In the past, the ancestors of the St. Bernard breed were used as working dogs. This means they were used as herders, hunters and watchdogs on farms, the dog we know today however, was bred for rescue purposes. In fact, the existence of a St. Bernard in popular in folk lore because of this reason, and the dog has become a legend and a mystery. These dogs are very smart and their high intelligence lends them to the specific work they were bred for.
The ancestors of the dog were brought into Switzerland by invading Roman forces around the 1st century C.E. These dog were then bred with native Swiss dogs and formed a breed that was used for farming purposes. These dogs were extremely large in stature and very loyal, in addition they were extremely strong and had a high level of self-awareness. These aspects of the dogs personality made them valuable to the monks in the monastery at St. Bernard Pass. The St. Bernard Monks needed companionship and dogs that could help them in rescue efforts to find snowbound individuals.
It is not exactly known when the dogs were brought to the monastery, however it is believed to be prior to the start of the 18th century, probably in the middle of the 17th century. First reference to the dogs in written form comes in 1707, and paintings dating to around 1660. These tangible records accounts for the assumption that the dogs were used as rescuers by these dates.
The dogs would accompany the St. Bernard monks along the treacherous footpaths of St. Bernard Pass. The monks would take the dogs with them because they had the uncanny knack of being able to sense an impending avalanche and warn the monks. This was another skill useful to the monks in the rescue missions.
In time, groups of dogs 2-3 in numbers would go out sans human companionship. The dogs were trained to locate stranded travelers and dig them out of the snow. One dog would wake the person and then lie on the person to keep their body temperature elevated. Meanwhile, the other dogs would head back to the monastery to bring back monks to assist the person. If the person was able to walk, the dog would then lead them back to the monastery for help.
During the severe weather in the early 19th century, many rescue dogs were killed around St. Bernard Pass. The St. Bernard breed was continued with the assistance of dogs from surrounding locations. The breed was eventually recovered and restored to previous levels before the deaths.
Because a St. Bernard has such strong skills as rescuers, they have become the things legends are made of. There are movies, books and TV shows that showcase this brave, strong dog being the hero he was born to be. We've all seen the cartoons of the St. Bernard helping a stranded traveler with the bottle of booze around its neck. While a St. Bernard does not often work in a rescue capacity anymore, the breed still harbors the ability to work in rescue efforts and has an incredible sense of smell.
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