Saint Bernard

The Saint Bernard originated during the 17th century at a monastery founded by a monk named Bernard of Menthon. St. Bernard of Menthon established this monastery along with a hospice around the year 1050 near a treacherous pass in the Alps that connected Italy and Switzerland in order to help travelers. This pass was a particularly dangerous area, with avalanches and snow drifts creating sometimes lethal conditions. Over the centuries, monks bred a working dog that would be able to locate and assist travelers that had gotten lost or otherwise met an ill fate in the pass. This dog was the Saint Bernard, although slightly smaller than the modern breed. Interestingly enough, they never got any rescue training from the monks, but older dogs would teach the younger dogs their search-and-rescue tactics.