What’s In a Name?

Why did we choose St. Bernard’s Animal Medical Center as our clinic’s name? First, we hope it conjures up positive images of traditional human hospitals, the quality and cleanliness of which our veterinary hospital emulates. Second, we are impressed by the loyalty and helpfulness of the St. Bernard breed and incorporate these values into our philosophy.

The Heroic History of the Saint Bernard

St. Bernard carries little boy on his back
Barry, legendary St. Bernard dog, is said to have rescued a little boy lost in the snow by carrying him on his back.

Although known by a variety of different names until 1880, the Saint Bernard dog originated in the Swiss mountains, a portion of the Alps known as the Great St. Bernard Pass. This trecherous high altitude path, named for the nearby monastery and hospice, was the only route through the mountains separating Italy and Switzerland. The Great St. Bernard Pass remains snow-covered except during the warmest summer months, and travelers frequently became lost, injured, or buried in avalanches when the weather turned inclement. Bandits also roamed the area providing yet another threat to safety.

The first documenation of the St. Bernard hospice dog is 1707, but historians think the dogs were living in the monastery for hundreds of years by then. It is believed the first dogs were gifts to the monks, meant as companions and protectors from the bandits. The monks soon discovered that their canine companions were well suited to the rescue work which often brought the monks into the mountain pass.

Although not as tall, large-boned or furry as today’s St. Bernard, the hospice dog traversed the snowy trails easily, had a keen sense of smell and could find and uncover an avalanche victim under 10-20 feet of snow! After freeing the buried traveler, one dog would lie down on the person to keep him warm while a second dog rushed back to the monastery for human assistance. The brandy-filled flask commonly depicted around the St. Bernard’s massive neck is merely legend. St. Bernard rescue dogs are credited with saving more than 2,000 people up to the late nineteenth century. The most famous St. Bernard rescue dog is Barry, who lived from 1800-1812, and saved the lives of more than 40 people during his tenure.

The original St. Bernard dog is thought to be a descendent of a mastiff-style Asian breed brought to the area by Romans. These dogs were shorter and lighter than the modern St. Bernard with short reddish brown and white fur and longer tails. By the early 1800s this version of the dog was at risk of becoming extinct due to in-breeding, a distemper virus outbreak, and several years of disasterously bad weather that cost the lives of numerous rescue dogs. In 1830, the Newfoundland bloodline was introduced. This saved the St. Bernard breed and resulted in the heavy, long-haired coat seen in most modern Saints. The long hair, however, impeded the newer dogs on their rescue missions, immobilizing them as their fur became coated in heavy ice and snow! Other breeds including the Great Pyrenees, talhunds, Great Danes, bulldogs and spaniels have also contributed to the St. Bernard’s lineage.

With the advent of rail and air travel, few people nowadays require the emergency rescue service of the stalwart St. Bernard monks and their heroic dogs. Nevertheless, the monks continued to maintain these fine dogs for companionship and in honor of the hospice tradition until just recently. In 2005, for financial reasons, the dogs were moved to their new home in a nearby valley, but they still spend a portion of the year in the Pass where they can be admired and enjoyed by visitors.