Great Saint Bernard Pass was a valley between the Western Alps, between Italy and Switzerland. Forty-nine miles long and more than eight thousand feet above sea level, it was snow-covered almost year round. Augustine monk Saint Bernard of Menthon founded a hospice and monastery there in 1050 to provide shelter and warmth for tired travelers.
Sometime between 1660 and 1670, the first Bernard dogs arrived. They were slightly smaller than the ones today and were descendants of the Asiatic dog, which were similar to mastiffs and from the ancient Romans. These dogs, originally used as hunting dogs, guard dogs, and cart dogs, were born on farms and given to the monastery. They first served as watch-dogs and companions for the monks.
Marroniers, or servants who were sent to accompany and help travelers, brought the dogs with them because their broad chests plowed a way through the snow. They saw how the Bernards’ powerful noses could help find people buried under the snow and how they somehow could sense an oncoming avalanche. Using this ability, they sent packs of two to three dogs to find the buried and lead them back or return to show the monks where if they needed help. They could dig people out with their big paws and use their body for warmth. Their …show more content…
He was born in the spring of 1804. He was taught how to do search and rescue (by older dogs and not be the monks, like most dogs at the time) and proved to be very good at it. He saved over forty lives and was loved by the monks. When he retired at age twelve, the monks let him live with them instead of giving him to a home in the lower valley, which was what usually happened. The story of how he died trying to save a soldier but was stabbed because the soldier mistaken him for a wolf is untrue. He died a peaceful death at the hospice. The monastery kept always one dog named Barry in honor of the canine hero. He still remains one of the most famous dogs ever to