Did you know that Barry was the most famous Saint Bernard dog who ever lived? Read the true story of Barry the Saint Bernard who lived in the Swiss Alps.

Barry, is known as the most famous Saint Bernard dog who ever lived. He lived from 1800 - 1814 at the Monastery, along the Great Saint Bernard Pass in the ravishing Swiss Alps.

Barry gained fame as a celebrity world wide, and was said to be the perfect saint. He was publicized for his rescue work having saved forty or more lives.

In those days, the monks at the monastery, cared for wayfarers on a daily basis, but did not keep detailed records of successful rescues. One story is told of how Barry rescued a small-lost boy, and dragged the child with his arms hanging around Barry's big loveable neck, back to the safety of the monastery.

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Barry's adventures at the monastery began when a monk brought him home one day to live with them. Soon, Barry started saving people from danger. The gallant dog remained there until his death at age fourteen. Barry was so special to the monastery that after his death his body was stuffed by a taxidermist and put on exhibit. In 1923, the mounted Barry had to be restored.

He became rather frail, and some feared he could be broken easily if moved. His once marvelous coat had now deteriorated into many pieces. Georg Ruprecht, an expert taxidermist, restored the decaying animal, and constructed him back into the magnificent creature he once was.

The mounted Barry, on exhibit at the Natural History Museum Berne, shows him in his glory, as a magnificent and courageous dog. Even though more than one hundred eighty years have passed since his death, Barry is still on exhibit in the main entrance of the Museum.

Barry was more than a dog - he was a chivalrous knight in the form of a dog's body. He is a testament of the gallant work accomplished by all Saint Bernard's on the Great Saint Bernard Pass. And here is the beautiful part - Barry the Saint Bernard is not to be forgotten. Today at the monastery one dog is always named Barry in his honor.

Bib:
Lexicon Univ. Ency.New York.
The Bookshelf for Boys and Girls, New Jersey.

©2000 jcpinkerton