Löwe vom Muselbach
The Leonberger
The Leonberger
History:
Originated in 1846 by Heinrich Essig At the end of the thirties and early forties of the 19th century Heinrich Essig, city councilor in Leonberg near Stuttgart, crossed a black and white Newfoundland dog with a so-called "Barry male" from the monastery hospice Great St. Bernhard. A Pyrenean mountain dog was added later. The result was very large dogs with mostly long, white hair. Essig's target was a lion-like dog.
The lion is the heraldic animal of the city of Leonberg. The first dogs, really called "Leonberger", were born in 1846. They combined the excellent characteristics of the original races. A short time later, many of these dogs were sold from Leonberg as status symbols all over the world. At the end of the 19th century, the Leonberger was mainly kept as a farm dog in Baden-Württemberg. His watchful and train qualities have been widely praised. Today the Leonberger is an excellent family dog that meets all the requirements of our modern life.
(Source: DCLH)
