St. Bernard Barry is the best lifeguard

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

In Russia, St. Bernards are affectionately called “senechka”. And the birthplace of these giants is the Great Pass of St. Bernard, which is located in the Alps. Many prefer this breed of large dogs, which are the best rescuers, because they can overcome very inaccessible places. They are also considered a great friend of a person, as they are always ready to help him.

Saint Bernard Pass

A narrow rocky path was cut through the St. Bernard Pass. It connected Italy with Western Europe.

In bad weather, when snowstorms and drifts raged, such a road became especially dangerous. In this place there was a monastery, which became a mountain shelter for travelers. It was founded by Bishop Bernard of Menton. It happened back in 1049. Then the pass and the monastery were named after the Bishop of Saint Bernard - Saint Bernard.

Dogs at the monastery

In severe weather conditions, many people died, unable toreach the monastery. Then the monks brought four-legged helpers - St. Bernards. These dogs were used to search for and rescue lost travelers. The animals were strong and hardy. They had a great love for people. We felt a person in a snowdrift at a depth of up to six meters.

The dogs could navigate the mountains well and quickly found their way home. Anticipating the imminent change in the weather, they began to fuss, got nervous and hurried to go to the mountains on their own in order to come to the aid of a person in time.

About three or four dogs took part in the search for people in trouble. When the dogs found the victim, two of them lay down next to him, warming the man, licking his face and shaking him as best they could. And the rest ran to the people for help.

Admirers of dogs consider the pass to be the birthplace of the St. Bernards. And here, in the current monastery, there is a well-known nursery for breeding this breed.

And in a local hotel you can see a picture of a dog very similar to a St. Bernard.

What the dog looked like

In those distant times, the described dogs outwardly differed significantly from modern St. Bernards. They were more mobile and less massive.

The advantage of this dog is its thick coat. It perfectly protects from cold and snow. Very thick, this short coat did not get wet, did not become covered with icicles and perfectly saved from hypothermia.

A dog's weather resistance is truly limitless– she can stay in deep snow for a day, even in the strongest storm, without the slightest harm to her he alth.

The animal has a very fast reaction rate and an exceptionally sharp sense of smell. This is what allows her to quickly find people under the snow.

Monument to Saint Bernard Barry in Paris

It was installed about 180 years ago in a Parisian cemetery. A bronze statue of a huge dog and a child clinging to it. On the pedestal is the inscription: "Barry, who saved forty people and killed forty-first." This is a monument to all St. Bernards who save people.

Among the dogs of this breed there were champions. One of the famous rescuers was a St. Bernard named Leo. On account of his 35 saved souls. But St. Bernard Barry became more famous. It was he who saved forty people, and he himself died at the hands of the forty-first. There is a legend about how it all happened.

How Barry died

One day there was a strong snowstorm. Dogs, as usual, went out in search of injured people. Gradually they returned to the monastery. They were all very tired and exhausted. Only St. Bernard Barry continued to search for those in trouble. He wandered and wandered among the mountains. Obviously, the dog felt that somewhere under the snow a person was left lying.

Instinct did not let the dog down. He found a traveler covered in snow. The dog began to free him from captivity. Tormoshil and licked the face of the poor fellow. But the man, waking up, opened his eyes and saw a large dog face. Frightened, he decided that before him was a wolf. A man killed St. Bernard Barry with a pistol.

PoAccording to another legend, the dog was stabbed to death. The forty-first person he saved did this.

Since then, a dog named Barry has always lived in the kennel of the monastery. She is named after him.

Legend of saving the child

Another legend says that St. Bernard Barry is a hero dog. According to her, the dog actually saved forty-one people. The forty-first saved was a child. How he got to the pass and found himself completely alone in a dangerous situation, no one knew.

When St. Bernard Barry felt it, the child was alive but unconscious. The dog helped in time: he lay near the boy for a long time, warming him with his body, and licked his face. When the child woke up, he had no strength at all. All he could do was wrap his little hands around the dog's neck.

Barry tried very carefully to carry the baby. The dog was old and had a very hard time. The kid saw this and tried to sit on the dog astride. So they came to the people.

Barry lived out his life in the city and died a natural death, having served the people for about twelve years.

The story of St. Bernard Barry is true, and there is a lot of evidence for that. A stuffed dog is still in the Museum of Natural History in the Swiss city of Bern.

Conclusion

Writer Shaitlin stated: “Barry is the best of all dogs and animals. Whoever now sees your effigy in the museum should take off his hat, buy a portrait and hang it on the wall under glass. Every person should show his children and studentspicture of Barry, with the baby on his back, standing at the gates of the monastery. Let everyone say – do what this dog did.”

Monument to St. Bernard Barry is a symbol of the dog's great love for man. And the St. Bernard himself is considered not only the best watchdog, but also the most excellent friend of children.