by Katy Mack

Created on: August 16, 2008

The first time I saw a Saint Bernard was on the movie Beethoven when I was three years old. I immediately fell in love with the massive teddy bear look of the animal. This breed of canine is always gentle if treated correctly from puppyhood. The origins of this breed hasn't exactly pinpoint proven but there are a few theories. One is that it was produced from breeding the Asian "Molosser" with the native dogs. It is said that the "Molosser" was brought over to Switzerland, known as Helvetia, by the Roman armies during the first two centuries A.D. In the next few centuries, the breed was used on valley farms and Alpine dairies for drafting, guarding, and herding purposes. They were referred to as the Talhund, or valley dog, and the Bauerhund, or farm dog. In 1050 A.D., Archdeacon Bernard de Menthon used the dogs when he founded the Hospice in the Swiss Alps for a refuge for the passing travelers who cross the dangerous paths between the Switzerland and Italy. A second theory is that the Saint Bernard was bred by the monks of the St. Bernard monestary located in Switzerland which is where they got their name from.

The Saint Bernard breed is a rather large dog with broad shoulders, a wide head, and very large paws. The body is a long frame containing a deep chest, a wide back to match the shoulders, and a long bushy tail that hangs down. The face has a shorter snout than most large breeds and the eyes droop from both the upper and lower eyelids. What is most remarkable about this breed is their coat. It is made up of reds, browns, black and white. On your typical Saint Bernard, the paws, chest, belly, most of the tail and legs are white. The back and part of the sides by the ribs and hips are shades of brown and red. The head has the following characteristics with the eyes having patch like dark brown and black shades that are seperated by the strip of white that starts at the nose and covers the mouth but only goes three quarters of the way to the back of the head. The rest is the same brown as the back and body. These dogs stand about 24 to 28 inches from the ground to the top of the shoulder and tend to live from eight to ten years old.
The attitude of this animal is outstandingly amazing. They are a very lovable breed of dog that takes to humans very quickly. Saint Bernards love to be petted if cared for correctly. They can feel when a person is sad or happy and that affects their mood as well. They are seen to be lazy dogs. They do having their tendencies to lounge around and sleep all day, but when they want to play, they get extremely energetic. To be able to provide and care for own of these dogs you would definitely need a large amount of room. It is said that these dogs are the true gentle giant of the dog species. They are caring, strong, faithful, attentive, extremely intelligent, protective and quiet with a great sense of smell. When they do feel they need to bark, they will shake windows sometimes. Their bark displays two qualities of the animal itself: strong and protective.

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