Barry (dog)
Encyclopedia
Barry der Menschenretter (1800–1814), also known as Barry, was a dog of a breed which was later called the St. Bernard
that worked as a mountain rescue dog
in Switzerland
for the Great St Bernard Hospice
. He predates the modern St. Bernard, and was lighter built than the modern breed. He has been described as the most famous St. Bernard, as he was credited with saving more than 40 lives during his lifetime.
The legend surrounding him was that he was killed while attempting a rescue; however, this is untrue. Barry retired to Bern, Switzerland
and after his death his body was passed into the care of the Natural History Museum of Bern
. His skin has been preserved through taxidermy
although his skull was modified in 1923 to match the Saint Bernard of that time period. His story and name have been used in literary works, and a monument to him stands in the Cimetière des Chiens
near Paris
. At the hospice one dog has always been named Barry in his honor and since 2004 the Foundation Barry du Grand Saint Bernard has been set up to take over the responsibility for breeding dogs from the hospice.
The first mention in the Great St Bernard Hospice archives of a dog was in 1707 which simply said "A dog was buried by us." The dogs are thought to have been introduced to the monastery as watchdogs at some point between 1660 and 1670. Old skulls from the collection of the Natural History Museum of Bern show that at least two types of dog lived at the hospice. By 1800, the year that Barry was born, it was known that a special kind of dog was being used for rescue work in the pass. This general variety of dog was known as a Küherhund, or cowherd's dog.
Measurements of his preserved body show that Barry was smaller than the modern Saint Bernard, weighing between 40 and 45 kg (88.2 and 99.2 lb) whereas modern Bernards weigh between 65 and 85 kg (143.3 and 187.4 lb). His current mounted height is approximately 64 centimetres (25.2 in), but the living Barry would have been slightly smaller.
During Barry's career, he was credited with saving the lives of more than forty people, although this number has sometimes varied over the years. Barry's most famous rescue was that of a young boy. He found the child asleep in a cavern of ice. After warming up the boy's body sufficiently by licking him, he moved the boy about and onto his back and carried the child back to the hospice. The child survived and was returned to his parents, although other sources say that the boy's mother died in the avalanche that trapped the boy. The Museum of Natural History in Bern disputes the legend, attributing it to Peter Scheitlin, an animal psychologist
.
pet cemetery
, which states "Il sauva la vie à 40 personnes. Il fut tué par le 41ème", Barry saved the lives of forty people, but died while attempting to save his forty-first. The story goes that news had come that a Swiss soldier
was lost in the mountains. Barry was searching for the soldier and had picked up the scent, some forty-eight hours old and finally stopped before a large bank of ice. He dug until he reached the soldier, and then licked him as he was trained. Awoke and startled, the Swiss soldier mistook Barry for a wolf and fatally stabbed him with his bayonet
. James Watson in his 1906 work The Dog Book attributed the rumour to fellow author Idstone, also known as Reverend Thomas Pearce.
However the legend of his death is untrue. After twelve years of service at the monastery, Barry was brought by a monk to Bern, Switzerland so that he could live out the rest of his life. He passed away at the age of 14. His body passed into the hands of the Natural History Museum of Bern. A special exhibit was held in his honor at the museum to commemorate his 200th Anniversary.
, while there was also a breed called the Alpine Spaniel
which was recorded around the same time period. The English called the breed "sacred dogs", whilst the German Kynology
proposed the name "Alpendog" in 1828. Following his death and up until 1860 the entire stock were called "Barry hounds" in the Canton of Bern after Barry himself. It was not until 1865 when the term "St. Bernard" was first used primarily for the breed. Under this name, the St. Bernard has been recognised since 1880 by the Swiss Kennel Club.
Barry is described as the most famous St. Bernard by the Natural History Museum of Bern. Following his death, his skin was preserved by a taxidermist
for the museum, while the rest of his body was buried. He was originally given a humble and meek pose as the taxidermist felt that this would serve as a reminder of servitude to future generations. In 1923, his body was refurbished by Georg Ruprecht as his coat had become brittle and had broken into over 20 pieces. During the restoration his body was reposed and his skull shape was modified to match the shape of the St. Bernard of that time in a compromise between Ruprecht and the Museum's director. His original head shape was rather flat with a moderate stop, with the modification resulting in a larger head with a more pronounced stop. A barrel
was added hanging from his collar
, following the popularization of the myth of the dogs of the monastery using these during the rescues which was originally introduced by Edwin Landseer
's work Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveller. The barrel was removed in 1978 by Professor Walter Huber, the director of the museum, although it has since been replaced. A monument to Barry is located opposite the entrance to the Cimetière des Chiens
pet cemetery
in Paris
.
In literary works, Samuel Rogers' poem The Great Saint Bernard is sometimes referred to as Barry, The Great St. Bernard. Henry Bordeaux
praised Barry's work in his 1911 novel La Neige sur les pas. Walt Disney Productions made a telemovie entitled Barry of the Great St. Bernard in 1977, and Barry's story has been featured in children's books such as Barry: The Bravest Saint Bernard published by Random House Books for Young Readers
.
Until September 2004, 18 dogs still belonged to the hospice at any one time. The Foundation Barry du Grand Saint Bernard was founded to establish kennels in Martigny, a village further down the pass, to take over the breeding of St. Bernard puppies from the friars at Hospice. Around 20 puppies per year are born at the foundation. In 2009, the St. Bernard Dog Museum was opened at the Foundation in Martingny, and to commemorate the occasion, Barry's remains were loaned from the museum in Bern. Each summer the foundation leads dogs up the pass when it is open to the hospice, mainly for tourists, with rescue efforts on the pass now conducted by helicopter
s.
St. Bernard (dog)
The St. Bernard is a breed of very large working dog from the Italian and Swiss Alps, originally bred for rescue. The breed has become famous through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for its large size.-Appearance:The St. Bernard is a large dog...
that worked as a mountain rescue dog
Search and rescue dog
The use of dogs in search and rescue is a valuable component in wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and in locating missing people. Dedicated handlers and well-trained dogs are required for the use of dogs to be effective in search efforts...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
for the Great St Bernard Hospice
Great St Bernard Hospice
The Great St Bernard Hospice is a hospice or hostel for travellers in Switzerland, at 2469m altitude at the Great St Bernard Pass in the Pennine Alps. The frontier with Italy is only a few hundred metres to the south.-History:...
. He predates the modern St. Bernard, and was lighter built than the modern breed. He has been described as the most famous St. Bernard, as he was credited with saving more than 40 lives during his lifetime.
The legend surrounding him was that he was killed while attempting a rescue; however, this is untrue. Barry retired to Bern, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and after his death his body was passed into the care of the Natural History Museum of Bern
Natural History Museum of Bern
The Natural History Museum of Bern is a museum in Bern, Switzerland. In its teaching and research it cooperates closely with the University of Bern. It is visited by around 100,000 people yearly.-History:...
. His skin has been preserved through taxidermy
Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians...
although his skull was modified in 1923 to match the Saint Bernard of that time period. His story and name have been used in literary works, and a monument to him stands in the Cimetière des Chiens
Cimetière des Chiens
The Cimetière des Chiens is often claimed to be the first zoological necropolis in the world...
near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. At the hospice one dog has always been named Barry in his honor and since 2004 the Foundation Barry du Grand Saint Bernard has been set up to take over the responsibility for breeding dogs from the hospice.
History
Measurements of his preserved body show that Barry was smaller than the modern Saint Bernard, weighing between 40 and 45 kg (88.2 and 99.2 lb) whereas modern Bernards weigh between 65 and 85 kg (143.3 and 187.4 lb). His current mounted height is approximately 64 centimetres (25.2 in), but the living Barry would have been slightly smaller.
During Barry's career, he was credited with saving the lives of more than forty people, although this number has sometimes varied over the years. Barry's most famous rescue was that of a young boy. He found the child asleep in a cavern of ice. After warming up the boy's body sufficiently by licking him, he moved the boy about and onto his back and carried the child back to the hospice. The child survived and was returned to his parents, although other sources say that the boy's mother died in the avalanche that trapped the boy. The Museum of Natural History in Bern disputes the legend, attributing it to Peter Scheitlin, an animal psychologist
Comparative psychology
Comparative psychology generally refers to the scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of non-human animals. However, scientists from different disciplines do not always agree on this definition...
.
Death
According to a plaque on a monument in the Cimetière des ChiensCimetière des Chiens
The Cimetière des Chiens is often claimed to be the first zoological necropolis in the world...
pet cemetery
Pet cemetery
A pet cemetery is a cemetery for animals.-History:Many human cultures buried animal remains. The Ancient Egyptians mummified and buried cats, which they considered deities....
, which states "Il sauva la vie à 40 personnes. Il fut tué par le 41ème", Barry saved the lives of forty people, but died while attempting to save his forty-first. The story goes that news had come that a Swiss soldier
Military of Switzerland
The Swiss Armed Forces perform the roles of Switzerland's militia and regular army. Under the country's militia system, professional soldiers constitute about 5 percent of military personnel; the rest are male citizen conscripts 19 to 34 years old...
was lost in the mountains. Barry was searching for the soldier and had picked up the scent, some forty-eight hours old and finally stopped before a large bank of ice. He dug until he reached the soldier, and then licked him as he was trained. Awoke and startled, the Swiss soldier mistook Barry for a wolf and fatally stabbed him with his bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
. James Watson in his 1906 work The Dog Book attributed the rumour to fellow author Idstone, also known as Reverend Thomas Pearce.
However the legend of his death is untrue. After twelve years of service at the monastery, Barry was brought by a monk to Bern, Switzerland so that he could live out the rest of his life. He passed away at the age of 14. His body passed into the hands of the Natural History Museum of Bern. A special exhibit was held in his honor at the museum to commemorate his 200th Anniversary.
Legacy
The Hospice has always maintained one St. Bernard named Barry in the original's honor. During Barry's lifetime, his breed did not have one specific name. By 1820, six years after his death, Barry was specifically referred to as being an Alpine MastiffAlpine Mastiff
The Alpine Mastiff is an extinct Molosser dog breed, the progenitor of the St. Bernard, and a major contributor to the modern Mastiff , as well as to other breeds that derive from these breeds or are closely related to them...
, while there was also a breed called the Alpine Spaniel
Alpine Spaniel
The Alpine Spaniel is an extinct breed of dog which was used in mountain rescues by the Augustinian Canons, who run hospices in the region around the Great St. Bernard Pass. The spaniel was a large dog notable for its thick curly coat...
which was recorded around the same time period. The English called the breed "sacred dogs", whilst the German Kynology
Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen
Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen is Germany's Kennel club for dogs and represents the world federation Fédération Cynologique Internationale....
proposed the name "Alpendog" in 1828. Following his death and up until 1860 the entire stock were called "Barry hounds" in the Canton of Bern after Barry himself. It was not until 1865 when the term "St. Bernard" was first used primarily for the breed. Under this name, the St. Bernard has been recognised since 1880 by the Swiss Kennel Club.
Barry is described as the most famous St. Bernard by the Natural History Museum of Bern. Following his death, his skin was preserved by a taxidermist
Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians...
for the museum, while the rest of his body was buried. He was originally given a humble and meek pose as the taxidermist felt that this would serve as a reminder of servitude to future generations. In 1923, his body was refurbished by Georg Ruprecht as his coat had become brittle and had broken into over 20 pieces. During the restoration his body was reposed and his skull shape was modified to match the shape of the St. Bernard of that time in a compromise between Ruprecht and the Museum's director. His original head shape was rather flat with a moderate stop, with the modification resulting in a larger head with a more pronounced stop. A barrel
Barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of vertical wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. A small barrel is called a keg.For example, a...
was added hanging from his collar
Dog collar
A dog collar is a is a piece of material put around the neck of a dog. A collar might be used for control, identification, fashion, or other purposes. Identification tags and medical information is often placed on dog collars. Collars are also useful for controlling a dog manually, as they provide...
, following the popularization of the myth of the dogs of the monastery using these during the rescues which was originally introduced by Edwin Landseer
Edwin Henry Landseer
Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, RA was an English painter, well known for his paintings of animals—particularly horses, dogs and stags...
's work Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveller. The barrel was removed in 1978 by Professor Walter Huber, the director of the museum, although it has since been replaced. A monument to Barry is located opposite the entrance to the Cimetière des Chiens
Cimetière des Chiens
The Cimetière des Chiens is often claimed to be the first zoological necropolis in the world...
pet cemetery
Pet cemetery
A pet cemetery is a cemetery for animals.-History:Many human cultures buried animal remains. The Ancient Egyptians mummified and buried cats, which they considered deities....
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
In literary works, Samuel Rogers' poem The Great Saint Bernard is sometimes referred to as Barry, The Great St. Bernard. Henry Bordeaux
Henry Bordeaux
Henri Bordeaux was a French writer and lawyer.Bordeaux came from a family of lawyers of Savoy. His grandfather was a magistrate and his father served on the Chambéry bar. During his early life, he relocated between Savoy and Paris and the tensions between provincial and city life influenced his...
praised Barry's work in his 1911 novel La Neige sur les pas. Walt Disney Productions made a telemovie entitled Barry of the Great St. Bernard in 1977, and Barry's story has been featured in children's books such as Barry: The Bravest Saint Bernard published by Random House Books for Young Readers
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
.
Until September 2004, 18 dogs still belonged to the hospice at any one time. The Foundation Barry du Grand Saint Bernard was founded to establish kennels in Martigny, a village further down the pass, to take over the breeding of St. Bernard puppies from the friars at Hospice. Around 20 puppies per year are born at the foundation. In 2009, the St. Bernard Dog Museum was opened at the Foundation in Martingny, and to commemorate the occasion, Barry's remains were loaned from the museum in Bern. Each summer the foundation leads dogs up the pass when it is open to the hospice, mainly for tourists, with rescue efforts on the pass now conducted by helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s.