Saint Bernard - A True Rescue Dog

For many centuries the Saint Bernard has been around. It originated in the midst of the Western Alps in the area of the St. Bernard pass, where they get their name. There was also a monk that founded a hospice in the same area to rescue travelers through the pass. His name was St. Bernard de Menthon, the pass was named after him.

It is believed that the Saint Bernard breed started with the Tibetan Mastiff being mixed with the Great Pyrenees, Great Dane, and the Swiss Mountain Dog. The earliest recorded mention of the Saint Bernard is in 1707 from the monks in the hospice at the St. Bernard Pass.

The monks would rescue people that were in trouble in the pass and bring them to the hospice to care for them. They would take the Saint Bernard dogs with them as they would go out and search for these people. It was soon apparent how valuable these dogs were in finding people even if they were buried!

The look of the breed has changed slightly over the years. This is mainly due to avalanches killing numerous dogs that were breeding stock during 1816 and then in 1818. These dogs were just doing their part trying to rescue people when the avalanches happened. The surviving dogs wound up being bred with Newfoundland along with some other breed of dogs to keep the breed going during the 1850s.

This changed the Saint Bernard's fur to hold more ice, and not make them suitable for rescuing people in the snow any longer. During their rescue days for these dogs though, they saved over 2000 people from that treacherous pass. This valiant breed was recognized by the AKC in 1885 and is part of the Working Group.

This dog is very gentle and has a nice personality. They make great pets for families in spite of their mighty size. Since there were bred as primarily a rescue or work dog they have a lot of tolerance and patience for people especially children. They do need early socialization though to make sure of this. The dogs will also need to be socialized to accept other pets too.

This breed is fairly a healthy breed. They can however come down with a few health issues such as:

- Wobblers Syndrome
- Bone Cancer
- Hip Dysplasia
- Bloat

Saint Bernards do not need a lot of grooming. They only need to be brushed one or two times per week is enough. Use a firm bristle brush when doing this. The Saint Bernard dogs have a natural water resistance built into their coats. This can be adversely affected by too much bathing. Only give the dog a bath when it is absolutely needed. Use a dog-approved shampoo for this too.