Barry'd Alive

There seem to be innumerable Saint Bernards named "Barry". Barry was a legend...born in 1800 at L'Hospice du Grand Saint-Bernard, he was known for having saved the lives of 40 people & was taxidermied en homage. As a dog breeder, what I find even more fascinating is that in 2004, the breeding program of the hospice sold to The Barry Foundation where puppies are produced to this day (4 litters of them in 2019...and 2 litters in 2020 according to their website). The Barry Foundation certainly has a marketing structure, the likes of which I've never seen....& a spectacular portal for study, immersion, awareness etc...among the aspects of their mission statement is their stated desire to adhere to the original format of the magnificent dogs of yore. 

The original Saint Bernards were not wholly a molosser, for such a dog would never have been able to trudge through snow, nor would they have had the endurance needed for any exertion along the lines of winter rescue. Exclusive of that, the molossoid heads of today's Saints would once again have not the slightest business in the alps. The sagging, open eyelid & sclera would have been damnable in snow, wind, sleet, ice...& the shortened nose would have had an immediate & diverse affect on respiration. In short (no pun intended) such a Saint would have been a legend merely for saving its own life...

We've bred them towards a format of high caricature (as we do almost everything...from AQHA to Yorkies to Ligers to Tigons to Neapolitan Mastiffs to Persian Cats to Sphinx Cats to Labradors to Guinea Pigs to Gypsy Vanners to Miniature Aussies to Friesians to Pointers to Poodles to Dachshunds to American Bulldogs to Tennessee Walkers to Black Angus to Labradoodle to Cockers to....etc...etc.....). Back to the concept of "form follows function", extremes have no place in extremes. One can see from the antique fotos below that the original Saints had a more reasonable frame with a tapered side-view, moderate spring of rib, bladed bone & certainly a longer nasal bridge; the dewlaps were not sagging with a loose, inverted "V" & the scleras were pigmented nicely with lower rims flush with the curve of the orbit....they were not of excessive collagenic appearance. It's of merit to note that pendulous dewlaps & ears are useful & required to a degree in scenting...they fluff up the scent, frame it in the face & keep it confined to the trail...

Visit The Barry Foundation right now! Let me know what you think...I'll meet you at the inn for curled trout & liquor, we'll talk dog.