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NORTH ADAMS, MA. (USA) — It
has been said that a St. Bernard dog can smell a human as far as two miles
away. They have been known to find people buried under as much as
10ft of snow, and with their keen intuition, they can predict blizzards
and avalanches up to 20 minutes before they occur.
Keeping in mind an impressive history like that, maybe we can overlook
an occasional goof or two.
According to last weekend's Boston Herald, a pair of burly St.
Bernards didn't have the sense to come in out of the rain and managed to get lost in their own
neighborhood last Thursday. They ended up hitching a ride with a couple of friendly humans to the North Adams Police
Department, where officers telephoned the dogs' family. I'm willing
to bet that the pooches didn't even have a quarter for the phone call.
"Bruin" and "McGwire", two massive working dogs
with a combined weight of 350lbs (160kg), were found "wet, slobbery
and muddy" running back and forth across a highway, according to the
unidentified couple who loaded them into their car and took them to the
police.
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The national dog of Switzerland,
St. Bernards have rescued countless frozen travelers by bringing
them first-aid and leading them to safety. My guess is that
Bruin and McGwire had been taking a wee nip of their own brandy
keg. How else could they explain getting lost in their own
back yard? (Photo: SOS
St. Bernard Dogs) |
The two slackers were soon reunited with their worried family, the
Levesques from North Adams. According to Debbie Levesque, Bruin and
McGwire had simply wandered away from their dinner bowls and gotten caught
in Thursday afternoon's rain storm.
"Bruin and McGwire seem to be hanging real close by,'' says Ms.
Leveque. "I hope they learned their lesson."
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The Barry Monument
(Asnière, France) depicts the legendary rescue of a freezing child who
rode into town on Barry's back.
And now...
The Greatest Rescue Dog
in the World
Ironically enough, the most celebrated St. Bernard rescue dog was
probably one of the smallest ones around, weighing no more than 100lbs
(St. Bernards today can weigh nearly twice as much).
"Barry" (1800-1814) was one of the original compact,
short-haired types, born a good 30 years before the breed was crossed with
the Newfoundland, creating today's long-haired variety.
Over a period of 12 years, Barry was credited with saving 40 people
from "the White Death" at Saint Bernard Pass in Switzerland, including
supposedly one half-frozen child who rode into town
on the dog's back.
In Europe, Barry is widely accepted as the greatest of all search and
rescue dogs. The inscription on the Barry-monument in Asnière, France (near Paris) states:
Il
sauva la vie à 40 personnes.
Il fut tué par le 41ème.
(He saved
the lives of 40 people.
He was killed by the 41st).
To this day, the monks of the Grand Saint Bernard Hospice continue to
honor the great hero by always having the most handsome dog at the Hospice named
"Barry".
§§§
Source:
Natural History Museum
Berne, Switzerland
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