Celtic and Germanic tribes wandered, fought, conquered and ruled parts of Europe and the British Isles more than 1000 years ago. These tribes had with them large, ferocious and fearsome dogs that even the Roman Army troops had to fight and conquer after they had fought and defeated their human owners.  Switzerland was one of the countries where some of these dogs were left, they survived and intermixed with some of the native breeds.  They became watchdogs, draft animals on farms, guardians of families and homes.  These dogs were not the St Bernards that we know and love today in the 21st century.  There were still evolutionary fires for the breed to go through.
     The monk, Bernard of Menthon, established a hospice in the Alps of Switzerland in the year 1050 A.D.  It was located close to  the top of an alpine pass, 8000 feet above sea level, and was near the Swiss/Italian border.  This pass was the main route across the Alps leading to Rome.  Roman troops had used this pass to lead them to Europe.  Pilgrims used this pass in the year 1050 A.D.  to go to Rome to pay homage to the Church there.  Merchants used the path to ply their trade with all points of their then known "civilized" world.
     One can only imagine traveling this dangerous route through the Alps.  Not only would one have the natural challenges, such as weather, altitude, exposed rocks and ravines, and unmarked paths.  There were bandits.  The need to bring supplies with you meant that the traveler was; one, carrying money; two, carrying goods that could be used or sold elsewhere; three, it was a remote environment allowing for easy get away, and/or disposal of evidence of a crime.  The traveler who walked these paths was either very brave, very driven, rich or foolish.
      The earliest written reference to dogs being at the hospice is dated 1707.  Earlier records had been destroyed in a fire at the hospice near the end of the 16th century.  It is speculated that dogs were first used at the hospice somewhere between 1550 and 1775.  It is thought that the monks were given dogs from the valley to protect them and the hospice from bandits.  The hospice provided travelers of this Alpine pass with shelter and food.  Some travelers were caught in storms, avalanches, or were simply lost among the rocks and paths of this remote, desolate region.  The monks would routinely go out and hunt for the lost, the weary and the injured, and bring them back to the hospice to be sheltered, fed and/or nursed back to health.
     The monks discovered that the dogs that had been given to them were good companions to have with them during the night searches and during storms.  The dogs learned to find the paths with unerring accuracy.  These dogs had great agility among the rocks and boulders of this mountain region.  They could carry loads of supplies for the monks and the hospice.  And the dogs possessed such an acute sense of smell that they could locate victims of avalanches 10 to 20 feet under snow.
      The story of the cute little brandy cask on the St. Bernard's collar is sentimental, Victorian and a fictional story.  Common sense tells us that drinking alcohol during winter conditions in the high altitudes is dangerous even for a strong, healthy person never mind a weak, hypothermic avalanche victim.
      During the 18th and 19th century these Alpine rescue dogs made a huge contribution to mountain rescue work.  These dogs augmented the senses of their master as the monks worked with the dogs in rescue.  The monks did not stay at the hospice sipping tea or brandy next to the fire, while their dogs were fighting blizzards, storms and the dark of night.  The monks were fighting the same conditions as their dogs to save human life.
     The hospice rescue and working dogs were "wiry, agile, yellowish tan or brown athletes with unexaggerated heads."  These dogs were shorter in height and not as heavy boned as today's Saints.  The original hospice dogs were the smooth coated variety with short, hound like hair.
     In the early 1800's the breeding program that the monks were using suffered serious setbacks.  Dogs were lost in storms, there were two specific seasons of severe weather.  The hospice dogs suffered a serious outbreak of distemper, which resulted in more losses.  Finally, due to the remoteness of the hospice, the monks were using in-breeding as a way to perpetuate specific characteristics that they wanted to keep in their dogs.  Unfortunately, in-breeding also leads to the perpetuation of unwanted faults as well, such as sterility, and a definite weakening of the hospice dog breed was the result.
     In 1830, the monks used the Newfoundland to try to bring new vigor back to the bloodline.  This is when the long haired
variety of St. Bernard was started.  The good news about this cross of St. Bernard and Newfoundland was that it was successful in adding new vigor to the bloodline, and yet the St. Bernard "type" was not lost.  The downside was the long haired variety of St. Bernard had great difficulty doing rescue work during winter conditions.  The long hair would absorb and freeze up with snow and ice, and weigh the dog down to the point he could not move, or he would move with great difficulty.
     It is interesting the variety of breeds that went into the mix to create the St. Bernard. Until the end of the 19th century there was a melting pot of such breeds as the Great Pyrenees, talhunds, Great Danes, bulldogs and spaniels, and the Newfoundland, plus the indigenous (who knows what) dogs that were originally bred to the mastiff - types brought by the Celts and Romans.
     Even though the association of the dog with the hospice was very strong, the name "St. Bernard" was not officially designated until 1880.  Up until then, the dog was known under a variety of names, including: Barryhund, Sacred Dog, Alpine Mastiff, Alpendog, and the Hospice Dog.
     It was during the 1800's that England had shipped in her first St. Bernards.  Of course, there were some who just had to cross the St. Bernards with mastiffs and bloodhounds and used them in pit fighting.
     The United States finally had St. Bernards shipped here around 1850.  There may have been earlier arrivals but there was no documentary proof of their arrival.  1877 was the first year the St Bernards competed at the Westminster Kennel Club show.  In 1888 the St Bernard Club of America was organized, and adopted the Swiss standard  that had been accepted the year before, in 1887, at the International Congress in Zurich.
     There have been many changes for the St. Bernard.  During the 1960's and 1970's the St. Bernard became very popular and puppymills jumped on the money train, resulting in some serious physical and temperament problems becoming a part of the gene pool in some bloodlines.  Dedicated breeders and the St. Bernard Club of America have worked very hard since then to correct the problems and have been for the most part tremendously successful.  The potential owner of this breed needs to look seriously at the information available through the breed club, the breeder, the A.K.C. and his/her veterinarian.  Use common sense when looking at these puppies, realize that what the parents and grandparents of that little ball of fur are, that is what the puppy will become.
     Today's St. Bernard is a gentle, noble giant that loves attention, is very sensitive and compassionate, and given the proper nutrition, exercise and training will be a great companion for life.

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