The great St Bernard finally bows out

SWITZERLAND’S noble Saint Bernard dog, famous through the centuries for rescuing avalanche victims buried in the Alps, is finally bowing its sad, massive head - the fabled barrel around its neck now replaced with a ‘for sale’ sign.

Heavy and slow in the deep Alpine snow, expensive to feed and their jobs already taken over by helicopters and heat sensors, the once-proud Saint Bernards have found themselves obsolete and a drain on the resources of the religious order which has raised, trained and kept them since the 1600s.

It is not known when the mighty dogs first started to rescue people, but they are credited with saving some 2,000 travellers over the past 200 years on the Saint Bernard Pass on the border with Italy. But with their usefulness at an end, the Congregation of Canons of the Great Saint Bernard is ready to sell the 18 adults and 16 pups.