Barry

Barry was born in 1800, the year that Thomas Jefferson became the third president of the United States and Schiller's Mary Stuart was performed for the first time. Barry lived as a rescue dog at the hospice on the Great St. Bernard Pass, which is situated almost 2500 metres above sea level. The hospice has been run since the 11th century by Augustinian canons. Crossing the pass used to be dangerous at any time of year, and the canons and their servants would rescue people who had got lost or become trapped in snow. As time went by, the canons began to take dogs with them when they went out looking for travellers. As a result of this collaboration between man and beast, over 2000 people were saved from death over the course of 200 years. Barry is said to have helped in the rescue of 40 people, and was legendary even during his lifetime.

The canons' rescue dogs were not like modern avalanche dogs. Their main role was to find the way back to the hospice in heavy blizzards. Barry was almost certainly an extraordinary dog, or he wouldn't have been famous even before his death. However, many of the legends which surround Barry are not based in fact.