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HISTORY
The short hair
Saint Bernard, the original specimen, is the descendant of the
Mastiff of Antiquity that crossed the Alps with the Romans
armies. They cross-bred with the native Swiss dog, and
formed, in time, a specific breed. The stock of the Saint
Bernard hospice was renowned in all of Europe as early as
1800. In 1830, with the addition of Newfoundland blood
line, appeared the long-haired Saint Bernard. Henri
Schumacher re-establishes a short hair line and the name of Saint
Bernard is recognised in 1880. In parallel, the English
type (Saint-Bernard
Mastiff) becomes higher and
narrower. In 1887, after steep competition between English
and Swiss, the Swiss standard is definitively adopted.
An international star
Barry (German jargon meaning bear), born in 1800, contributes
widely to the spreading of the breed in the XIXth century.
Due to his exceptional gifts, he saved forty people in twelve
years of work, and all of Europe knows of his exploits.
After a life of good and loyal services, he died at Bern in 1814. To perpetuate the memory of this valiant soldier of the mountain, the authorities decides to naturalise him, and since then he figures at the Museum of Natural Science in Bern. Since that time, the most beautiful male of the hospice has always bore the name.
Many of his descendants in their turn became famous but many met with tragedy: Barry II disappeared into a crevice in 1905 and Barry III died from a fall in a gully.