Lionscourt News
02/ 05/ 23 Update
Just back from attending the Leonberger Club of America's National Speciality show, where I had the honour of going over some fabulous dogs as part of the judging team for their Top 20 competition. This was just shortly after seeing off the boys of our N litter - The Magnificent Seven - who have now all settled in to their new homes. Except young Porthos, who will be staying on a bit as we prepare him for his future home in Belgium. They all now have their own pages here on our website, just as have all previous Lionscourt puppies, and we hope to see many photos from them over the coming years chronicling their adventures! You can follow their progress by following the links from our Past Litters page here.
28 / 02 / 23 N Litter has arrived.
Just a quick update to say that the seven boys of the Lionscourt N Litter have arrived safely. Sadly, the one little girl didn't make it. Proud mum Lani and her team are all doing very well. Photos of the puppies are here.
10 / 10 / 22 Lionscourt M Litter
Juno and Otis’ pups arrived on the 4th, after a difficult labour. She only carried the two, and both big boys were clearly enjoying their ride so much that they were reluctant to get off when the time arrived. Juno has been doing okay and is recovering her strength after a three day effort to bring them into the world safely. The twins are big, boisterous and growing fast. Puppy photos are here.
Just back from attending the Leonberger Club of America's National Speciality show, where I had the honour of going over some fabulous dogs as part of the judging team for their Top 20 competition. This was just shortly after seeing off the boys of our N litter - The Magnificent Seven - who have now all settled in to their new homes. Except young Porthos, who will be staying on a bit as we prepare him for his future home in Belgium. They all now have their own pages here on our website, just as have all previous Lionscourt puppies, and we hope to see many photos from them over the coming years chronicling their adventures! You can follow their progress by following the links from our Past Litters page here.
28 / 02 / 23 N Litter has arrived.
Just a quick update to say that the seven boys of the Lionscourt N Litter have arrived safely. Sadly, the one little girl didn't make it. Proud mum Lani and her team are all doing very well. Photos of the puppies are here.
10 / 10 / 22 Lionscourt M Litter
Juno and Otis’ pups arrived on the 4th, after a difficult labour. She only carried the two, and both big boys were clearly enjoying their ride so much that they were reluctant to get off when the time arrived. Juno has been doing okay and is recovering her strength after a three day effort to bring them into the world safely. The twins are big, boisterous and growing fast. Puppy photos are here.
27 / 09 / 22 Leonberger Clubschau 2022
Just back from the annual pilgrimage to Leonberg. It had been two years since my last visit, thanks to Covid and other things, so it was wonderful to be among old friends at the birthplace of the breed that we all love so very much. I took our Hana along, (Lionscourt Heavenly Hana), who has blossomed once more into a lovely lady after puppies last year. This was her 2nd time in Leonberg. Five years ago, when she was just a baby puppy, she had her first show experience under Willi Gullix, so it was great to see that he was once again going to be judging her. She was placed second, this time in the Breeders’ Class among very good company. We see a lot of variety in type in our breed, which can lead to some fairly divergent opinions about what a good Leonberger should look like. To do well at the premier show for our breed under a judge with such a vast experience is very satisfying indeed.
05/08/22 Getting back into the swing of things
After a slow news summer, (which sadly included a mating that didn’t take), we have been out to a few shows again. This includes our Hana, Lionscourt Heavenly Hana, who returns to the ring after a prolonged absence during which she brought two beautiful litters of puppies into the world. She was in good form and won the CC at Paignton champ show at the beginning of August.
13/03/22 Crufts is back.
This year’s post Covid Crufts should have been a huge celebration, but spirits were noticeably dampened by worsening world events triggered by Russia’s savage war of conquest in Ukraine. Who would have thought that 2022 could possibly be worse than the previous year? Perhaps the post I saw recently suggesting that time travel is a real thing, and that some fool’s botched attempt to do away with the Murder Hornet threat of a few years ago keeps going horribly wrong was accurate? Entries were down a touch this year, but the atmosphere around the ring was upbeat and it was good to see everyone again after so long. Our Lani, Lionscourt Queen Kapiolani, conducted herself reasonably well in the ring, (when she wasn’t hoovering up dropped treats), and won the big Post Graduate class. We returned a couple of days after to do our customary stint on the LCGB stand at Discover Dogs. Once again, our old girl Kuma had a grand day out representing the breed, ably assisted by Hana and of course all of the other fabulous volunteers, 2-legged and 4- legged, who ensure that the Leonberger stand is as popular as ever.
13/12/21 Update
Our Lani, Lionscourt Queen Kapionlani, won the reserve CC at LKA this past weekend, the last of our very few shows this year, and with it she won her studbook number making her the 12th Lionscourt leonberger to have done so.
LCGB Champ Show Success. 23/11/21
Our breeding did well at the recent Leonberger Club of Great Britain championship show. Well done to Young Stanley,( Lionscourt Jack Flash), and Hudson, (Lionscourt Just In Time) for taking the plunge in their first ever dog shows, and coming away with ribbons no less. Well done to Nellie, (Lionscourt Ingénue) for strutting her stuff to a second place. Also to the brothers Taco, (Lionscourt King Kahekili) for also gaining a second in a strong class, and to Jaxon, (Lionscourt Prince Kuhio), for winning first place in a lovely Limit Dog class. And, last but not least well done to our very own Juno, (Lionscourt Juno It Had To Be), for winning the Limit Bitch class. She has matured into a gorgeous young lady and we are looking forward to her becoming a mother next year.
The L litter has landed 13/07/21
Hana spent the past weekend working very hard to bring her latest brood into the world. There are nine big healthy puppies. All are spoken for. Puppy pictures are here!
31/03/21 Welcome Otto
Lionscourt is very pleased to welcome young Othello, (Jolie Patience v. Hescos Leos), known as Otto to his mates, who arrived from Holland this past weekend. Bringing a puppy in from Europe during Covid lockdown and under the Brexit mess has certainly been challenging. Thank you to Matt at Daisybrook pet transport for all of your herculean efforts to deliver Otto safely to his new home with big brothers Reuban and Mowgli, and thank you Michelle Reader and family for sharing this handsome young guy with us. Otto is a lovely calm and confidant fellow, who has taken his first big adventure in his stride. And a beautiful stride it is too.
Unfortunately, upon arrival we discovered that Otto only has one testicle. It is never a nice surprise to discover that a quality puppy has an undescended testicle, but if you are breeding for any amount of time, you will face this- eventually. There is no shame in that. However, it is utterly unforgivable to send such a puppy on to a fellow breeder - especially during difficult circumstances - without saying anything about the condition. Normally, I would never have a puppy that I did not have my own hands on first, but under Covid, this was not possible. A sorry lesson in how some breeders cannot be trusted.
25/ 12 /20 Strange times...
We recently shared a very unhappy farewell for Bruin, (Lionscourt Equinox), whose family sadly had to say goodbye to him due to toxicity caused by a heart medication called Digoxin. I have recently posted a few articles on my health page about research looking into diet-induced DCM, and I strongly recommend having a look. This is a real issue, backed up by sound research and there are certain commercial foods that are highly implicated. As anyone who has had a puppy from me knows, I raise puppies largely on raw, including a wide range of variety, and that is how we feed all of our Leos here at Lionscourt.
Also, a quick update to say that we have finally managed to get our young lady Nellie, (Lionscourt Ingénue) x-rayed for hip and elbow dysplasia, and the images look great, although it will still be some time before the BVA score them due to Covid back-logs.
Covid, covid, covid, it has turned everything upside down. Not the least of which is the price that some greedy bastards are asking for their puppies right now. Yes, you read that correctly, greedy bastards. What else can you call the greeders out there who are doubling the price of puppies for no good reason other than because they can? Please don’t get scammed people, the price of a top drawer, well-bred puppy from excellent lines and fully health tested parents, bred by a well-established and experienced, licensed and even Kennel Club Assured Breeder SHOULD be about £1,500. I cannot express in words just how enraging it is to see backyard breeders charging twice that amount for no reason other than that they can- all because of this pandemic. It is sickening.
Just back from the annual pilgrimage to Leonberg. It had been two years since my last visit, thanks to Covid and other things, so it was wonderful to be among old friends at the birthplace of the breed that we all love so very much. I took our Hana along, (Lionscourt Heavenly Hana), who has blossomed once more into a lovely lady after puppies last year. This was her 2nd time in Leonberg. Five years ago, when she was just a baby puppy, she had her first show experience under Willi Gullix, so it was great to see that he was once again going to be judging her. She was placed second, this time in the Breeders’ Class among very good company. We see a lot of variety in type in our breed, which can lead to some fairly divergent opinions about what a good Leonberger should look like. To do well at the premier show for our breed under a judge with such a vast experience is very satisfying indeed.
05/08/22 Getting back into the swing of things
After a slow news summer, (which sadly included a mating that didn’t take), we have been out to a few shows again. This includes our Hana, Lionscourt Heavenly Hana, who returns to the ring after a prolonged absence during which she brought two beautiful litters of puppies into the world. She was in good form and won the CC at Paignton champ show at the beginning of August.
13/03/22 Crufts is back.
This year’s post Covid Crufts should have been a huge celebration, but spirits were noticeably dampened by worsening world events triggered by Russia’s savage war of conquest in Ukraine. Who would have thought that 2022 could possibly be worse than the previous year? Perhaps the post I saw recently suggesting that time travel is a real thing, and that some fool’s botched attempt to do away with the Murder Hornet threat of a few years ago keeps going horribly wrong was accurate? Entries were down a touch this year, but the atmosphere around the ring was upbeat and it was good to see everyone again after so long. Our Lani, Lionscourt Queen Kapiolani, conducted herself reasonably well in the ring, (when she wasn’t hoovering up dropped treats), and won the big Post Graduate class. We returned a couple of days after to do our customary stint on the LCGB stand at Discover Dogs. Once again, our old girl Kuma had a grand day out representing the breed, ably assisted by Hana and of course all of the other fabulous volunteers, 2-legged and 4- legged, who ensure that the Leonberger stand is as popular as ever.
13/12/21 Update
Our Lani, Lionscourt Queen Kapionlani, won the reserve CC at LKA this past weekend, the last of our very few shows this year, and with it she won her studbook number making her the 12th Lionscourt leonberger to have done so.
LCGB Champ Show Success. 23/11/21
Our breeding did well at the recent Leonberger Club of Great Britain championship show. Well done to Young Stanley,( Lionscourt Jack Flash), and Hudson, (Lionscourt Just In Time) for taking the plunge in their first ever dog shows, and coming away with ribbons no less. Well done to Nellie, (Lionscourt Ingénue) for strutting her stuff to a second place. Also to the brothers Taco, (Lionscourt King Kahekili) for also gaining a second in a strong class, and to Jaxon, (Lionscourt Prince Kuhio), for winning first place in a lovely Limit Dog class. And, last but not least well done to our very own Juno, (Lionscourt Juno It Had To Be), for winning the Limit Bitch class. She has matured into a gorgeous young lady and we are looking forward to her becoming a mother next year.
The L litter has landed 13/07/21
Hana spent the past weekend working very hard to bring her latest brood into the world. There are nine big healthy puppies. All are spoken for. Puppy pictures are here!
31/03/21 Welcome Otto
Lionscourt is very pleased to welcome young Othello, (Jolie Patience v. Hescos Leos), known as Otto to his mates, who arrived from Holland this past weekend. Bringing a puppy in from Europe during Covid lockdown and under the Brexit mess has certainly been challenging. Thank you to Matt at Daisybrook pet transport for all of your herculean efforts to deliver Otto safely to his new home with big brothers Reuban and Mowgli, and thank you Michelle Reader and family for sharing this handsome young guy with us. Otto is a lovely calm and confidant fellow, who has taken his first big adventure in his stride. And a beautiful stride it is too.
Unfortunately, upon arrival we discovered that Otto only has one testicle. It is never a nice surprise to discover that a quality puppy has an undescended testicle, but if you are breeding for any amount of time, you will face this- eventually. There is no shame in that. However, it is utterly unforgivable to send such a puppy on to a fellow breeder - especially during difficult circumstances - without saying anything about the condition. Normally, I would never have a puppy that I did not have my own hands on first, but under Covid, this was not possible. A sorry lesson in how some breeders cannot be trusted.
25/ 12 /20 Strange times...
We recently shared a very unhappy farewell for Bruin, (Lionscourt Equinox), whose family sadly had to say goodbye to him due to toxicity caused by a heart medication called Digoxin. I have recently posted a few articles on my health page about research looking into diet-induced DCM, and I strongly recommend having a look. This is a real issue, backed up by sound research and there are certain commercial foods that are highly implicated. As anyone who has had a puppy from me knows, I raise puppies largely on raw, including a wide range of variety, and that is how we feed all of our Leos here at Lionscourt.
Also, a quick update to say that we have finally managed to get our young lady Nellie, (Lionscourt Ingénue) x-rayed for hip and elbow dysplasia, and the images look great, although it will still be some time before the BVA score them due to Covid back-logs.
Covid, covid, covid, it has turned everything upside down. Not the least of which is the price that some greedy bastards are asking for their puppies right now. Yes, you read that correctly, greedy bastards. What else can you call the greeders out there who are doubling the price of puppies for no good reason other than because they can? Please don’t get scammed people, the price of a top drawer, well-bred puppy from excellent lines and fully health tested parents, bred by a well-established and experienced, licensed and even Kennel Club Assured Breeder SHOULD be about £1,500. I cannot express in words just how enraging it is to see backyard breeders charging twice that amount for no reason other than that they can- all because of this pandemic. It is sickening.
15/ 11/ 20 LCGB Online Show
Thank you to the Leonberger Club of Great Britain, and especially to their hard working secretary Madeleine Jephcott, for running their excellent online dog show in place of the cancelled 2020 LCGB championship show. Well done to all the Lionscourt puppies, past and present, who took part and bagged quite a few top places.
Lani, best puppy in show, Gaia best water rescue action shot, Lola, 1st post graduate bitch, Juno one 1st junior bitch, her sister Juno too 2nd junior bitch, Reuben 1st handsomest dog, his cousin Kaiser 2nd handsomest dog and 2nd Limit dog, Remus Supremus, 2nd open dog, Heavenly Hana 2nd Open bitch, Mowglie, 2nd Junior dog, the lovely Misha 2nd prettiest bitch, adorable baby Zico 2nd cutest puppy, bedraggled and coatless mama Gaia, 3rd champion bitch, and the eternal Barney, 3rd veteran dog at 11 years old. Also a shout out to Taco 5th puppy dog, Stanley 4th junior dog and Griff’s lovely sons Kula, 1st yearling dog and Torrin, 3rd Jr dog. I think I got you all! Well done team and thank you for joining in to support your club.
05/08/2020 …Not much to say
Thought I had better update the news, even though there isn’t much to say. COVID-19 lockdown, lots of events cancelled, travel plans out the window, it has been a strange summer. Still waiting to get eye tests and hip / elbow x-rays done so that we can formalise our future breeding plans. In the meantime, I sent along several photos to the Leonberger Club of Great Britain Online fund raising dog show in support of the rescue and rehoming team, and we were very pleasantly surprised to see our boy Remus, Lionscourt Fitzcaraldo, win best in show. Some may remember that Remus came back to us when he was 18 months old because of a change in his home’s circumstances. He was afraid of his own shadow. Now he is a happy and contented farm dog, with a wonderful loving nature. And not bad looking either. Congratulations to the LCGB for running such a successful online event. Someday, this crazy time will be over, and hopefully we can start to meet up in person once again!
10/03/20 Crufts
Another March and another visit to the Crufts circus has come and gone. Young Lani,(Lionscourt Queen Kapiolani), from our most recent litter had her brother to stay, which kept her well amused while we were at the NEC. A very naked Gaia, ( Ch Lionscourt Gaia JW) now all finished with her maternal duties, enjoyed a day on the Discover Dogs stand along with Kuma, (Lionscourt Fortuna) our kitchen dog, who just adores having a day out to be fussed over by so many lovely friendly people. We even had a celebrity visitor come to the stand, and the dogs were of course impeccably well behaved.
Saturday saw the main event and as usual with my girls, Juno, (Lionscourt Juno It Had To Be), lived up to her name and decided that she had to have her first season and so stayed at home. Hana, (Lionscourt Heavenly Hana), still getting back into shape after her litter last summer, did a respectable turn in a big Limit class, but it was not her day this year. Her brother Bentley, (Lionscourt Hekili) came along to his first time at the big event, and was a little overwhelmed, but did manage to hold his nerve and not pull me out of the ring!
Although the rains are still with us, we are hopeful that normal life will soon return after a very hectic few months!
04/02/2020 K litter fly the coop!
The K litter pups have now (almost) all gone off to their new homes and by all accounts, they are settling into their new families very well. I will be building individual pages for all of them in the next few weeks, so their progress can be followed here. We still have three with us; our own new addition Lani, (Lionscourt Queen Kapiolani) and a lucky pair that are staying with us long enough to get their Pet Passports before they depart for their new homes in Germany at the beginning of March. 3 puppies are certainly keeping me busy, although not so much as the 14 that we had in this litter! Which brings us to the end of a rather busy year or so of puppies her at Lionscourt. Looking forward to a break now, so no more puppies for a while!
22/11/19 Gaia and Remus puppies have arrived
After a long 48 hours + session, our Gaia is now the proud mother of 14 puppies, 7 boys and 7 girls. Mum, pups and washing machine are all doing well! Photos are here
Thank you to the Leonberger Club of Great Britain, and especially to their hard working secretary Madeleine Jephcott, for running their excellent online dog show in place of the cancelled 2020 LCGB championship show. Well done to all the Lionscourt puppies, past and present, who took part and bagged quite a few top places.
Lani, best puppy in show, Gaia best water rescue action shot, Lola, 1st post graduate bitch, Juno one 1st junior bitch, her sister Juno too 2nd junior bitch, Reuben 1st handsomest dog, his cousin Kaiser 2nd handsomest dog and 2nd Limit dog, Remus Supremus, 2nd open dog, Heavenly Hana 2nd Open bitch, Mowglie, 2nd Junior dog, the lovely Misha 2nd prettiest bitch, adorable baby Zico 2nd cutest puppy, bedraggled and coatless mama Gaia, 3rd champion bitch, and the eternal Barney, 3rd veteran dog at 11 years old. Also a shout out to Taco 5th puppy dog, Stanley 4th junior dog and Griff’s lovely sons Kula, 1st yearling dog and Torrin, 3rd Jr dog. I think I got you all! Well done team and thank you for joining in to support your club.
05/08/2020 …Not much to say
Thought I had better update the news, even though there isn’t much to say. COVID-19 lockdown, lots of events cancelled, travel plans out the window, it has been a strange summer. Still waiting to get eye tests and hip / elbow x-rays done so that we can formalise our future breeding plans. In the meantime, I sent along several photos to the Leonberger Club of Great Britain Online fund raising dog show in support of the rescue and rehoming team, and we were very pleasantly surprised to see our boy Remus, Lionscourt Fitzcaraldo, win best in show. Some may remember that Remus came back to us when he was 18 months old because of a change in his home’s circumstances. He was afraid of his own shadow. Now he is a happy and contented farm dog, with a wonderful loving nature. And not bad looking either. Congratulations to the LCGB for running such a successful online event. Someday, this crazy time will be over, and hopefully we can start to meet up in person once again!
10/03/20 Crufts
Another March and another visit to the Crufts circus has come and gone. Young Lani,(Lionscourt Queen Kapiolani), from our most recent litter had her brother to stay, which kept her well amused while we were at the NEC. A very naked Gaia, ( Ch Lionscourt Gaia JW) now all finished with her maternal duties, enjoyed a day on the Discover Dogs stand along with Kuma, (Lionscourt Fortuna) our kitchen dog, who just adores having a day out to be fussed over by so many lovely friendly people. We even had a celebrity visitor come to the stand, and the dogs were of course impeccably well behaved.
Saturday saw the main event and as usual with my girls, Juno, (Lionscourt Juno It Had To Be), lived up to her name and decided that she had to have her first season and so stayed at home. Hana, (Lionscourt Heavenly Hana), still getting back into shape after her litter last summer, did a respectable turn in a big Limit class, but it was not her day this year. Her brother Bentley, (Lionscourt Hekili) came along to his first time at the big event, and was a little overwhelmed, but did manage to hold his nerve and not pull me out of the ring!
Although the rains are still with us, we are hopeful that normal life will soon return after a very hectic few months!
04/02/2020 K litter fly the coop!
The K litter pups have now (almost) all gone off to their new homes and by all accounts, they are settling into their new families very well. I will be building individual pages for all of them in the next few weeks, so their progress can be followed here. We still have three with us; our own new addition Lani, (Lionscourt Queen Kapiolani) and a lucky pair that are staying with us long enough to get their Pet Passports before they depart for their new homes in Germany at the beginning of March. 3 puppies are certainly keeping me busy, although not so much as the 14 that we had in this litter! Which brings us to the end of a rather busy year or so of puppies her at Lionscourt. Looking forward to a break now, so no more puppies for a while!
22/11/19 Gaia and Remus puppies have arrived
After a long 48 hours + session, our Gaia is now the proud mother of 14 puppies, 7 boys and 7 girls. Mum, pups and washing machine are all doing well! Photos are here
11/11/19 LCGB Championship show.
I left my own girls at home and went along to the biggest UK speciality show this past weekend, where I was delighted to see so many past Lionscourt puppies in attendance. Well done to them all, and thank you so much for coming along. Each one entered was placed in their respective class, and a special well done to the boys, who took 3 first place ribbons. Many of them are just starting out in their showing careers and I sincerely hope that we will see more of them in future. The biggest star for me was Barney, Lionscourt Constellation, the elder statesman on the day at 10 years old, making only his second appearance in championship show and moving round the ring with great enthusiasm, where he won 2nd place among some impressive competition. We then went on to compete in the breeders class, among three other strong teams and I am delighted to say the Lionscourt crew took top honours. I am especially proud that there were four generations represented there, L. Constellation, his son, L. Equinox, grandson L. Hekili and great grandson L. Jupiter. Thanks to you all for making me one proud breeder.
17/10/19 Result!
After two past failed attempts, I am very pleased to say that our Ch Lionscourt Gaia JW is confirmed to be pregnant by none other than our very own Remus, Lionscourt Fitzcaraldo. We have waited a long time for this to work, and finally it did. Third time lucky!
03/10/ 19 Cluny and Leonberg
Just recently returned from the annual pilgrimage to the big continental Leonberger shows in France and at the ancestral home of the breed in Leonberg, Germany. This year’s lucky travellers were Gaia, (out of coat as usual), and young Juno, experiencing her first ever big road trip. It was just a year ago that I had been over in France scouting for males and where I had first met Juno’s sire, Macho, so it was quite something to return again with the happy results of that excursion. Juno was a little star, and took it all in her stride. She even did a turn in the ring in the Baby Puppy evaluations at Cluny, where she received a lovely critique. Gaia meanwhile stepped back into the ring following her own recent puppies, and although still regaining her coat and full fitness, she managed to be rated excellent in Cluny’s champion female class where she was down to the last 5 and took a turn in the ring of honour with the award for best head in the class. In Leonberg, she was again rated excellent, and again narrowly missed out a place in the final four, all the while wearing her best “I’d rather be home on the sofa” expression!
16/09/19 Website finally updated!
I and J litter pups all have their own pages now, and new photos are being added all the time. Keep them coming! Check it out on the past litters page here.
12/09/19 A very late update
Things have been busy with a lot of comings and goings this summer, so we're a bit late with the news updates. Hana's J litter all went off to their new homes and are (hopefully) now living happily ever after. We met up with a batch of them at the annual Leonberger Club of Great Britain fun day in August. It was wonderful to see them all, along with their great grandfather Barney, Lionscourt Constellation, still looking great for his age and even winning the handsomest boy in the fun dog show.
23/ 06/19 Farewell Nubi-Ruby
Lionscourt Danubia, 23/05/11 – 20/06/19 slipped away peacefully after losing her battle with hemangiosarcoma. She had a very full life, early on filling in as a trainee Guide Dog, where she navigated the busy streets of London fearlessly, then travelling abroad to Leonberg , Antwerp, and Bruge during her brief show career. She had a romantic fling in France, which resulted in a wonderful litter of 9 puppies. Four weeks after they arrived, she took in a further 7 orphaned puppies who had sadly lost their mum. She loved them just as much as her own, and together raised an uber-litter of 16. She then went off to pursue a sparkling career as a water rescue dog, before coming home once again to settle into her new and final role as chief meeter-and-greeter. If ever there was a dog who had their tail connected directly to their vocal cords, it was our Nubi. The cancer got her finally, but she fought valiantly and sang her songs of joy until the very end.
21/05/19 The Just Before Brexit litter has arrived!
Hana and her brood are doing well, she is being a fantastic mum. Photos are here.
15/04/19 Crufts news and So Much More!
Hana had a nice day at Crufts this year, winning a strong yearling bitch class.
BUT, even more importantly, after a long nerve-wracking wait, Hana finally had her season. Not just before Crufts as we had hoped, so that she would be ready while her Prince Charming was here in the UK with us, but instead shortly after. That meant that there was just enough time before the 28th of March and the looming Brexit deadline to get it done!
Hana and I zipped across the channel a few weeks ago and shared a 2,000 mile round trip to Europe, where she enjoy a lovely romantic holiday in the Austrian Alps with her betrothed, the young Austrian Champion Odion-O'Connor Lord of Pelgrims Ring. We made it back home with a few days to spare before the Brexit deadline, which, in the end didn’t matter anyway! Puppies are on the way, yippee!
Then came the long wait for a scan….tick tock, tick tock… But now I am delighted to say that it was all worth it, we have some good news- Puppies are on the way!
If all goes well, these puppies will have an inbreeding coefficient of just 26% across 42 generations, with 1589 unique ancestors – (not including the more than 800 Newfies behind Alma v. Rossbach). They will also have a low Mean Kinship rating, just 30.89. So there will hopefully be a litter on the way with a great deal of genetic diversity, which is badly needed in the breed. But most importantly, both Hana and Macho are lovely, calm, healthy and typie examples of the leonbergers who, together, I hope will produce a very special litter.
09/02/19 Peace has returned!
All of the puppies from the Lionscourt I litter settled into their new homes last week, and we have transformed our place back to normal following their departures. Gaia and I took a little road trip to visit puppies and when she came home, she settled back into her sofa as though it had all been a dream. There are now pages for each of the I litter pups, and the photos are starting to pour in. You can find it at the bottom of the past litters page here. Hana is maturing into a lovely young lady, we managed to get some up to date photos of her recently, and hopefully she will be meeting her Prince Charming very soon. Plans page will be updated when we know more!
04/12/18 The I Litter has landed.
Gaia brought 12 lovely puppies into the world without any assistance on Sunday. She is being a super mum. Litter page with weekly photos is Here!
02/11/18 All systems are go!
Yesterday, our Gaia had her scan, and I am very pleased to say that she is brimming with new life, so we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of puppies in early December. Yipee!
20/08/18 World Dog Show visit
Hana had a fun road trip to visit the World Dog Show in Amsterdam, and did very well at the three shows that were part of the event, despite the crazy over-crowded conditions at the RAI centre. She was rated excellent in all three, and placed 2nd in her class at the Benelux show, then 4th in a very strong class at the WDS itself. We teamed up with some fellow UK exhibitors with Estrela Mountain Dogs for a visit to Pieter Oliehoek from Dogs Global: https://www.dogsglobal.com
Some of you will remember that he is the conservation geneticist that did the Genetic Diversity preservation video for the Leonberger breed a couple of years ago, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXs02IlxMCY
Pieter spends a lot of time in Portugal and loves both of these breeds, so he was thrilled to see these lovely dogs visit him at the show.
14/05/18 Bummer…
Gaia had her scan today, and I am sorry to say that she does not appear to have any puppies on board. It would seem that we will need to try again next time. Looks like I will have more free time than I thought this coming summer.
23/04/18 Love is in the air.
On Tuesday the 10th of April, I flew off to Chicago to attend the Leonberger Club of America’s annual National Specialty show, where I was honoured to be presented with the Waltraut Zieher award by the Leonberger Health Foundation (LHF website: https://www.leohealth.org/ ), for past efforts to promote the health and vitality of our lovely breed. The LHF has also kindly invited me to become their first overseas board member, which I consider to be a great honour.
Naturally, at precisely the same time back home in the UK, our Gaia ( Ch Lionscourt Gaia JW) decided to be sufficiently “in the mood for love”, and I am very thankful to say that with the kind assistance of some Leo-savvy friends, two very successful matings were achieved between Gaia and Remus (Lionscourt Fitzcaraldo). So now the waiting game begins, and we hope that soon we will once again hear the pitter-patter of puppy paws here at Lionscourt leonbergers. Watch this space…
08/03/18 Crufts
Just a quick note to say that Crufts has once more come and gone. There are a few short videos of the leonberger results on Youtube, so check out:
Best of Breed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgGJAF39yDo
Male challenge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O158ICbmakA
Female challenge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgmOChak3dY
23/11/17 Quick update
Last Sunday, Hana ( Lionscourt Heavenly Hana) trotted off to the Leonberger Club of Great Britain championship show, where she won best puppy in show. The same weekend, her brother Sam, (Lionscourt Haleakala), was at his first show in the states, where he won a five point major, which apparently is pretty uncommon for a six month old puppy. I have no idea how their system works over there, other than that it is a points based system, and young Sam is now a third of the way to championship title. All the H litter are doing really well and I look forward to watching these little stars grow up.
28/09/17 Leonberg Clubsiegerschau 2017
Recently back from the annual pilgrimage to Leonberg in Germany for the DCLH Clubsiegerschau. It was a very nice event, with pleasant weather and excellent company. Young Hana enjoyed her very first road trip and conducted herself surprisingly well as she charmed everyone she met. She had her first turn in the ring at a real dog show and received a glowing critique in the baby puppy class. Then auntie Gaia, (minus her coat, which she had methodically shed out completely just before departure), had her first turn in the champions’ class and managed to nab third place behind the gorgeous Norwegian and Russian girls.
04/ 06/ 2017 DOTY
Gaia was the winner in the knock-out competition for the Leonberger Club of Great Britain's Dog of the Year contest, an event that brings together all of the CC and RCC winners from the 2016 show season. She was a star, waiting all day for the event to start and then showing her socks off for us.
19/04/17 The H Litter has landed.
Ete (Lionscourt Eternity) has brought 13 lovely puppies into the world all by herself. She is working hard, but she is managing to keep all those little bellies full. Happy puppies = happy breeder. You can see the H litter's page and follow their weekly progress here.
21/03/17 Spring has Sprung!
A quick scan today has confirmed that the Lionscourt “H” litter is on its way, so with luck and a fair wind we should see them arrive in the second half of April. Happy days. In other news, Crufts has come and gone for another year. We had a quiet one this time, with only a very out-of-coat Gaia to show, who was then summarily binned. That meant that I had a chance to sit and watch some of the judging for a change, and even do a little Crufts 2017 Video.
19/02/17 Love is in the air.
Ete and Finn danced the Pas de Deux this weekend. Now we wait for the scan. Fingers crossed. We sure could use some sweet little bundles of joy to bring on the spring.
13/02/17 More sad news…
On Friday, we had to make the awful decision to say goodbye to our darling Sommarblomma. Fibrosarcoma would not give her back to us, no matter how hard we tried. In the end, they all break our hearts, and losing her has been truly devastating. It has not been a good winter here, so we look forward to a better spring to come.
22/01/17 Win some, lose some….
Good news and bad news often seem to follow one another closely in this world. On Wednesday the 18th, we had to say farewell to our dear Bella, Lionscourt Belisana, when she suffered what appeared to have been an abdominal bleed. It is not an uncommon end for elderly dogs, and thankfully she was in good health up until the night before, when she sang and danced about for her supper as usual. I will forever miss that sweet, happy song.
Three days later, our Gaia gained her crown at the Manchester show, winning her third CC under renowned all-rounder Carlos Saevich. I am so very proud of her, winning Junior warrant and then completing her full championship title one month later. She will be shown lightly in the UK going forward, (I wouldn’t dream of chasing after the CC winners record, as I think it is a foolish system that encourages the very worst sort of sportsmanship in this game, and lord knows there is already enough of that about), but we are very much looking forward to campaigning her in the champions’ classes abroad. Now we are awaiting Ete’s next season, and hopefully we will see a new generation of Lionscourt puppies in the spring. We have chosen a very promising young guy as the sire of this litter, and details can be seen on the Plans Page here. Hug your dogs.
17/12/16 So long 2016
At the annual general meeting of the Leonberger Club of Great Britain, our youngster Lionscourt Gaia was awarded the hat trick: Top puppy; Top bitch; and top leonberger overall among LCGB club members for the 2016 show season. Also, after quite a bit of scrabbling about trying to find open shows with leo classes and hoping that at least a few other leos were in attendance, we finally managed to scrape together the points necessary to gain a Junior Warrant award for young Gaia. (For all of our overseas friends, this is roughly equivalent to a Junior Championship title, and points must be gained in both big championship shows - from which Gaia had more than enough - and also from small regional shows, which were actually the harder part because there needs to be at least three in a class ). Anyway, it was a nice finish to what has in fact been quite a tough year for us and many others. Best wishes to all for the holidays and bring on 2017!
02/11/16 Success at home
Just a quick update to say how proud I am of our young Gaia, who won her second CC along with BOB at Midland Counties champ show under Helen Davenport-Willis this past Thursday. Having 2 CC’s under her belt at just 16 months old is very cool indeed. I have just returned from a long drive north to visit with Bruin’s puppies, who are all just gorgeous. Sending our best wishes for long happy lives to all of them in their new families.
05/10/16 Success abroad.
We are back home now, and fully recovered from our annual journey to Cluny and Leonberg. Our youngster, Lionscourt Gaia, is by now a seasoned traveller, and she conducted herself well at both shows. In the pouring rain of Cluny, she was placed 3rd out of 27 young females, and made the ring of honour again a week later in Leonberg, this time winning the trophy for 4th place, once again out of 27 lovely young ladies from across Europe. Bruin, Lionscourt Equinox, also made the pilgrimage to Leonberg and, not wishing to be out-done by his younger half-sister, he won 2nd place in the large Open Male class. We were very proud to be coming home with three trophies from these two very prestigious shows!
Health Video:
I also attended the meeting of the International Leonberger Union, and presented the finished health video project to the delegates gathered there. This 36 minute film is entitled “Safeguarding Genetic Diversity in the Leonberger Breed” and I urge anyone interested in pedigree dogs to sit back and take a hard look at it.
30/08/2016 Bruin comes of age.
Lionscourt Equinox will soon be the proud poppa of a littler of pups brought into the world by their gorgeous mother, “Suvi”, Princess Tiana from the famous Namupalan kennels in Finland. We are very grateful to Steph Peplow and Carol Lear at Alfross Leonbergers UK for choosing our lovely boy for his maiden voyage into fatherhood. Suvi's puppies are due in a couple of weeks and she is reported to be carrying a large litter, so there may still be some available. Enquiries to: Alfross Leonbergers here.
20/07/16 Bella the Birthday Girl is 10
A quick news update to say that our Bella, Lionscourt Belisana celebrated her 10th birthday on the 8th of the month, and also celebrated the arrival of her new grandnieces and nephews on the 28th and 29th of June over at Sinead and Joe Treacy’s Sion-na-rush leonbergers in Ireland. All 11 are doing well and growing fast. Now the fun begins for them! Bella joins me in sending our very best wishes, may they all go on to someday celebrate their very own 10th birthdays too! I have also added a new article to the health page on canine heat cycles.
Good news / Bad news 19/ 06 / 16
We have had a roller-coaster these past few months here at Lionscourt. The good news is that our youngster Gaia has completed her puppy career with great success, and topped it off by winning her first CC and Best of Breed under Andrew Brace at the Three Counties show out of an entry of 45+ leonbergers, aged just 12 months and 10 days. Although she missed a few shows due to her first season, she was running neck and neck for Leonberger pup of the year. Wins so far are:
Open Shows:
Worcester and Malvern C.S. 1st and Best AVNSC, and puppy group 1
Gloucester and D C S Best Puppy and Best in AVNSC, WG 4 and puppy group 1
National Working and Pastoral open 1st Jr., BPB and RBOB
Marlborough 70th anniversary show, BOB, puppy group 1 and Reserve Best Puppy in Show
Championship shows:
LKA 1st MPB
Manchester 1st MPB
Crufts 1st PB and BPB
Birmingham National 1st PB and BPB
WELKS 1st PB and BPB
3 Counties 1st Jr and BOB
Dutch 50th anniversary show Youth class of 24 bitches between 9 and 18 months of age, V3
And the bad news is that 4 weeks ago, we noticed a lump on the front leg of our girl Sommar. As with all tuned-in leonberger owners, that set off all the alarm bells at once. A biopsy and referral to Fitzpatrick’s excellent new oncology speciality centre followed. The result was that she was diagnosed as having a soft tissue sarcoma on her forelimb, which is a locally aggressive tumour that, thankfully, if caught early is almost never metastatic. That means that we needed to act fast and remove the tumour at once with a minimum of 3 cm margins on all sides. I don’t need to tell you that, given the fact that 6 cm is the width of her leg, this meant only one thing. So our gorgeous girl has very sadly had to suffer a front leg amputation. All lab reports are now back, and we are very relieved that she has been given a guarded all clear with an excellent prognosis. With aggressive initial surgery and clear margins, the average survival time following such an event is given as five plus years. In other words, most dogs are cancer-free and pass away from age related causes. Sommar is a strong, fit girl and has astonished me with her resilience. Just before writing this, I watched her this morning charging about frolicking with her pack as though nothing had happened. If ever there was a dog that taught me to regret nothing and live for the day, it is her. The other lesson that has once again been driven home is that we must put our hands on our dogs every day to discover any lump or bump. The sooner found, the more options we have for dealing with them. 85% of them will be nothing to worry about. The others could be much more serious however, so when in doubt, check it out! I have added a link to an article about this on the health articles page here. Hug your dogs X
14/03/16 Crufts 125th anniversary show.
Once again the annual rite of spring that is the Crufts dog show has come and gone. We had a lovely if hectic time showing our dogs in the working group on Saturday and then spent all day on the Discover Dogs LCGB stand on Sunday, traditionally the busiest day of the show. Lionscourt Leonbergers once again had a very good outing at the show; Youngsters Griff and Kaiser, (L. Griffon and L. Galactica) had a good romp together through the puppy dog class and somehow managed to come out with second and third place; Brothers Bruin and Reuben were also on hand (L. Equinox and L. Eureka) and while Bruin was too fidgety to impress on the day, Reuben was much more focused and won first place in the GC class. Our Kuma (L. Fortuna) surprised a lot of people by winning a very strong yearling class even after leaving most of her coat at home; And I am delighted to say that Gaia won puppy bitch and was best puppy in breed. They both behaved themselves impeccably on the Sunday as well, such good ambassadors for the breed. It was lovely to catch up with everyone, especially all of our overseas friends who came to the show, one of the highest entries ever. Rest time now I think :-)
17/12/15 Happy Holidays!
When does a breeder’s job finish? I have always felt that commitment to the puppies that you bring into this world remains, whatever their age. We have recently experienced just how important this can be when Kuma's lovely young brother Remus, Lionscourt Fitzcaraldo, came back home to live with us because of a change in circumstances in his family. Remus is a lovely boy, who has settled in well with our girls, whom he adores. He is not confidant in public spaces, and needs time to get to know new people, but this is improving all the time, and we feel sure he will have a happy settled future back home with us here at Lionscourt. You can see more about him on his page here. Meanwhile, Gaia had her very first show, and I am very pleased with how confidant and relaxed she was as she took the NEC and all its hustle and bustle in her stride, winning a 1st place and a ticket to Crufts. She did not put a foot wrong, and this will hopefully be the start of a long and happy future in the ring. Sending out our warmest holiday wishes to everyone.
06/10/15 News Update
Gaia and I are recently returned from our wonderful whirlwind tour of France and Germany, where we took in the club shows at Cluny and Leonberg. Bruin, Lionscourt Equinox, managed to make a flash visit to Cluny and received an excellent critique, getting to the final five in his youth class before launching into an impromptu healwork-to-music routine, when all that was requested was a nice steady trot. More ring training me thinks. I have finally had a chance to get round to updating the website and all the G litter pups now have their own pages! You can find them on our Past Litters page. Enjoy.
08/07/15 B litter 9th birthday
Sending out our warmest happy birthday wishes to our sweet Bella's siblings who are nine years old. And fondly remembering those who are no longer with their families today.
03/06/15 G Litter has landed!
They arrived on Monday the first of June. Mum and pups doing fine. Photos may be found here. All of these pups are now spoken for. We will have weekly updates of new photos in their gallery. If you are interested in a future Lionscourt pup, please check back on our plans page in early 2016.
30/04/15 Sommar is Blooming and we have puppies on the way.
After four weeks of anxious wait, we are very pleased to report that our Altonastigens Sommarblomma is indeed blooming and that her ultrasound scan reveals that she has a full load of lovely pups on board, sired by the luscious Leandro Uit’t Berggat. So, it looks like we have another summer litter on the way, due around about the 4th of June. Please see our plans page for more details and our contacts page if you would like to get in touch about this litter.
09/03/2015 Crufts- Annual spring madness weekend.
Another Crufts has come and gone. Thank you to all the overseas exhibitors who made the huge effort to come for the show this year. It is always so nice to see new dogs on these shores. We were very pleased with how well the Lionscourt youngsters did this year, which saw one of the largest number of entries in our breed at the show for some time. Bruin and his sister Lani, (Lionscourt Etoile and Equinox) both bagged second place rosettes in their big Junior classes. And the adorable Reuben, (Lionscourt Eureka), expertly handled as ever, took third place, as did young Kuma-chan in her puppy class. Not forgetting Bella’s boy Ryker (Lionscourt Drake at Karysmhor) who also took the yellow rosette in a very strong Limit dog class. Sommar ( still not in season yet....), and young Nico were also in the cards on the day, so everyone a winner at the biggest show of them all. Our granny Bella and young Kuma then spent a couple of days pressing the flesh at the LCGB stand at Discover Dogs. So many joyful visitors soaking up the Leo-love. But then sad to see that this year’s show was once again mired by a few shocking incidents, which as ever, manage to overshadow all the rest. Also, can’t help sparing thought for dear Balli, who was flying so very high this same time last year, when he glided to his best dog CC at Crufts 2014. Embrace each day, for tomorrow may change everything. Oh, and hug your dogs. They are all the best.
Plans page is updated.......23/ 12/ 14
Fingers crossed for Leonberger puppies in 2015. You can find out more by clicking here
Win some, Lose some….. 25/11/14
Today marks the 6 month half birthday of the Lionscourt F litter. A lovelier pack of pups you could not hope to find. All are well and thriving in their new homes. This past July, a DNA test was released for a second form of Leonberger Polyneuropathy, termed LPN2. Very sadly, and despite there being ample evidence of robust longevity in his line, their sire, alas, proved to be harbouring a copy of the faulty gene. Their mother luckily was shown to be clear. This gave each puppy a 50 / 50 chance of inheriting a clear set of genes as well. Probabilities work fine on paper, but real life just isn’t like that. So far we have had test results back for 7 of the F pups, and unfortunately all but one lucky lad have come back with the faulty gene. Although there is every chance that, like their parents and grandparents before them, they will all be healthy and fit for many years, none of them now will ever be bred from. This unfortunately includes both of our F litter girls, Kuma-chan and Peggie-Sue. I am very proud of this litter; they are growing into gorgeous, big, typie outgoing examples of the breed, every one of which is at the heart of a loving home. Thankfully, we still have options and hopefully our lines will carry on in one form or another. As every breeder knows, the best laid plans can often go awry. All we can do is do the best that we can with the tools that we have. Hug your dogs.
More birthdays 19/11/14
And again, sending out great big happy birthday wishes to the "E" litter gang who are one year old today! You can see their latest photos on our past litters page here.
Update 14/10/14
Sending out big birthday hugs to the boys of the fabulous "C" litter.
Puppy holidays 02/10/14
I've just returned from 2 wonderful weeks on the continent with young Kuma-Chan (Lionscourt Fortuna). We took in the French national leonberger show in Cluny, followed by the annual pilgrimage to Leonberg in Germany the next weekend. Between them we enjoyed the picturesque wonders of the Alsace region in harvest time under a lovely late summer sun. Of course it was all about the serious business of researching future breeding lines… Oh, and socialising a puppy-- that is my excuse anyway. Between the world dog show in Helsinki back in August and these two gatherings, I've seen over 800 Leonbergers recently. Very educational. Kuma played at being a show dog in the baby puppy classes at Cluny and Leonberg, where she was delighted with the opportunity to smear mud all over Herr Gullix within moments of entering the ring. Congratulations to Fiona Perry and her pup Kushtea who achieved first place (first time ever baby puppies were ranked) at Cluny, and to Louise Baldwin and her Big Red Heffer Ursa, for making it into the ring of honour at both shows and being awarded excellent 4th in Leonberg. I soon hope to be finalising plans for our next litter with Sommar, (Altonastigens Sommarblomma), and will be posting details on our plans page when we have them.
Update August 13th, 2014
Just finished the individual puppy pages for the F-litter, which you can find at the bottom of our past litters page here. All are well settled in their new homes and the photos are coming in. They are looking fabulous.
Update July 28th, 2014
So much to tell, so little space…. Better make a separate page for all the latest puppy news here.
Birthday for the "B"s 08/07/14
Sending out warm birthday wishes to our "B" litter, 8 years old today. Bella is loving being a grandma!
Nubi fosters orphans 25 / 06/ 14
Yesterday, 7 little orphaned puppies came to stay with us, having tragically lost their momma shortly after birth. They are tiny little things, but fighters one and all. Nubi and Bella have both taken to them instantly, and Nubi-Ruby is being an absolute star feeding them along side her own rugby scrum of huge roly-poly pups! She is now raising 16 puppies, bless her. Things just got a whole lot busier around here!
Births and Birthdays 27 / 05/ 14
Quick update of a very busy weekend here. First of all, very glad to report that Nubi-Ruby’s pups arrived safely on Sunday the 25th, 5 boys and 5 girls are all doing well as is mum and the washing machine! Nubi herself celebrated her 3rd birthday on the 23rd, we send warm birthday wishes to the whole D litter gang. And her pesky step-sister Sommarblomma also enjoyed her 3rd birthday on the 26th, sending best wishes to all her brothers and sisters around the world. Will start a page with puppy pics for the new F litter soon, must get some sleep now! F Litter Puppy Gallery is here!
23/ 04/ 14 All systems are go.
Just back from our vet, and happy to report that our little diva, Nubi-Ruby, Lionscourt Danubia, has been confirmed as pregnant with a full load of pups on board. Thank you Lydie and Pauline, and of course to your special boy Genkini for making this possible, Spring time really is a season of fertility and we are so looking forward to a batch of summer puppies.
02 / 04 / 14 Oh la la
We are back from our excursion to France where our young Nubi-Ruby was swept off all four feet by her French lover. Her progesterone tests indicated that things were progressing rapidly, so it was something of a mad dash across the channel and into the depths of the rural French countryside. All went well and the timing appeared to be bang on, if you’ll pardon the pun. You can read more about this combination by going to our plans page here. Now begins the waiting game….
10/ 03/ 2014 11th Birthday Wishes
Happy 11th birthday to our very first leonberger puppy Alfie, (Lionscourt Almeisen) and his sister Coco, (Lionscourt Andromeda), from our A litter. I am so proud that they are both still enjoying life with their lovely families.
09 / 03 / 2014 Crufts; a good result.
Just back from doing two days of Discover Dogs at the annual madhouse known as Crufts. This was hard on the heels of showing the dogs in the working group this past Thursday. We had a good result. Our boy from the C litter, Balthazar, CH Lionscourt Coeur De Lion at Brynarian, who was expertly handled by Tone Mosby, won the strong open class and then went on to win the dog ticket under breed specialist Joan Rushby. Not to be completely outshone by her “little” brother, our Bella, Lionscourt Belisana showed us that she still has what it takes and won the veteran bitch class, also superbly handled by up-and-coming-star Jasmine Reader. So pleased that both did so well, as both show dogs and as excellent ambassadors for the breed, but we are all well and truly knackered now! Still waiting for young Nubi-Ruby to get in the mood for love. She has been flirting with our house guest Balli, so hopefully won’t be too long now.
22/ 02 / 2014 New pages added for the E litter.
We now have new pages loaded for all the E litter pups. I will be adding photos as they grow, so have a look here to keep track of their progress. They are a lovely bunch and all doing well in their new homes. Now we are back to the waiting game, hoping that Nubi-Ruby gets bitten by the love bug in the next few weeks so we can whisk her off to France. Watch this space….
18 / 01/ 2014 All quiet on the western front
Today the last of the “E” litter left us for her new home. All have settled in very well so far, and seem to be enjoying their new lives. Things here are getting back to normal and Momma Sommer is readjusting to her status as just another member of the pack- which she finds grossly unfair. Nubi-Ruby is still trying to solve the mystery of the vanishing puppies, and dear Bella is just thankful that things are getting back to normal- she does like a peaceful life. Now begins the waiting game again as we anticipate Nubi’s next season. Then she will be whisked away for her long over-due soiree with her French fiancée. You can see him on our Plans Page here.
18/12/13 Ryker is now an eligible bachelor.
Lionscourt Drake at Karysmhor, aka Ryker, has now completed all of his health screening tests, and may now be available at stud to suitable bitches on a limited basis. He is a fine, upstanding young fellow, aged just 2 years, who still has a way to go before reaching his prime. Shown sparingly, he picked up his first RCC this past summer at the Windsor Championship show, with the following critique: “Really liked this dog who I found to be very well made and lovely to go over. Pleasing masculine head with sufficient mask, good eye shape, clean neck into good lay of shoulder; straight front to arched feet, well developed in forechest, super topline and quarters, moves away off strong hocks and is very sound from all directions.” You can see more of young Ryker and find his contact details on his page here.
In other new, the E litter gang are doing very well, and growing like weeds. You can watch their progress on their puppy page here:
All are spoken for, but our summer litter plans remain firmly on course. The details can be found on our plans page here:
New Arrivals 19/11/13
The long anticipated Sommar x Barney puppies were born on Tuesday the 19th of November. Mum and her new brood are all doing well, and the washing machine is also bearing up! We will post more details after a well-earned sleep! Photos of the E pups are here.
Sommar is Blooming 21/10/13
Following a successful ultrasound exam today, we are very pleased to announce that puppies are on the way! Altonastigens SommarBlomma is carrying a full load! She seems very proud of herself and is developing into a proper little cuddle bunny. So looking forward to hunkering down at home with a load of lovely Leo pups. In other news, Balli, Lionscourt Coeur de Lion at Brynarian, has triumphed in the latest stage of his whirlwind grand European Tour and won the champions’ class at the 50th anniversary show of the Club Français du Leonberg at Cluny. I think he’s finally got this showing thing figured out.
We are also thrilled to announce that our Nubi-Ruby’s fiancé, the lovely Genkini, was in fact the Best of Breed at Cluny- taking top honours among over 400 leonbergers! Good pick Nubi! We very much look forward to next year’s breeding plans, which will bring together these two gorgeous lines.
01/10/13 Leonberg 2013
Just back from the annual show in Leonberg Germany where Balthazar, Lionscourt Coeur de Lion at Brynarian, made his debut in the champions’ class and was placed second. Good Boy Balli! Congratulations also go out to Lyn and Paul Cleary’s boy Enzo, Sandor Vom Lowengarten, who won his intermediate class on his very first visit to the show. We are now back at home playing the waiting game until we can scan young Sommarblomma to see if she has some lovely puppies on the way!
09/09/13 All at once
After what seemed to be a summer of waiting, waiting and more waiting, the tide has turned and change is finally afoot. Congratulations go out to Louise Baldwin for campaigning her boy Balthazar, Lionscourt Coeur de Lion for Brynarian, to his UK championship title. He is now a British and Swedish champ and we are all very proud of young Balli, seen here selecting his adoring new owner at 4 weeks of age. Yesterday, we had a lovely Have-A-Go carting and agility day here at the farm. The weather was kind and everyone had a blast. Except, that is, for our two young Leo ladies who chose this as the ideal moment to finally come into season- at exactly the same time. So, while they had to sit out most of the fun events, it does mean that the clock is ticking at long last and with some luck and a fair wind, our young Sommar, Altonastigens Sommarblomma, will be having puppies with Balli’s gorgeous brother Barney in a few months time. You can see more of the happy couple on our plans page here. Finally, we have added another short article to the health section called The Basic Rules of Population Genetics.
19/08/13 Another farewell
We had the sad news tonight that brother Blaze, Lionscourt Alderamin, has also had to say goodbye to his family. We know that they are missing him terribly and we share their grief. Seems like Rufus and Blaze are together again.
18/08/13 The long goodbye
At the beginning of April, we heard the word that no leonberger owner ever wants to hear: osteosarcoma. Our dear Rufus coped remarkably well over the four months that followed, tottering about, high on opiates; struggling to manage a medication regime that made every meal a three hour precision exercise in timing; having his foot cleaned, disinfected and re-wrapped twice daily. And still he was the first to greet each new visitor, grinning and mumbling with a soft toy stuffed in his mouth, tail spiralling behind. Still he came out to the paddock each evening to sit in the cool grass and watch his girls frolicking. So glad he had one more summer to share with us. When the end came, he made it easy for us to know that it was time. That was the final gift from our wonderful old boy. To the breed itself, he was also generous, as samples went to no less than three research efforts. Rest in peace Mr. Rufus. We will never stop missing you.
09/08/13 Change of plans
Breeding dogs – part science, part alchemy, and the last part is a great big roll of the dice! We have decided to swap the order of our Leonberger puppy plans. Our Swedish import, Altonastigens Sommarblomma, is now also due in season so she will be the lucky one and will be off to see the lovely Barney, Lionscourt Constellation, soon. Nubi-Ruby will now have to wait until early next year to meet her French lover Genkini. All the details can be found on our plans page here. Fingers crossed.
23rd June, 2013 Still waiting…
Not much news as we are still waiting for young Nubi-Ruby to get in the mood for love. As madam awkward, she specialises in setting her own schedule, choosing Christmas day last year as her prime time, much to the annoyance of poor old Rufus. Our old boy is still with us, enjoying what he can of his last summer with his girls. He will be a hard act to follow. Meanwhile, we are well into water training season and both Bella and Sommar are loving it.
11/06/13 Update
Just received LPN1 test results for both the girls, both N/N as expected as their parents were. Nice to have everything completed, now we are just waiting for Miss Nubi to get in the mood for her romantic soiree in France.
25/05/13 Birthdays!
Sending out great big happy second birthday wishes to all of our “D” litter from their sister Nubi-Ruby, (Lionscourt Danubia), as well as from Sommar, (Altonastigens Sommarblomma) to all of her brothers and sisters back in Sweden! Hope everyone everywhere had a lovely time and was thoroughly spoiled! Time flows so very swiftly, enjoy each and every moment of it.
17/04/2013 Health Articles updated.
Sadly the most common cause of death in leonbergers is cancer, and the most prevalent type is osteosarcoma, which is bone cancer. I have added a summary of the excellent 2011 health seminar on osteosarcoma to the health articles section. This includes details at the end of the article on the ongoing research collaboration with the international efforts to find a genetic marker for this illness. If you want to help our breed tackle this disease, this is where to look.
15/04/2013 Travel update.
Been a bit late with the news. Our "A" litter celebrated their 10th birthday on the 10th of March. A great big happy birthday wet kiss from our Rufus goes out to his brothers and sister. Also on the 10th was that annual extravaganza of doggie mayhem and conspicuous consumption otherwise known as Crufts. Sommarblomma came into season just before the show and sat it out. Bella did a day at the Discover Dogs stand and thoroughly enjoyed it. More so than the main event itself, which is not surprising. Balli and I found it quite amusing doing five abreast pack runs back and forth across the show ring . In other news, Nubi-Ruby (Lionscourt Danubia) made her debut in Europe at the international show in Antwerp this past weekend, where she won the intermediate female class. Cousin Balli (Lionscourt Coeur de Lion at Brynarian) won open male and is now half way to his Belgian championship title.
07/02/13 Plans updated.
Read all about it here.
29 / 01/ 13 We can breathe now.
Hip and elbow results are now officially in for our girls. Lionscourt Danubia, (Nubi-Ruby) 3 / 4 hip and 0 elbow, Altonastigens Sommarblomma (Sommar) 3 /3 and also 0. Both clear for cataract and have normal angles in their eyes. What a relief! Looking forward to summertime puppies from Nubi and her intended. Love it when a plan comes together.
07/01/13 Welcoming in 2013
Yesterday, we took our girls along for their hip and elbow x-rays- always a nerve wracking time. Preliminary review of the images looks excellent, now we have to wait for the BVA to give their verdict. Brother Ryker, (Lionscourt Drake at Karysmhor), was also there and we managed to get him to stand still for a few quick photos. You can see Ryker's page here. Last month, both of our girls had their eye exams including gonioscopy evaluations and were perfect. It looks like our plans will be going forward for a summer litter. Details will be posted soon.
04/12/12 Balli’s Belgian Adventure
I am a bit late on the update but just wanted to give a quick shout to celebrate Balli B’s (Lionscourt Coeur De Lion of Brynarian) great day at the Eurodogshow in Kortrijk under breed specialist judge Guido Perosino, where he won CAC, CACIB and best dog. Not forgetting Penny Dabell’s home bred Vectiseleon Rian Daxia, who was best bitch and BOB. Way to go team!
13/11/12 Beeley the Wonder Dog
How wonderful it was to receive some good news on the 1st of November that Beeley, a.k.a. Lionscourt Companion Star, has now formally graduated from both Guide Dogs for the Blind and Dogs for the Disabled. He is now a fully trained dual guide dog and assistance dog, who we sincerely hope will be able to help his companion Nicola, maintain her freedom and independence for many years to come. Hats off to both of them! You can see more photos of this wonderful fellow at his page here. In other news we have been on our travels again, with our Sommar, (Altonastigens Sommarblomma) making her debut at the annual show in Leonberg, where she gained an excellent in a very large class of 27 junior bitches. She is maturing into a lovely girl. Meanwhile Balli, (Lionscourt Coeur de Lion at Brynarian) has been gallivanting about Europe again, also gaining an excellent at the show in Leonberg, (where he enjoyed the attentions of no less than three handlers), and doing the same at the French National show at Cluny a couple of weeks later, where he braved monsoon conditions and also won a medal for the best movement in his open male class of 25. After a very busy year, we finally have time to concentrate on our youngsters so hope to complete all health screening tests for Nubi and Sommar in the next few months, so that our future plans can be formally put into place. We have some lovely males lined up for our girls, so fingers crossed and watch this space!
24/09/12 A sad goodbye
This past Sunday, we bid a sad farewell to our darling, gentle companion Ellie; My shadow, dedicated spirit of the kitchen, mother to all small young things, matriarch of the pack, warm comforter and kind, benevolent one-dog welcoming committee to all who crossed her path. Her presence was always guaranteed to settle the soul, lower the heart rate and put a smile on the face. She is irreplaceable.
30 / 08 / 12 Marauding through Munster
Recently back from a whirlwind tour of the “Munster Circuit” over in Ireland- 5 shows in 7 days- crazy or what? We had heard about this cluster of shows for many years and though it was definitely worth a try. Shared a house on the Dingle peninsula, which was lovely, although the weather was not. Many thanks for such a warm welcome from the Irish Leo folk. Bella came back with 2 green stars and 2 reserves, Sommar managed a reserve herself, but most of all they liked the beaches there!
Update 02/08/12
We had some sad news last weekend when we learned that Zulu, Lionscourt Al Jabbar, sadly passed away aged 9 years and 4 months. Our thoughts go out to his family who miss him dearly. Not much Leo news to share over the past couple of months this very wet and rainy summer. Nubi-Ruby and Sommarblomma have been introduced to the joys of water rescue training and simply adore it. They booth seem to be naturals and Nubi in particular literally squeals with joy as she powers out to rescue swimmers. But then she is the grand niece of perhaps the greatest water rescue Leo of all time, Aron v.h. Hof Van Edan, who served bravely with the Italian coast guard for many years. You can see his exploits in this clip from a Japanese television show here. In other news, Lionscourt has been joined by a trio of three kittens, who are settling in well, as you can see here. The dogs just love the idea of having their very own clutch of surrogate puppies!
28th May 2012 Austrian escapades
We spent a lovely week touring in Austria, where our Bella, Lionscourt Belisana, participated in the Austrian Club show and the World Dog show. While there we met up with some fellow Brits and had a great time enjoying some fine continental hospitality. The well travelled Balthazar, Lionscourt Coeur de Lion at Brynarian, was the reserve CAC winner on the first day and our Bella was placed 3rd in a very strong open class at the World Dog show on the second. There is an album of holiday snaps on Facebook, here is a link to it that might work :-)
A big happy first birthday to the Lionscourt D litter who celebrated their first full year of mayhem on the 23rd of May. We have some new snaps of Ryker and Gamba on their pages. Also to our Sommar, Altonastigens SommarBlomma, also one year old on the 26th of May. The show season is upon us and the young ‘uns have been having some successes, Nubi-Ruby has won three best puppy in breed places so far this year, including at the Working and Pastoral Breeds in Wales, and young Ryker, Lionscourt Drake at Karysmhor, made his 2012 championshp show debut with a first at Bath this past weekend. Nubi has also started her water rescue training with the Wiltshire Wet Leos and is an absolute maniac for it. You can see their website here at the WWL site.
05/04/12 Tsar is a proud Poppa.
We were pleased to hear the news that Lionscourt Baldessar has once again done his duty for the UK Leonberger gene pool and is the proud poppa of a healthy litter of 11. Tsar is from our own lovely Ellie, Altonastigens Esmeralda, and is the last son of 7 times champion Niklas vom Lowengarten.
28/03/12 Lionscourt A litter
Birthday wishes to the gang from our A litter, 9 years old on the 10th of March. Rufus is still the eternal puppy enjoying his toys. We send warm wishes to all his siblings and spare a thought for the family of Luka, who sadly left us just two months ago.
22/02/12 Birthday Girl
Just a quick update to celebrate our Ellie, Altonastigens Esmeralda on the occasion of her 8th birthday. She is from the first Altonastigens litter and is the image of her mother, the lovely Bjorntassen Mercedes, who sadly passed away last year.
26/01/12 Update
We start with some sad news that the lovely Luka, Lionscourt Algeidi Prima, has passed away following a diagnosis of osteosarcoma. She was 2 months shy of her 9th birthday and we thank her family for giving her so many precious loving years. She was the clone of her mother, our beloved Joji, and she will be dearly missed by all who knew her.
Sommar has now been with us for just over two weeks and has made herself well at home within our group. She and Nubi-Ruby have become devoted pals and partners in crime. Thankfully, Momma Bella excels in her role as queen and keeps things in order. A recent photo session at the Southern Leos Carting Group gathering was very successful. You can see how Nubi-Ruby and her brother Gamba are doing, along with Sommar and of course big brother Balthazar.
10/01/12 Scandinavian adventure holiday.
Just returned from a mad dash to Sweden to collect our newest addition Altonastigens Sommarblomma. My travelling companions were Louise Baldwin and her boy Balthazar, Lionscourt Coeur de Lion at Brynarian, the son of our previous import from the Altonastigens line. We had discovered that we would be there just in time for their big double international show in Gothenburg called My Dog., so we decided to try our luck and entre Balli in both. It was a very nice event held in the convention centre at the heart of the city, offering two large international shows back to back. Balli conducted himself very well indeed and came home with 2 CACs, a CACIB and was best dog on the second day under Dutch international judge Hans Van Den Berg. We are so proud to have been able to go to Sweden with such a lovely son of our first import Altonastigens Esmeralda and to do so well. Our thanks again to Ingela and Lasse for breeding such lovely Leo ladies. Thanks also to Louise for keeping me awake during our 4 days of driving there and back through the relentless rain! Sommar has settled in very well and her English lessons are progressing nicely.
23/12/11 Sommar update
We have some new photos of young Sommar, Altonastigens Sommarblomma, who is seven months old today. Poor thing, she is in for a big surprise as we will soon be whisking her away from her Swedish home for a new life here in gorgeous Gloucestershire. Must find my old Swedish to English dictionary….
12/12/11 Winter update
The D litter have reached 6 months old and are doing well. Nubi-Ruby and her brothers Ryker and Gamba had a nice little reunion at the Southern Leo Carting Group’s Christmas lunch last week. She recently made her debut in the show ring at the Pool canine club open show and managed 4th place in the working puppy group. She and Ryker also attended LKA, and despite it being his very first show, Ryker took it all in his stride and got second in his class earning himself a ticket to Crufts next year. Good Boy! Momma Bella’s coat is growing back nicely and she is getting ready to return to a few shows herself next year. In early January we’ll be setting off on a mad winter’s road trip to Sweden to take in a couple of shows and pick up Sommar to bring back to the UK. Next year is going to be a busy one! For now we wish everyone a very happy holiday season.
09/09/11 Puppy update
All of the puppies from our D litter have settled into their new homes and are doing well. We recently had little “Pinkie”, called Bella after her mother, staying with us while her family were on holiday. She and Ruby had loads of fun visiting lots of new places and meeting new people. We have had many photos sent in from the rest of the gang in their new homes, which you can see on their pages under the D litter here.
Last month I managed to slip away to visit Ingela and Lasse at Altonastigens kennel in Sweden where I met another lovely new Leo puppy, Altonastigens Sommarblomma, who was born on the 26th of May and is a daughter of their beautiful Karma, Altonastigens Darkest Light, and the gorgeous Artos Quino v.d. Osnitz. “Sommar” is a lovely sweet girl who will be coming to the UK to join us in January 2012. Next year is set to be very busy for us! You can see Sommar’s new page here.
06/08/11 Update
Today saw the last if our D litter fly the nest and start her life with a new family. How quiet it seems around the farm now, although young Ruby, Lionscourt Danubia, is doing her best to fill the void with her lovely singing voice. She will be staying with us and hopefully will be able to carry the line on in the years ahead. You can see how all the pups from the D litter are getting on in their new web pages, found under the D litter here.
11/07/2011 Bringing home the bling
A huge congratulations to Louise Baldwin on her successful visit to the 2011 Wold Dog Show in Paris and the Championnat de France show the following day. Balthazar, Lionscourt Coeur de Lion at Brynarian, brought home the gold, winning first place in the intermediate male class at both events. And a big thank you to Lyn Cleary for stepping in to handle the big dope. Today the D litter reached seven weeks old. All are well, growing at an alarming rate, and will be off to their new homes in a few more days.
12/06/2011 More New Arrivals
Yesterday, our Ellie, Altonastigens Esmeralda, became a grandmother for the second time when Dunkenny Leonbergers welcomed 12 new arrivals into their home. Poppa of this gang is Lionscourt Baldessar, our Bella’s brother. You can have a look at the proud father on his page here. I understand all 7 boys, 5 girls and mum are doing very well. If you would like to enquire about this litter, please contact Mary McQueen on 0207 223 9074. Meanwhile, Bella continues to be an excellent mother to her gang, who will be three weeks old tomorrow. Pictures can be seen here.
24 May, 2011 New arrivals
Our Bella, Lionscourt Belisana, had her puppies yesterday, four boys and four girls. All are resting now and doing well after an exhausting day. Grandma Ellie was very excited by the news and keen to meet them, as you can see above. Bella is being a superb momma and we look forward to getting them up on their feet and out into the lovely summer sunshine in a few weeks. We have started a new page for the D litter, with photos updated each week. You can find it here. We have new families already arranged for all of them. This will be Bella’s only litter, and we will be planning our next new arrivals in about two years.
30 / 04 / 11 Spring has sprung!
This past Wednesday, 5 weeks after her holiday in Germany, we had our Bella scanned and we are pleased to say that she is in whelp. Congratulations to the happy couple Bella and Colja pictured above and a big thank you to Gisela and Siggie for allowing us to use him. Bella is very proud of herself, hungry as a horse and enjoying showing off her new status to the other dogs. In a few short weeks all the hard work begins and we look forward to a bundle of roly-poly pups cavorting in the courtyard in June! Meanwhile, young Balthazar continues to enjoy his days out at dog shows and since moving up to post graduate class has won two firsts including reserve best dog at Builth Wells. You can see the latest pictures here at Ballie's page. Thanks to Andrew Simmonds for all his lovely photos!
Bella’s romantic weekend 30/03/11
We returned this past Friday from the forests of Garlstedt north of Bremen where our Bella had a delightful romantic holiday with the gorgeous Colja Power a.d. Sumpfloch. It was love at first sight and the happy couple enjoyed what we hope will be a fruitful liaison! Many thanks to Gisela and Siggie for their warm hospitality. During our stay there, the weather was lovely and we managed to get in a little sight seeing between “dates”, including a visit to the seaside. Earlier this month, our Lionscourt “A” litter enjoyed their 8th birthday. It is lovely to see them all doing so well. We received some new photographs of dear Alfie, who lives in San Francisco, which you can see on his page here. Spent a nice day this past weekend with the Southern Leonberger Carting Group, where young Balthazar is learning to be a working dog. He is growing up into a lovely fellow, as you can see from the latest pictures on his page here. Spring is in the air and our fingers are crossed that we will enjoy the sight of happy round pups romping in the courtyard in a few weeks time. Watch this space…
Puppy plans 18/01/11
We have finally chosen a wonderful male for our Bella and will be taking her for a romantic visit to Germany in the next month or so. He is Colja Power aus dem Sompfloc, a lovely 5 year old stud dog. Colja’s has A2 hips, clear eyes and is free from the LPN1 mutation. You can learn more about him on our Plans page here. We have a list in place for this litter so please get in contact if you would like to know more.
January 4th 2011
We are settling into the new place, and it has been VERY cold, but also lovely, as you can see here. Not much more to add as the move is taking up so much time, but I can report the puppy room is shaping up nicely and we are still on course to breed our Bella (on the right above) for a spring time litter. Details will follow shortly. Stay warm everyone and happy new year!