Cross Breeds

Do Saint Bernard dogs really save ppl that are trapped frozen in the snow?

What is in those bottles they wear under their throats, and do they really save ppl trapped in the snow? Please advise :) What fluids is in the bottles?

Public Comments

1. only the trained ones
2. Only trained Saint Bernards rescue people, but they do a good job. The barrels they wear are bottles of brandy, supposedly used to warm the victims they rescued. Few wear those in real life, though.
3. Those that are trained for the job . They carry a container of brandy to warm up the trapped skier .
4. They can. They have to be trained correctly though. Since they have big paws they can dig out more snow faster than another dog. I totally heart Saint Bernards.m LOL
5. That is what they were originally bred for was search and rescue in the mountains. The thing on their neck.. was beleived to have whisky or brandy.. which is not true. I heard once that it may have contained a warm non-alchoholic drink.. or perhaps some first aid supplies. According to this site: http://itotd.com/articles/449/saint-bernards/ they did not actually use the little barrel.. A dog was seen in a painting wearing one, and it became a misconception.
6. Yes, St. Bernards were and are used to save people in the snow. Now they are mostly companion dogs. They were used in the Alpine passes near the Hospice of St. Bernard to save lost and trapped travelers, hence the name. If I remember correctly, they originally carried brandy in the bottles/barrels but I can't remeber if that was myth or fact. (Anyone recall for sure.) I think it was true, but a lot more rare than we are led to believe by all the stories and old pictures. I've seen some that are for sale today that fold open and have an emergency medical kit. But remember, most of these dogs that are used for rescue have a handler with them who would have med kits, radios, etc. Hope that helps some. Addendum: Nekkid Dog posted while I was writing. Looks like s/he knows a little more about the barrel than I can recall for sure.