The family tree likely starts with the mastiff-type dogs brought to Switzerland by the Roman armies breeding with the native dogs which of the region.
By , the monks had their own kennel and breeding program, a melting pot that combined Great Pyrenees, Great Danes, bulldogs, Newfoundlands and others. The dogs of the hospice were well known in the region and were variously referred to as Barryhunds in tribute to Barry, a dog that saved 40 lives , Sacred Dogs, Alpine Mastiffs, Alpendogs, and Hospice Dogs until , when the name "St. The barrels we see around the dogs' necks in paintings and cartoons is the invention of a kid named Edwin Landseer.
The painting portrays two Saint Bernards standing over a fallen traveler, one dog barking in alarm, the other attempting to revive the traveler by licking his hand. A year old boy was licked awake and led to safety after becoming lost and nearly freezing to death. Edwin Landseer's famous painting, seen above, spawned the legend of the "licker" barrel.
Truth to the Legend? What of the famed barrel around the neck? Legend has it that these dogs would carry beer or brandy in order to warm wayward wanderers. We believe this to be false. Though alcohol can cause a warming sensation in the belly, it actually makes you colder by causing your blood vessels to dilate. Blood rushes to the skin's surface, which is why you may blush and feel hot, but overall body temperature declines rapidly. More importantly, St. Bernard monks have a source for the legend.
The barrels we see were a conjuration of Edwin Landseer, an English painter. In , the year old produced his most enduring work, poetically titled Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveler.
The licker has a barrel around its neck, which Landseer claimed contained brandy — a stroke of imagination he spared the title of his painting. Bernards are associated with barrels. Legend has it that Barry, the most famous of Bernards, revived a frozen child and carried him to safety on his back. In his year tenure, he would save 40, including an especially unbelievable feat of valor in which he discovered a young boy asleep in a cavern of ice.
After warming the boy with loving licks, Barry maneuvered him onto his back and carried him to the safety of St. Bernard has passed us by, sadly. By , the large dogs had been replaced in their avalanche search-and-rescue work by breeds that fit better in helicopters, like German shepherds and golden retrievers.
In , the monastery sold its kennel full of 34 St. Bernards to local animal associations, but they still return to the pass during the summer tourist season. Zeus is not a Saint Bernard, but what German-Scandinavian breed? These brave animals often died in avalanches in the course of their rescue duties. Jane Meggitt has been a writer for more than 20 years. In addition to reporting for a major newspaper chain, she has been published in "Horse News," "Suburban Classic," "Hoof Beats," "Equine Journal" and other publications.
Share It. Saint Bernard History The monastery and hospice of Saint Bernard in Switzerland dates back to the 11th century, although it did not receive that name until the s. Search and Rescue Dogs These large, smart, even-tempered dogs with an excellent sense of smell were used by the monks as search and rescue dogs over the route between Italy and Switzerland, commonly known as St.
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