Avalanche victims supposedly drank the brandy to stay warm while awaiting rescue, although this is medically unsound. The monks of the St. Bernard Hospice deny that any St. Bernard has ever carried casks or small barrels around their necks; they attribute the image to an 1820 painting by Edwin Landseer, Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveller . The St. Bernard was bred to be a working companion and to this day the St. Bernard lives to please its master and is an amiable yet hard worker. St. Bernards have retained their natural ability for scent work and depending on the skill of the trainer and the talents of the dog, St. Bernards can participate in tracking events or even become involved in search and rescue work. Cujo, a dog who had his friendly demeanour ruthlessly taken from him by rabies and became crazed, terrorizing some of the residents of the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine from the 1981 Stephen King novel Cujo and the 1983 film of the same name. The Swiss St. Bernard Club was founded in Basel on 15 March 1884.
While generally not instinctively protective, a St. Bernard may bark at strangers, and their size makes them good deterrents against possible intruders. Besides social and tourist activities, some animals bred by the Foundation participate in a variety of dog sports, including carting and weight pulling. The Barry Foundation’s breeding program’s stated goals center on health, sociability and athleticism rather than size.
The modern St. Bernard is radically different from the original dogs kept at the Great St Bernard Hospice, most notably by being much larger in size and build. Since the late 1800s, the St. Bernard breed has been ever refined, using many different large molosser-type breeds, including the Newfoundland, Great Pyrenees, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Great Dane, English Mastiff and possibly the Tibetan Mastiff and Caucasian Shepherd Dog. It is suspected that many of these large breeds were used to redevelop each other to combat the threat of their extinction after World War II, which may explain why all of them played a part in the creation of the St. Bernard as it is seen today. The St. Bernard is recognized internationally today as one of the molosser breeds.
Known as a classic example of a gentle giant, the Saint Bernard is calm, patient and sweet with adults, and especially children. However, St. Bernards, like all very large dogs, must be well socialized with people and other dogs in order to prevent fearfulness and any possible aggression or territoriality. The biggest threat to small children is being accidentally knocked over by this breed’s larger size. Overall, they are a gentle, loyal and affectionate breed, and if socialized are very friendly. Because of its large adult size, it is essential that proper training and socialization begin while the St. Bernard is still a puppy, so as to avoid the difficulties that normally accompany training large dogs. An unruly St. Bernard may present problems for even a strong adult, so control needs to be asserted from the beginning of the dog’s training.
The very fast growth rate and the weight of a St. Bernard can lead to very serious deterioration of the bones if the dog does not get proper food and exercise. Many dogs are genetically affected by hip dysplasia or elbow dysplasia. They are susceptible to eye disorders called entropion and ectropion, in which the eyelid turns in or out. The breed is also susceptible to epilepsy and seizures, a heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy, and eczema.
I am Kraig Wharton, a wildlife conservationist and a television personality. I am 30 years old. I was born and raised in the small town of Marion, Alabama. I have always had a love and respect for nature, which led me to pursue a career in wildlife conservation.
I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel all over the world, working with some of the most endangered species on the planet. My work has taken me to some of the most remote and dangerous places on earth, including war-torn countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
I am passionate about educating people about the importance of conserving our natural resources, and I am committed to doing whatever it takes to protect our planet for future generations.