It turns out that St. Bernard dogs were bred by monks from the monastery of St. Bernard. Back in the 11th century, monk Bernard from Menton founded a monastery in the Swiss Alps, on one of the passes, at an altitude of 2472 meters. This section was quite difficult for crossing, and therefore the monks were constantly accompanied by dogs of the local breed, which helped them travel. Of these dogs, the most famous is Barry St. Bernard, who lived in the 19th century. How did this breed appear? rescue dogs?
In the 17th century, Christian monks from the monastery of St. Bernard came up with an idea: to breed a breed of dogs that save people from snow drifts and avalanches in the mountains. There, at an altitude of 2472 meters, the monks prayed for the salvation of human souls, and then took dogs with them, which were somewhat smaller than the current St. Bernards, and went to the mountains to help travelers who found themselves in dangerous situations.
Barry is a St. Bernard.
It must be said that these dogs were distinguished by special intuition: they sensed approaching avalanches. They were also endowed with an excellent sense of smell, hearing and a kind character. It is not known exactly how many people were saved by dogs and monks, from the Middle Ages to the present time. But we think quite a lot.
History knows an amazing dog from the monastery of St. Bernard, who saved forty people from 1800 to 1812. There was a case when this Barry St. Bernard saved a little boy from an avalanche and carried him through the snowdrifts to the monastery for 5 kilometers!
As for the St. Bernard breed itself, it appeared in its pure form in the 19th century, when people began to breed it seriously. Currently, this is a fairly large and strong dog with a massive head, with an average height of 65-70 cm at the withers. These dogs are distinguished by loyalty and obedience.
Currently, St. Bernards are used as guards and escorts all over the world. And the monks from the monastery of St. Bernard and rescue dogs to this day they help travelers in the mountains. Moreover, now, when many tourists want to see with their own eyes the monastery where he lived Barry St. Bernard, saving dozens of lives.
Saint Bernards risked their lives so many times to save travelers buried in the snow that they deserve special recognition, says journalist Michael Olmert.
A huge St. Bernard jumping with delight. Powerful paws, powerful chest and sincere joy when meeting a person. It is not for nothing that this breed is considered the standard of canine fidelity.
“When my daughter Jenny was very little, I could always tell where she was playing,” recalls Katie Babins of Maryland, who has been breeding dogs for 22 years. Even when Jenny completely disappeared into the tall grass, Mia, our tail, stuck out like an antenna. St. Bernard letting me know everything was okay.”
One day the police came to Babins' house. Imagine Katty's surprise when law enforcement officers, who discovered the girl next to a busy highway, asked to help them take her away from there. It turned out that some big dog, it was, of course, Mia, who simply did not let the police near the child. At the same time, the St. Bernard behaved quite correctly: he did not growl threateningly, but as soon as the police tried to approach the girl, he blocked their way.
Similar stories can often be heard from St. Bernard owners and kennel workers.
The birthplace of the Saint Bernards, or “Seneches”, as these giants were affectionately dubbed in Russia, the Great Saint Bernard Pass is a narrow gorge in the Alps, located between Switzerland and Italy. The first information about St. Bernards dates back to the beginning of the 18th century, but it is possible that this breed appeared much earlier. In the local monastery hotel hangs a painting painted in 1695, which depicts a dog that strongly resembles a St. Bernard.
For many, the St. Bernard Pass sacred place. But not because Roman legionaries walked along its mountain slopes about two thousand years ago, and not because everything here is steeped in history from Caesar to Napoleon. Dog lovers revere this place as the birthplace of the St. Bernards. Here is also the most famous nursery, in which they are bred.
For the owners of the nursery, the monks of the Order of St. Augustine, this is a good help, providing funds for the maintenance of a small hotel. Here, in the Alps, in one of the most high points Europe, tourists and travelers seek all year round. True, this place cannot be called a resort: even in summer, on a fine sunny day, it is cold here, and snow always falls once a week.
The exhibition of the local museum, the only one of its kind, is dedicated to the monastery hotel and St. Bernards. Strictly speaking, this is not even a museum, but a kind of symbiosis of a museum and a nursery. The kennel houses approximately 30 dogs. And every year the Augustinian monks sell 15 20 puppies for a thousand dollars each.
Karl Winter, a search and rescue instructor and St. Bernard expert, conducted special study. He was interested in the peculiarities of the habitat and behavior of these animals. During the research, it turned out that for centuries, St. Bernards have been using the same routes, where they are familiar with every crack and pebble. Descending with their owners to the Italian side of the pass for butter and wine, and to the Swiss side for meat and milk, the dogs learned the road so well that they would not stray from it even in heavy fog or a snowstorm.
The pass has always been a deserted place. Most Every year, hiking trails are covered with a crust of ice and snow, and travelers risk death in an avalanche. The high altitude and deep snow make it difficult to use horses and mules. But monks with dogs feel confident, freely navigating without a compass. The difficult school of survival has not changed for centuries: young dogs gain experience by following older ones on a leash and learn to recognize human scent. Deep snow is no hindrance to a St. Bernard rushing to the rescue of a person in trouble. The impression is as if the dog is swimming through the snow, working with large and strong paws.
According to Winter, each generation of four-legged rescuers operates effectively only in certain places that are familiar to them. In unfamiliar conditions, the St. Bernard hangs out. In the end, he, of course, will get his bearings and find the dying traveler, but for this he will need much more time than the local dog. Good knowledge of the area important factor in training mountain rescue dogs.
Nature has awarded Senechkas not only the ability to search for people, but also, which is probably no less important, to withstand the hellish cold for hours. Winter became convinced of these abilities of St. Bernards himself when several years ago he was searching for two missing climbers in the Seymour Mountains, which are located in Canada, in the province of British Columbia. These places are famous for sudden and abrupt changes in weather. IN search work St. Bernard, who knew the area well, took part. And if not for his tolerant attitude to bad weather, the rescuers would not have been able to complete the search. When they finally reached the fork in the high mountain path - one path led further upward, the other turned down to the so-called “suicide ravines”, it was decided to climb further. But the dog stood rooted to the spot and only barked at the people until they turned down. St. Bernard turned out to be right: not even an hour had passed before the search group came across the unlucky climbers.
Until now, scientists do not know exactly what the origin of St. Bernards is. One version explains the appearance of the big-boned breed, strong dogs, capable of living high in the mountains among snow and ice, by crossing a Danish bulldog with a Pyrenean mastiff. At first they were called Alpine Mastiffs.
The first Alpine mastiffs were brought to England at the beginning of the 19th century. Somewhat later, visitors to the British Museum looked in amazement at the huge skin and shin bone of one of them on display there. These exhibits have survived to this day. The famous animal artist Sir Edwin Landseer, who repeatedly depicted these dogs, also called them Alpine Mastiffs. The name "St. Bernard" appeared only in 1882, when a dog club was opened in England. And five years later, a national standard was approved, which registered the record achievements of the breed. In America, the St. Bernard Club was founded in 1888.
Senechkas have already gained extraordinary popularity in our time, although now their fame is declining. And in the 50s they often became heroes of films and television series. St. Bernards became widely known in Kenneth Moore's feature film Genevieve and the American television series Hopper. For the first time general public I met the St. Bernard after seeing him in the role of a nanny dog in the film based on the tale of Peter Pan.
Nursery owners try to give their charges maximum care and attention. And when the puppies grow up, the results are sure to be felt: the docile nature of dogs and their friendliness towards humans, especially children, are well known. And it's not just about proper upbringing. The roots of Senechka's behavior are much deeper - they go back to their distant Alpine ancestors. Having noticed a person lying on the ground, the St. Bernard will certainly try to pick him up or at least turn him on his side. If he does not show signs of life, the dog lies down next to him and, pressing his whole body against the man, tries to warm him up.
In the past, rescue dogs were trained to work in pairs. The male and female had to find a skier lost in the mountains and dig him out from under the snow. Then the female usually lay down next to him, and the male hurried for help.
Innate instinct, even without regular training, does not disappear overnight. Jenny Babins, the same girl who was once accompanied everywhere by St. Bernard Mia, having grown up, has repeatedly found confirmation of this by observing the behavior of puppies. Having specially selected a couple of babies, Jenny performed the following experiment: she lay down on the snow, and the puppies immediately began to rub their noses against her. If she remained motionless, the female lay down by her side, and the male stomped around with such a preoccupied look, as if he wanted to run somewhere, but just didn’t know where exactly.
Other undoubted advantages of St. Bernards include their exceptional hard work and endurance. At one time, Karl Winter acquired a St. Bernard named Far West (Far West). Before this, the dog helped protect the territory of the reserve in British Columbia, covering up to 70 kilometers a day with foresters. According to Winter, he was a real gem of his breed: an excellent athlete who repeatedly took first place in competitions. In Canada, competitions are practiced in which dogs demonstrate their strength and endurance, sometimes moving a load weighing more than a ton.
Saint Bernards cannot be denied courage. There is a known case in which a dog saved a woman’s life in Alaska by fighting her off from a grizzly bear. Winter's St. Bernard Far West even received a special award for his courage in fighting a black bear when it threatened the safety of a child left in the dog's care. After this incident, Far West made it a rule to keep an eye on the bears, watching the clubfoot feast on blueberries.
This breed of dog is also very sensitive to tremors. Winter said that his pets once warned of danger about an hour before the eruption of Mount St. Helens, located 200 kilometers from his home. At the same time, the behavior of the dogs changes: instead of the usual barking, the St. Bernards begin to howl. A sure sign: something is wrong. They probably just sense tremors much earlier than people. It is curious that in the mountains of Switzerland, St. Bernards behave in exactly the same way, anticipating an imminent avalanche.
Perhaps these abilities help St. Bernards to find them by the weak movements of people buried under the snow. According to the priest Jean-Michel Gerard, abbot of a small monastery in the Alps, the dogs saved approximately 2,000 people in total. The most famous rescuer in the entire history of the monastery was St. Bernard Barry the First. For 12 years, from 1800 to 1812, he saved four people every year. Today his effigy is on display at the Natural History Museum in Bern, and in France they even erected a monument to him.
The most famous episode, which made Barry famous throughout Europe, is associated with the rescue of an unconscious child. The dog not only found the boy lying on the very edge of the abyss, but also managed to bring him to his senses, and then transferred him to a safe place.
However, Barry is more of a common name. There have always been dogs with this name in the monastery. One of them became a favorite of Italian schoolchildren: they read in their textbooks how a dog found 30 lost Italian workers who had gone astray through the pass to look for work in Germany. Even today, when children come to the monastery on an excursion, the next Barry certainly receives their attention.
It is enough just to glance at the powerful paws of the St. Bernard to understand the true purpose of the breed. A dog shovels snow with them no worse than a bulldozer. In the old days, monks deliberately sent a whole pack of St. Bernards in front of them so that they would clear the way for them. After all, everything necessary then had to be delivered to the highlands on foot...
Today the St. Bernards lost the palm in rescue work German Shepherds. No wonder: modern helicopters or motor sleds can deliver dogs almost to the scene of the tragedy, therefore, the size and power of St. Bernards no longer play a positive role. And they find victims german shepherds even faster. In the end, everything is decided by the ratio of weight and unit of “dog” strength. And then the St. Bernard loses to the shepherd. Agree, there are not many hunters who would like to take such a heavyweight as a St. Bernard into a helicopter.
But this is not the only disappointment that tourists who come to the Alps experience, accustomed to the textbook image of the St. Bernard: a huge rescue dog, equipped with a keg of cognac suspended from his neck. The fact is that St. Bernards never carried such barrels. They existed only in the imagination of artists. The first to mislead everyone was the already mentioned English painter Landseer. It was in his famous painting “Alpine Mastiffs Revive a Lost Traveler,” which reproduces in detail the episode of rescue, one of the dogs is depicted with a barrel suspended from his neck. Subsequently, this fictitious image of St. Bernard began to wander from one picture to another.
Perhaps a flask of alcohol, as an indispensable attribute of equipment, arose due to the specific appearance of dogs. Heavy, drooping eyelids give the St. Bernard some resemblance to a person suffering from a constant hangover.
Be that as it may, it was the British in the 19th century who were the first to popularize the St. Bernard and gave him this name. In the 11th century, a certain Bernard of Menton opened a small inn on the pass separating Italy and Switzerland where travelers could spend the night. Thanks to this refuge, travel through the Alps became less dangerous and traffic through the pass increased. Local residents revered Bernard of Menton as a saint because he gave shelter to travelers and protected them from bandits. In 1124 he was canonized. True, many still confuse him with Saint Bernard of Clairvon, the founder of the Kistercian order, who revived monasticism in these places. Part of this confusion is due to the famous motto of Bernard of Clairvon: “If you love me, love my dog.”
In the history of St. Bernards there are many examples of the highest courage and self-sacrifice. Nowadays these qualities are very rare, and people in in this case There is a lot to learn from dogs, the creation of which, as many are convinced, is the Creator himself.
Prepared based on materials from Smithsonian magazine by Alexander Solntsev
In souvenir shops in Switzerland you can always see wooden figurines and Stuffed Toys, depicting good-natured white and red shaggy dogs with a barrel hanging from their necks. Everyone will immediately understand what it is Saint Bernards, rescue dogs whose reputation reached its apogee in the 17th century 19th centuries and the rumor about which has not subsided to this day.
The Great St. Bernard Pass and the monastery - the transcendental homeland of the St. Bernards - still make an impressive impression. At an altitude of 2473 meters, among a chaotic pile of rocks, stand the austere buildings of a monastery founded unimaginably long ago - in 926. Near its walls, blown by icy winds, the lake glistens with dead lead: ice binds its waters 265 days a year. It's cool here even in July. The average annual temperature in these places is minus 1.33 "C, as on the southern tip of the island of Spitsbergen in the Arctic Ocean.
For many, the St. Bernard Pass is a sacred place. But not because Roman legionaries walked along its mountain slopes about two thousand years ago, and not because everything here is steeped in history from Caesar to Napoleon. Dog lovers revere this place as the birthplace of the St. Bernards. The most famous nursery where they are bred is also located here.
The pass and the monastery are open to tourists only at the height of summer. And for nine months of the year they are cut off from the world by deep snow.
Across the road from the monastery is a kennel where the monks keep huge white dogs with red tan marks. With their foreheads resting on their paws, they lie there in clean wooden enclosures, indifferent to the delights of the touched spectators.
The monks of the Augustinian order, to which the monastery belongs, have been providing assistance to travelers caught at the pass by cold and icy winds for centuries.
The morning after another snowstorm, the Maronnier novices descended along the path leading to the Swiss town of Bourg-Saint-Pierre and picked up those who were freezing and lost in the mountains. At that time, they didn’t know about skiing here, and the maroons walked waist-deep in snow, feeling the way with long staffs. Behind everyone's back was a bag with a piece of bread and a bottle of rum - the necessary support for exhausted people. They were certainly accompanied by two or three dogs. The help of the St. Bernards was invaluable. They looked for people in the snow, dug out those buried under avalanches. By order of the maroon, the dogs ran back to the monastery with a scarf tied to their collar - a signal of trouble.
Saint Bernards risked their lives so many times to save travelers buried under the snow that they deserve special recognition.
Saint Bernards have a proud track record. They saved theand during the period of their service in the mountains there were not hundreds, but thousands of people. They found and saved people not only in avalanches, but also those buried in snowfall, landslides, and lost in a snowstorm. The dogs did this work completely independently. Having found the victim, they helped him regain consciousness and get to the shelter. If this failed, the dogs returned to the monastery, raised the alarm and brought people to the scene of the incident.
Even to this day, amazing cases have survived when, having reached a frozen person who had lost consciousness, the dog lay down on him to warm him with the warmth of his body, licked his face and warmed him with his breath. Often, to prevent the rescued person from dying from hunger and cold, the monks tied a bag of food and a flask of wine around the rescue dog’s neck, and a warm blanket to his back.
Barrels of rum, as is often depicted in drawings of later times, are St. Bernards during their “ labor activity"was not worn around the neck.
And the famous dog Barry, which means “little bear” in the local German dialect, saved the death of forty people. Barry faithfully served the people at the pass for twelve whole years, and since 1815, his effigy adorns one of the museums in Bern.
Legends have given him a halo that no other dog in the world has. He was very seasoned, had an exceptional sense of smell and orientation, sensed the approach snow storm almost an hour before it started, he had a developed intuition about the danger of avalanches. Often, after returning from a search, the entire skin of the dog was covered with a continuous crust of ice. When Barry felt the first signs of darkness or a snowstorm, he became restless, often going into the mountains himself, where he tirelessly searched for people in distress. One day, sensing people in a deep crevice, Barry began to make his way towards them. An avalanche threw a woman and child into the abyss. When the woman noticed Barry expressing a desire to help, she used her last strength to cover the child with a cape and tie a shawl to the dog's back. The dog licked his face until the child came to his senses. Then Barrycarried him through the snowdrifts to the monastery for 5 kilometers (!) anddelivered the child safely, saving his life with his warmth.
There are several ancient images of Barry with the rescued child on his powerful back.
Today his effigy is on display at the Natural History Museum in Bern, and in France they even erected a monument to him.
...Since the end of the 19th century, marooners and their dogs have traveled down dangerous paths less and less. In 1885, a telegraph line was extended to the pass. And since 1966, when a tunnel was dug under Grand Saint Bernard, the famous pass has finally turned into a summer tourist center.
Alas, the breed of “St. Bernard” St. Bernards, bred in the 13th-14th centuries, is gradually degenerating and disappearing, and not only for purely genetic reasons. Huge dogs weighing 60-80 kilograms and up to 95 centimeters high at the withers require a lot of care, they are not easy to feed...
The monastery St. Bernards are now out of business. But the monks say that in winter, during particularly strong snowstorms, when icy winds howl over the monastery, covering it with snow, the dogs yearn and fight in their cages. The powerful instinct of rescuers excites their blood, drives them to search, to help people...
Nature rewardedSaint Bernards, or “senechkas”, as these giants were affectionately dubbed in Russia,
not only the ability to find people, but also, which is probably no less important, to withstand the hellish cold for hours. In these abilities of St. BernardsCarl Winter, search and rescue instructor and St. Bernard expert,I became convinced myself when several years ago I was searching for two missing climbers in the Seymour Mountains, which are located in Canada, in the province of British Columbia. These places are famous for sudden and abrupt changes in weather. A Saint Bernard who knew the area well took part in the search work. And if not for his tolerant attitude to bad weather, the rescuers would not have been able to complete the search. When they finally reached the fork in the high mountain path - one path led further upward, the other turned down to the so-called “suicide ravines” - it was decided to climb further. But the dog stood rooted to the spot and just barked at the people until they turned down. St. Bernard turned out to be right: not even an hour had passed before the search group came across the unlucky climbers.
The difficult school of survival has not changed for centuries: young dogs gain experience by following older ones on a leash and learn to recognize human scent. Deep snow is no hindrance to a St. Bernard rushing to the rescue of a person in trouble. The impression is as if the dog is swimming through the snow, working with large and strong paws.
It is enough just to glance at the powerful paws of the St. Bernard to understand the true purpose of the breed. A dog shovels snow with them no worse than a bulldozer. In the old days, monks deliberately sent a whole pack of St. Bernards in front of them so that they would clear the way for them. After all, everything necessary then had to be delivered to the highlands on foot...
The docile nature of dogs and their friendliness towards humans, especially children, are well known. And it's not just about proper upbringing. The roots of Senechka's behavior are much deeper - they go back to their distant alpine ancestors. Having noticed a person lying on the ground, the St. Bernard will certainly try to pick him up or at least turn him on his side. If he does not show signs of life, the dog lies down next to him and, pressing his whole body against the man, tries to warm him up.
In the past, rescue dogs were trained to work in pairs. The male and female had to find a skier lost in the mountains and dig him out from under the snow. Then the female usually lay down next to him, and the male hurried for help.
An innate instinct, even without regular training, does not disappear overnight. Jenny Babins, who as a child was accompanied everywhere by St. Bernard Mia, grew up and found confirmation of this more than once by observing the behavior of St. Bernard puppies. Having specially selected a couple of babies, Jenny performed the following experiment: she lay down on the snow, and the puppies immediately began to rub their noses against her. If she remained motionless, the female lay down by her side, and the male stomped around with such a preoccupied look, as if he wanted to run somewhere, but just didn’t know where exactly.
Other undoubted advantages of St. Bernards include their exceptional hard work and endurance. They alsoYou won’t be denied courage either. There is a known case in which a St. Bernard saved the life of a woman in Alaska by fighting her off from a grizzly bear.
This breed of dog is also very sensitive to tremors. Winter said that his pets once warned of danger about an hour before the eruption of Mount St. Helens, located 200 kilometers from his home. At the same time, the behavior of the dogs changes: instead of the usual barking, the St. Bernards begin to howl. A sure sign: something is wrong. They probably just sense tremors much earlier than people. It is curious that in the mountains of Switzerland, St. Bernards behave in exactly the same way, anticipating an imminent avalanche.
Perhaps these abilities help St. Bernards to find them by the weak movements of people buried under the snow.
In the history of St. Bernards there are many examples of the highest courage and self-sacrifice. Nowadays, these qualities are very rare, and people in this case have a lot to learn from dogs, the creation of which, as many are convinced, is the Creator himself.
Saint Bernard is a generous giant of the dog world, a true gentleman and true friend. The breed gained wide popularity after the filming of these dogs in the English-language films “Genevieve” and “Beethoven”. Today there are two varieties of St. Bernard - short-haired and long-haired.
Origin of the Saint Bernard breed
The breed comes from Tibetan mastiffs, once brought to the Alps. The name Saint Bernard comes from the French "Chien du Saint-Bernard" (Saint Bernard's dog). Monk Bernard of Menton founded a shelter for travelers on a difficult and dangerous mountain pass in the 11th century. Avalanches and strong winds brought the trail into disrepute, but in the 17th century, monks began using dogs to save people: their keen sense of smell helped the St. Bernards find victims under the snow, from which the animals themselves were protected by their thick skins. Often St. Bernards sensed the approach of avalanches in advance and warned travelers. The dogs worked in teams of four dogs: if a person could not move independently, three of them warmed him with their warmth, and the fourth ran for help. The most famous St. Bernard rescuer is a dog named Barry, who saved four dozen people over 12 years of service. And in the valleys, St. Bernards served as guards for livestock and houses, and were also used as draft power. The first St. Bernard came to Great Britain only in 1865, and breeding of breeding animals occurred at the end of the 19th century. Today, St. Bernards continue to search for missing climbers and serve as guard and escort dogs.
Appearance and main characteristics of St. Bernards
Head: large, massive and wide, with a convex wide forehead, slightly covered with wrinkles. The cranial part is twice as large in girth as total length heads. A pronounced transition from the forehead to the muzzle. The cheekbones are rounded, strongly developed, with muscular but flat cheeks. Upper lips black, drooping slightly on the sides. The bridge of the nose is straight, with a large black nose.
Eyes: close to the bridge of the nose, medium size, slightly sunken, dark brown.
Ears: Medium size, hanging down to the sides of the head.
Neck: Muscular, with an impressive collar.
Body: withers strongly projecting above the topline, convex ribs, strong short loin and wide back.
Limbs: powerful, well developed, with strong bones and muscles. The paws are large and strong.
Coat: shiny, with thick undercoat. Short-haired Saint Bernards have coarse and dense hair, while long-haired Saint Bernards have feathers, “pants” and a “fox” tail.
Color: all shades of red (rich, reddish, brownish) with white markings, or white with red markings. White spots are located throughout the body in a certain order: the stripe rises from the muzzle to the forehead and further, on the collar, chest, front and hind limbs, at the tip of the tail. There should be dark “glasses” around the eyes, and the ears should also be darker than the overall color.
Psychological portrait of St. Bernards
Saint Bernards combine the imposing appearance of a giant with a peaceful nature, poise, generosity, kindness and exceptional loyalty. These dogs are independent, and although they can be stubborn at times, they are usually obedient, affectionate, calm and well deserving of the love and attention of their owners. Dogs of this breed get along well with children, behave carefully and very carefully, and will never hurt them. Saint Bernards are intelligent dogs and are easy to train (but do not tolerate monotony and routine). The only drawback of this breed is its intolerance towards small dogs, and an angry St. Bernard can sometimes be difficult to deal with. However, provided that puppies of other breeds grow up with him, most likely, coexistence will be peaceful.
Maintenance and care
It is best to keep a Saint Bernard in a country house with plenty of adjacent free space. In apartments large pet feels cramped - however, subject to long walks on fresh air the situation will be more or less acceptable. Please note that dogs of this breed do not tolerate heat well. St. Bernard needs minimal care; the owner will need to regularly groom the long-haired St. Bernard and clean it with a special brush.
Puppies and training
When choosing a St. Bernard puppy, pay attention to the dog's movements, since this breed often has deficiencies in the structure of the limbs, especially the hind limbs. Babies grow quickly, rapidly gaining weight, so puppies should receive suitable good nutrition- otherwise problems with the musculoskeletal system cannot be avoided. A young St. Bernard should not be overloaded with large physical activity and long hikes - regular, non-exhausting walks at a calm pace will be much more beneficial for them.
Dimensions and weight of Saint Bernards
Height at the withers: for males - from 70 cm, for females - more than 65 cm. Weight: from 80 kg and more.
Published: http://natureworld.ru/porodyi-sobak-gruppa-2/senbernar-saint-bernard.html
P.S. - It turns out that in France they even erected a monument to the “Great Barry”, and in the St. Bernard shelter to this day best puppy Each litter is named after him. The name "Barry" comes from the German "Baren" - "bear".
Saint Bernards have earned fame as rescuers in the mountains. Isn’t it amazing the number of dying travelers they saved in the Alps - more than two thousand people? The breed is truly unique: hardy, sensitive, tireless. They searched for the victims under the snow. With their powerful paws they raked it no worse than a bulldozer. Noticing a man lying on the ground, the St. Bernard certainly made an attempt to lift him up. If he showed no signs of life, the dog lay down next to him, pressed himself with his whole body, and tried to warm him up. An ability of St. Bernards that is very valuable for high altitudes. long time withstand extreme cold.
It is noteworthy that the sensitivity of these Alpine giants to tremors has also been noted. In particular, there are examples of them warning about danger an hour before the eruption of a volcano located 200 km away. (Instead of the usual barking, the St. Bernards began to howl.) It was noted that they also showed anxiety, anticipating an imminent avalanche. In addition to all other virtues, they also have courage. There are cases when St. Bernards saved people by fighting them off from mountain grizzly bears.
The famous four-legged rescuers got their name from the Great St. Bernard Pass, a narrow gorge in the Alps, on the border of Switzerland and Italy. There has long been an unsafe road here, connecting two neighboring valleys. Both Roman legionnaires and Napoleonic soldiers walked along it, but even earlier and more often the pass was crossed by merchants and peasants. It was especially dangerous during the vagaries of insidious weather*
To help travelers, courageous monks built a shelter here at a sky-high altitude (2472 m) at the end of the 17th century. Over time, strong, large, muscular four-legged animals took root in this rescue shelter. faithful helpers. Their fame spread far beyond the region. They began to be distributed and used to search and rescue lost travelers on other high alpine passes.
The shelter turned into a monastery with a hotel (with a museum!), and enterprising monks created a St. Bernard nursery. (Nowadays, up to two dozen are sold from here every year. purebred puppies a thousand dollars each.) Fame was reinforced not only by statistics, but also by travelers-writers, artists and even architects. The most famous rescuer is St. Bernard Barry the First: for more than ten years since 1800, he saved four victims every year. His effigy has been preserved, and a monument to him has been erected in France.
But... almighty competition also took its toll.
German shepherds have taken the lead in rescue work in the mountains: they are easier to deliver to the site of the tragedy on motor sleds and helicopters. And victims are found even faster than their legendary heavyweight predecessors. By the way, about legend. St. Bernards were never equipped before going out on a search with a barrel of cognac suspended from their necks. This is a detail from the imagination of one of the first artists, who, perhaps, was himself partial to the drink, and the barrel began to wander from painting to painting.
Loading...