The Labernard is a combination of a purebred Saint Bernard, which was bred for alpine rescue, and a Labrador Retriever, bred as working dogs by fishermen in Newfoundland. Saint Bernards, also called Alpine Mountain Dogs or Alpine Cattle Dogs, are recognized as one of the Molossoid breeds. Monks at the hospice of Saint Bernard, high in the Swiss Alps, used the dogs to rescue lost travellers. One Saint Bernard named Barry was credited with saving between 40 and 100 lives at the Great St. Bernard Pass. It is said the younger dogs picked up the skill in rescue from the older dogs and didn’t have any special training. Many were killed in avalanches while looking for people lost in the snow. They are often represented as having a keg of brandy around their necks to revive stranded travellers but this isn’t true. It is simply due to painter Edward Lanseer painting a keg around the dog’s neck in one of his paintings but it stuck. Saint Bernards are believed to have been developed when dogs from the Alps were bred with Mastiff-type dogs that came with the Roman army during the time of the emperor Augustus. The Swiss Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1880 and in 1888, the Saint Bernard Club of America was founded. The English called Saint Bernards Sacred Dogs and many found their way there in an effort to reinvigorate the Mastiff breed. Today Saint Bernards excel at dog sports such as drafting, weight-pulling, and obedience trials. The Labrador Retriever originated on the island of Newfoundland, off the northeastern Atlantic coast of Canada where he worked with local fishermen hauling in nets and retrieving fish as far back as the 1700s. They were originally called St. John's dogs and are thought to have been interbred with the Newfoundland Dog and other small local water dogs. They arrived in England around 1830 where they were used as gundogs. It was the third Earl of Malmesbury who first referred to the dogs as Labradors. They died out in Newfoundland due to government restrictions and hefty taxes but have thrived in the US where they are regarded as the most popular breed.
