3449, ST BERNARD PUPPY 14''L are anatomically scaled to create the best reproduction of the life size stuffed animal and the most realistic stuffed animal in the industry.

The St. Bernard is one of the most easily identified dog breeds in the world. With their shaggy coats, long faces, and woofing barks, these gentle giants have been part of our popular culture for decades. 

Fun Facts About The St. Bernard Dog Breed

 The St. Bernard got its name from a snowy pass it used to watch over. The St. Bernard pass is located in the Alps between Italy and Switzerland, which was extremely dangerous when people tried to cross the frozen expanse. It's also the location of the St. Bernard Hospice, which is the monastery where these dogs were bred. St. Bernard dogs patrolled the area,  helping find those lost in the snow, or trapped beneath the weight of avalanches.

2. They Were Never The Dog of Choice For Alcoholics

     One of the most popular images ST. Bernards is a shaggy mountain of fur loaping      through snow with a tiny keg of whiskey around its neck. That image has become so entwined with our pop culture that few question it. After all, we know that in decades past people who were freezing would try to warm up with alcohol, even though drinking it only worsened the danger their bodies were in. However, while it hurts to let go of our myths, ST. Bernards were never armed with a neck-mounted keg. They just saved your life expecting payment in cuddles. 

3.  Barry is the Most Famous St. Bernard

While the St. Bernard might make you think of famous films, like the Beethoven series of kids' comedies, the most famous member of the breed is known for a lot more than camera-friendly jowls. Perhaps the most famous dog (in terms of world fame) was a St. Bernard named Barry. He was one of those life-saving mountain dogs.  In his career he saved somewhere between 45 and 100 people (records are sketchy), as it was back in the 1800s). Barry has a monument all his own, and his body is in a museum in Berne, Switzerland. 

4.  St. Bernard Dogs Take A While To Grow Up

If you've ever seen a full-grown St. Bernard, you can appreciate how big they are. Any dog capable of doing farm work, or dragging humans out of snow banks, is no slouch in the weightlifting department. However, because of how big they are, these dogs can take a while to reach their full size. 2-3 years are usually necessary for them to finish maturing, taking even longer for them to fully fill out their frames. 

5.   They've Had Other Names

ST. Bernard,  isn't the only name these lovable lunks have carried over the many years since the breed's beginning. They've been called Barry dogs, as well as noble steeds by a few ( we assume were pulled out of a Swiss snowbank, and wanted to show their gratitude). The Alpine mastiff is another name another name they are known by.  

6.  The Breed is Pretty Old, but Not as Old as You Think

According to tradition, the first St. Bernard dogs were bred in the 11th century in and around a monastery in the Alps.  While that's a great story with a heavy weight of oral tradition behind it, most breed historians are of the opinion that the dogs we know as St. Bernards didn't show up until about 600 years later.   Though it has been conceded that those early reports are likely the dogs from the original stock leading to the ST. Bernards we know and love today. 

7.  Looks Didn't Used To Matter To These Dogs

Purebred dogs usually reflect the  hounds' inheritances. Attention is drawn to the color of coats, the shape of faces, and all the other physical traits that makes a breed instantly identifiable. However, when it came to  ST. Bernards, before the 19th Century, these dogs were bred more for strength, stamina, and other traits to increase their usefulness as work dogs.  

8.   Napoleon Depended on These Dogs

Napoleon Bonaparte was considered one of the greatest conquerors of his generation, for a time seemingly unstoppable.  His army crossed the Alps many times between 1790 and 1810, and despite the danger of those trails, Napoleon never lost a man. Part of the reason being he always had St. Bernard dogs with him, ensuring that there was a canine safety net in case something unexpected were to happen.