In 1895, in Leonberg, Germany, people from all over Germany gathered to celebrate the life of Heinrich Essig, the creator of the Leonberger dog breed. The local paper used the term of endearment, Bemooste Häupter, or “already mossed heads” to describe the elder statesman’s dogs. Today, we use the term, gray muzzles, to honor our older Leonbergers.

Annually, the Leonberger Health Foundation presents The Gray Muzzle Awards to the breeders and owners of the oldest of the old Leos, to celebrate the remarkable longevity of members of the breed who have age reached the age of 12 years. They are the canine equivalents of Centenarians, those humans who pass the 100 year mark. The 2008, 2009, and 2010 recipients were honored with certificates and slide presentations at the LCA National Specialty Awards banquets.

The oldest of the old have been blessed with lives that are not only rich in history, but in genetic information, too. The exciting breakthroughs in genomics, molecular, and population genetics have led some prominent researchers to turn their attention to the study of lifespan. As a result, in addition to the Gray Muzzle Award Program, the LHF has also established a longevity database that will hopefully become part of research efforts in the near future.

If you know of a Leonberger that should be honored with a Gray Muzzle Award please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If you know of a Leonberger that has reached the age of ten years and should be included in the database, please click here to send information on your dog.