574 The Dog Book 



Mr. Hughes does not say so but we can infer that any travellers going 

 from the Hospice also accompany the dog and the monk. The only chance, 

 therefore, of any rescue work would be in the case of some foolhardy person 

 not content to await the arrival of the convoy, and that would of course be 

 very exceptional; while the finding of any snow-entombed man would 

 not be done in the manner so many of us have believed, but simply while the 

 dogs were doing their work of leading the monk to the refuge or back to 

 the Hospice. It is a pity to knock the very pretty tale on the head, but the 

 dog as we know him is good enough without any untruthful trappings. 



Another point which it is well to bring out is that the Hospice dog is a 

 very different animal from what we see at our shows of any high rank. A 

 Hospice dog would get "the gate" in quick order at New York while the 

 monks would not want an Alta nor a Willowmere. The two strains are now 

 totally distinct in many ways, and have been divergently bred until all that 

 connects our show dogs with those from which they originated is the name. 



That the monks had any fixed ideas of breeding to a type or confining 

 themselves to a particular strain is also not to be conceded, for they bred to 

 Newfoundlands and outside dogs and only kept such dogs as were fitted, by 

 size and coat, for their use. Only the males are used at the Hospice, and 

 when a bitch is about to whelp she is sent down to the valley as they have 

 never had success in rearing puppies at the Hospice. What was wanted 

 at the Hospice was a dog of about 29 inches, with a short, dense coat. What 

 the monks sold or gave away were the large puppies and those with long 

 coats, which were just the kind to give most satisfaction, so that both parties 

 were pleased in this division of the dogs bred at the Hospice. Reference 

 is made in some books to a painting of the founder of the Hospice, who is 

 shown with a dog; but that is not at all conclusive as to its being one of the 

 dogs of the original establishment. It would have to be proved that it was 

 painted during St. Bernard's life or by some one who knew him and his dog 

 or dogs. For instance, we have a very early example of a mezzotint by 

 Baumgartner of a painting representing Counts Hartman and Otho of Kirch- 

 berg kneeling in armour at each side of a cross, but facing the front so as to 

 show each full-face. Lying at the feet of one of the knights is a dog of a 

 type that Wynn would have dwelt upon as surely showing the large head, 

 square muzzle and deep flews of the English mastiff could he have made out 

 the picture to have represented anything English. To us it is a very 

 human face, the artist very evidently not being up in dog's faces. On the 



