, they came to the conclusion that three puppies, in addition to their four other dogs, were too much. On a Saturday morning they let us know of their decision, and that evening we met them in Portland to pick up Leonberger number 2 - a purposely quick transfer so neither of us would have time to change our minds.

They brought all three of their pups along. The four big puppies together were quite a sight. And then and there, Athos' life changed forever.

One of the first things we did was change his name. Although we didn't really mind "Athos," it soon became apparent that trying to explain his name to other people was quite difficult. He already knew his name, however, so the trick was to find something that sounded similar so that he wouldn't know the difference. And that is how "Athos" came to be known as "Ambrose."

If you think you get a lot of attention walking one Leonberger, you should see what happens when you're walking two. A walk down Main Street in Belfast, which could be accomplished in about 5 minutes by yourself, took us 45 minutes one day. They sell t-shirts with the answers to the "top 10" questions about Leonbergers, and I can see now why someone would wear one.

After a tentative first few days, Ambrose and Alona are inseparable now. He was, indeed, the answer to our biting problems with Alona - except for a few remissions, she seldom wraps her teeth around us anymore. And, despite the fact that they are littermates, they have totally different personalities. Alona is very independent, mischievous, and a voracious eater. Ambrose if very clingy, wary of getting in trouble, and eats so slow you wonder if the food is going to get up and walk away because it is so bored.

And they continue to grow. At five and a half months, they are both around the 70 pound mark. When all is said and done, Alona should weigh about 110-120, and Ambrose 140-160. That's a lot of dog. And that's a good thing. Jasper would be proud.