Barry, The Alpine Rescue Dog

A monument to Barry stands in the Cimetière des Chiens near Paris

 St. Bernard dogs were kept by monks to help rescue those who were stranded in the St. Bernard Pass in the Alps. The dogs would find buried travelers, dig through the snow and lie on top of the injured to provide warmth. Meanwhile, the other dog would return to the hospice to alert the monks of the stranded pilgrim. The system became so organized that when Napoleon and his 250,000 soldiers crossed through the pass between 1790 and 1810, not one soldier lost his life.

A vintage illustration of Barry saving a small boy.

Barry was the most famous of the rescue dogs. During his time at the monastery(1800-1814) Barry is said to have saved the lives of more than 40 people from the freezing during snowstorms.
At the end of his brave career Barry retired to Bern, Switzerland where his taxidermic body stands guard to this day at the Natural History Museum of Bern (below)

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