Search and rescue dogs are well known to be a valuable asset to operations such as mountain rescue and police searches for missing persons. The sad task of finding dead bodies can be greatly assisted by the deployment of these canine search experts. In terms of mountain rescue the most famous example is probably the legendary St Bernard with his cask of brandy attached to his collar.

The breed takes its name from the Great St. Bernard Hospice, founded in the 11th Century by a monk, Bernard of Menthon, as a travellers’ hospice or lodge, on what is now called the St. Bernard Pass leading from Switzerland to Italy, in the Western Alps. The pass, which also takes its name from him, is often treacherous in severe alpine weather conditions.

It is to the monks living and working at the hospice that we owe the earliest written accounts of the use of these dogs for rescuing lost and stranded travellers, in 1707, although much earlier paintings and drawings exist depicting them at work. Whether they ever actually carried a barrel of brandy is doubtful as it would have been an encumbrance to the dog in its work. The barrel is more likely attributable to artistic licence on the part of those responsible for the early paintings and drawings.

The St. Bernard breed is believed to be descended from the Roman molosser dogs introduced to the Alpine regions by the Ancient Romans. The St. Bernard is recognised today as a molossoid breed. The line of descent seems to have been shared with the Swiss Mountain Dog or Cattle Dog, known locally as Sennenhunds. These large farm dogs are used by farmers and dairymen to guard their livestock, herd cattle and sheep. In addition they are employed in hunting and search and rescue of both people and livestock.

In fact the name “St. Bernard is a relatively recent innovation, about the mid 1800s. Prior to that, they were known by a number of different names, Alpenmastiffs, Noble Steeds, Saint Dogs was getting closer and Barry Dogs. The latter was probably linked to the most famous of the breed, Barry (or Berry) who is reputed to have been responsible for saving a great many lives in the region of the St Bernard Pass. Numbers vary with the source, between 40 and 100. Barry is commemorated by a monument in the Cimitière des Chiens at Asnierères-Sur-Seine in the Ile-de-France region of France. You can see his body preserved in the Natural History Museum if you visit Berne.

If you do, you might not recognise Barry as a St. Bernard because the dog we all know as a St. Bernard bears little resemblance to the classic St. Bernard of his day. This is all due to avalanches. The years 1816 to 1817 were disastrous for the breed, as particularly severe winters in those years led to the occurrence of an unusually large number of avalanches. As a result, many of the dogs which would otherwise have been used for breeding purposes were killed in their heroic efforts to rescue people caught up in the dreadful conditions. The St. Bernard breed was in danger of extinction and in an effort to prevent this happening great deal of cross breeding took place.

In the 1850s, Newfoundlands were brought in from the island colony to cross breed with the surviving St. Bernards. This was only partially successful however. The progeny inherited many of the St. Bernard’s characteristics but unfortunately they also inherited the long, thick furry coat of the Newfoundland breed. This greatly impeded their use as rescue dogs in the alpine regions because the snow would cling to the long furry coat then freeze so that the dog would be weighed down by the frozen mass.

Though no longer of value as a working alpine rescue dog the breed’s handsome looks and lovable nature ensured its popularity for less demanding roles. In 1884 The Swiss St Bernard Club was established based in Berne. In the same year the Swiss Stud Book had its first breed entered. It was, of course, the Saint Bernard. From then on the St. Bernard has been recognised as a national dog of Switzerland.

Article provided provided by freelance copywriter uk, Pete Hopper of Write For You