Comments by "Xyz Same" (@xyzsame4081) on "Girl With The Dogs"
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@aprilluber your dogs have a famos ancestor / relative in the family of the large Swiss Mountain dogs. Barry the rescue dog, he had a good nose. He was born 1800, he saved 40 people in the High Alpine region and is still a Swiss national treasure. His body was conserved and is exhibited in the Museum of Natural History of Bern.
The moutain pass (St. Bernhard) between the Swiss Rhone Valley and the Aosta Valley (Italy) was a major route (for hikers) - pilgrims, and trade - during medieval times - and an important route in Europe for thousands of year before that. But it was a risky route, in the High Alpine region even in summer snow storms and avalanches can surpise people. But even getting lost in wet wetter can kill people.
During the 11th, century monks (St. Augustin) built an inn, likely one motivation was to make the route safer for pilgrims that were headed for Rome, and they later bred large, strong, smart and patient dogs. In 2005 they moved that breeding station (the inn still exists and is open for tours and patrons), but the dogs are still in the mountains in summer, at least for a time. Likely to be shown off to tourists ;)
The dogs helped pave the way though snow, and were able to guide monks and people, and also to find hikers that lost their way, were exhausted or had gotten buried by an avalanche.
During season (maybe even year round, if they stayed there in winter they needed lost of supplies, and fuel to survive) monks were in the inn. They took care of the patrons, but also monitored the area around the pass. Every day during summer teams of one monk and one dog were looking for lost or exhausted hikers. They reported 2000 rescues within 200 years. That includes soldiers, that used that route during the Napoleonic Wars.
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