Honoring a Great Saint

As the first snows accumulate on Switzerland's Great St. Bernard Pass, the iconic dogs of the region make their way down the valley from a 2,500-meter high hospice to their winter home in Martigny.

Under the impeccable care of the Barry Foundation, the tradition of the Great St. Bernard lives on despite the tools of modern day that have rendered the breeds rescue skills obsolete. The foundation's task is to keep the tradition of breeding extremely healthy dogs in the spirit of the original breed that has saved the lives of travellers since the 17th century. Only dogs bred on the pass, or in their winter homes, are classified as coming from the Great St. Bernard.

The dogs have been one of two types of caretakers there . For 970 years, Augustine Monks at the hospice have dispensed spiritual guidance to pilgrims walking the route from Canterbury, England to Rome or Jurusalem. For 300 years, the monks used the dogs to help travelers lost in the snow or dark. With the introduction of snowmobiles and technological advances in communication, the dogs place on the Swiss cultural landscape came under question. For years, they were neither bred, nor trained to be rescue dogs, and finally in 2004, the monks announced they would be selling the dogs, deciding their resources were better spent on travelers still making through

Within a year, the Barry Foundation stepped in to preserve the glory days of the St. Bernard. They now maintain their summer home, providing a team of keepers as well as a vet and breed specialist while continuing care during the winter months in Martigny. The foundation has also opened a St. Bernard museum dedicated to the dogs in the small French-speaking town that can be visited year-round. Tourists can take organized hikes with them and visit the kennels where the dogs love to be petted. To uphold tradition one St. Bernard, Justin, is being trained as an avalanche dog. Another, Salsa, is their first trained therapy dog and visits a retirement home regularly.

The Barry foundation is named after the greatest St. Bernard rescue dog of all time that was alleged to have saved the lives of 41 people. To this day, there is always a dog named Barry on the watch. He and others preserve this Swiss symbol of friendship and devotion that has become popular the world over.

Photos courtesy of Fondation Barry.