58 



OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



Red Cross but not the nose of the dog. They 

 are trained to bring rehef and food to the 

 slightly wounded, and to carry cartridges along 



square, the nose thick, the ears small and car- 

 ried high, the color, preferably dark. The legs, 

 with catlike paws, must be strong, the chest 

 well rounded, the back broad and straight, and 

 the tail pendent. Both varieties, the short 

 haired and the long haired, should measure at 

 least twenty-six inches to the shoulder for the 

 males and twenty-five for the females. The 

 color may be all shades of red to brown, with 

 the collar, chest, feet, and tip of tail white. The 

 catlike shape of the feet enables the animal to 

 walk on the snow without sinking deep, which 

 would lessen his chance of saving life. Obviously 

 these C|ualities are of use only on a mountain. 



Every one remembers the legend of Barry, 

 the most famous of all the St. Bernard dogs, 

 who, in the seventeenth century, saved hun- 

 Germ\n War Dog dreds of lives on the Alps. It was said that 



this faithful animal was killed by a w'ounded 

 the lines and dispatches to the generals ; they soldier, who thought he was about to attack 

 are also trained to warn the outposts at night him, whereas the dog was really trying to pull 

 (without barking) of an intended surprise. him from the edge of a precipice. This touch- 



At the hospital on Mount St. Bernard 

 a race of dogs has for centuries been kept 

 to rescue travelers who have lost their way. 

 The manner in which this was done in past 

 years, when there were many more foot 

 passengers than at present, has been too 

 often described to need repetition here ; it 

 is enough to say that along the route at 

 regular intervals there are " refuges," now 

 connected with the hospital by telephone. 

 The dog, accompanied by a monk, carries 

 the traveler to one of these shelters, and 

 no longer needs the traditional little key 

 around his neck. 



The St. Bernard dogs on the mountain 

 of that name do not present the imposing 

 appearance of their congeners as seen in 

 the bench shows of the present day. The 

 care and study given to the breeding and 

 improvement of the race have been admir- 

 able. While in England and America breed- 

 ers have chiefly paid attention to size, and 

 have wandered from the original type, those 

 of the continent of Europe have striven to pre- 

 serve the pure blood of that type as much as because of old age, and sent to the museum 

 possible. The head should be heavy, the muzzle where he was stuffed and may still be seen. 



St. Bkrn.ard (Gerjian Type) 

 ing tale is false, for Barry was killed in 1S17 



