We all know how big and gigantic the Italian-Swiss Saint Bernard dogs are. But, they’re nothing but large, cuddly bears. These cuddly bears have an amazing history
The Great Saint Bernard Pass, a 49-mile long route in the Western Alps sits a little more than 8,000 feet above the sea level.
The pass is only snow free during the summer for a couple of months, and it has been a dangerous route for many travelers since the beginning of the history.
In order to help the travellers and struggling trekkers, an Augustine monk named St. Bernard de Menthon founded a small clinic (a hospice) and monastery around the year 1050.
Originally, Saint Bernards were bred by monks for rescue purpose in the cold and harsh climates of the Great St. Bernard Pass of the Italian-Swiss border.
The canines used to make rescue excursions on the Great St. Bernard Pass in the Alps.
The dogs would often find travelers buried under deep snow, dig through the layers of snow, and lie on top of the wounded person to provide warmth and comfort.
Meanwhile, the other rescue dogs would return to the clinics to alert the monks of the stranded and injured pilgrim.
The system of the rescue service became so organized that when Napoleon and his 250,000 soldiers crossed through the Great St. Bernard Pass in the Alps between 1790 and 1810, not one soldier lost his life.
The chronicles of the soldiers tell of how many lives were saved by the St. Bernard dogs in what the army used to call “the White Death.”
They always set out on missions in sets of two so, once the person was rescued, they would sit on them for warmth while the other went to seek help.
Barry, the Saint Bernard used to save lives in the Alps, and he was really good at what he did.
The gorgeous and huge St. Bernard was very loyal to his owner, a monk, and nothing could stop him, not even snowstorms.
There was an instance, when a route through the Swiss Alps was blocked by a bad snowstorm and there was a lost family with kids to be saved.
The rescue team had soldiers to help, monks to provide first-aid and St. Bernard canines to assist with their sense of smell and resistance to cold.
Along with their team, the St. Bernard’s dogs saved all the members of the family, but their 12-year son was still missing.
Barry was still in action as he sniffed through the layers of snow.
Having discovered the scent of the boy, Barry began digging rigorously, and within seconds the 12-year-old boy was found nearly frozen in a crevice and awakened by Barry
The boy was saved and made to rest over Barry’s warm body. He carried him gently to safety.
Incredible Barry has a record of rescuing over 50 victims during the course of his 12 years, and from that event to this day, there’s always a rescue dog named Barry at the monastery where the original Barry lived.
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