A very long time ago in a very cold, snowy place there lived some people who were monks. The monks lived near the Alps between Switzerland and Italy. These were mountains that were very high and covered in snow. The way through the mountains was called the Saint Bernard Pass and so the monks named their big dogs Saint Bernard dogs after the pass. At first they kept the dogs as guard dogs and looked after them like pets. But the monks soon discovered that the dogs were not only very strong and friendly but they were also very clever and so they trained them to do a very special job.

Travellers had to find their way through the snow but the snow was often very deep and dangerous. It was easy to get lost and some of the travellers died before they could be found by the monks. In winter the snow would often fall down from the mountains in an avalanche and anyone out travelling would be lost in the snow or even buried by the avalanche. When the monks took their dogs out walking, they discovered that the dogs were good at finding their way and sniffing out travellers who had been buried in the snow. So every day the monks sent their dogs out in little groups to search for signs of strangers who were lost in the snow.

The dogs were trained to look after anyone they found by staying with them to keep them warm while one of the dogs went back to get help from the monks. The most famous rescue dog of all was called Barry and he lived 200 years ago. Barry was famous because in his lifetime he helped to rescue 40 people! He could smell anyone who had been buried under the snow or had got lost. Ever since that time the monks, who still live there, have always named the most beautiful Saint Bernard pup in the litter ‘Barry’ in his honour and when people get lost in the snowy mountains there are still specially trained dogs to search for them.