Dog famous for balancing novels on his head shows off skills at world's oldest bookshop

What does a dog famous for balancing books on his head do while he’s on holiday in Portugal?

Visit the world’s oldest operating bookshop, of course!

Staff at Bertrand in Lisbon, which first opened its doors in 1732, were delighted when Leonard Lee and his owner Teresa Hanula (USA) stopped by.

The border collie, who has broken a string of world records, explored the store while showing off his skills, stopping every now and again for some well-deserved pets from the staff.

Teresa told us: “During our visit, Leonard took photos with the staff, learned about the store's history, did some shopping, and even delighted the crowd by demonstrating his record balancing skills in the aisles. It was a lovely afternoon.”

The trip to Portugal was already a special one as it was organized to celebrate Leonard’s eighth birthday.

Teresa explained: “In the Douro River region, there is a section that forms a ‘figure eight’, and the best viewpoint there is called the Viewpoint of Saint Leonard. It felt like a natural choice for his birthday celebration.

“This is Leonard’s first time abroad, and we hope it is the first of many. He even obtained his EU pet passport while here to make future European travel easier.”

A crowd gathered in the bookshop as Leonard walked up and down the aisles with a book perfectly balanced on top of his head.

People smiled and giggled as they pulled out their phones to take pictures and videos of Leonard, much to the doggo’s delight, with Teresa admitting he “loves an audience”.

“Leonard thrives on attention,” his owner said. “He is an absolute ham for the camera and loves interacting with people.”

So far on his birthday trip, Leonard has been kayaking around the Algarve, visited Cabo da Roca, painted a Portuguese tile at a restaurant in Lisbon, and took time to sit and enjoy the views overlooking the city.

And when he’s not busy exploring, he’s practising for his next world record attempt.

Read about more record-breaking pets in our dedicated Animals section.

When asked what her favourite thing about Leonard is, Teresa said: “Leonard puts his heart into everything he does and lives life to the fullest. He brings joy, calm, and amazement to everyone he meets.

“Through his tricks and travels, he inspires people to appreciate the intelligence and trainability of dogs. Our goal has always been to showcase the incredible potential of the human-animal bond.

“Leonard is a true thinker and problem-solver. Whether he is painting or balancing objects, he interacts with the world in a way that feels almost human. People are instantly drawn to his charming personality and his winning smile.”

We can easily understand why.

Leonard’s current world record titles are:

• Greatest distance by a dog balancing a book on the head in one minute - 17.30 m (56 ft 9 in)
• Most basketball slam dunks in one minute by a dog – 22
• Most steps walked up backwards by a dog balancing a book on the head in one minute – 18
• Most steps walked up by a dog balancing a book on the head in one minute – 23