The Saint Bernard Barrel and Its Legend

The Saint Bernard is a dog that is originally from the Swiss Alps and is most famous because of the rescue stories and legends it is involved in. It was originally bred as a rescue dog and the stories and legends, although sometimes unbelievable, are oftentimes true. The Saint Bernard barrel is used in all the stories and legends with the theory being that brandy was kept in the barrels and when these dogs went out on a rescue trek, the brandy would warm the bodies of the people trapped in avalanches or snow before help came to rescue them.

The Swiss Mountain Dogs share a history with the Saint Bernards and although they were usually used as rescue dogs, they were also used for herding cattle, hunting dogs and as livestock guardians. Monks at the hospice at The Great Saint Bernard Pass are the ones who tell of the first Saint Bernards known of which date back to 1707 with drawings of them dating back even further. At the pass, a Saint Bernard named Barry is most famous for saving between 40-100 lives while he lived there. Unfortunately, between 1816 and 1818, many of the classic looking Saint Bernards that were used in breeding were killed off in that area due to avalanches so the classic Saint Bernard and the dog we know as the Saint Bernard today may look very different. To keep the breed alive, the remaining Saint Bernards were bred with Newfoundlands in 1850 which was good because it kept the breed alive, but their newly inherited long fur made it much harder for them to be rescue dogs in the alps because the fur would freeze and slow them down possibly trapping or killing them. In 1887, the “new breed” of Saint Bernards were finally accepted as a true breed and that is the Saint Bernard we know today.

It is interesting that the dogs are portrayed in comics, books, and on television as having Saint Bernard barrels around their neck full of brandy as alcohol would actually worsen the situation of a person suffering from hypothermia. Still, the painting of the Saint Bernard barrels is kept around the Saint Bernard Hospice for photographs by tourists. Legend also has it that besides the Saint Bernard barrel being what saves people, this dog can sense when a storm is approaching because he can hear low frequency sounds that humans cannot. The Saint Bernard is a rescue dog and obviously has many ways he goes about rescuing those who are in peril.