Saint Bernard dogs out of work

GENEVA, Switzerland -- Switzerland's Saint Bernard, famed for rescuing avalanche victims in the Alps, is finally bowing its massive head, the fabled barrel around its neck replaced with a "for sale" sign.

Heavy and slow in the deep Alpine snow, expensive to feed and their jobs largely taken over by helicopters and heat sensors, the once-proud dogs have found themselves obsolete and a drain on the resources of the religious order that has raised and trained them for centuries.

There is no record of when Saint Bernards first started rescuing people, but they are credited with saving some 2,000 travelers over the past 200 years on the Saint Bernard Pass on the border with Italy.

With their usefulness at an end, however, the Congregation of Canons of the Great Saint Bernard is ready to sell the 18 adults and 16 pups.

Big and bulky, an adult male can weigh up to 220 pounds and eat more than four pounds of meat a day. They also take up a lot of time and energy, says Brother Frederic, one of five monks living at the famed hospice on the pass.

"At first, and even at the beginning of the century they were very useful," Brother Frederic said. "But in 1955, there came the helicopter," which had limited room for the large dogs.

By 1975, the last time one of the dogs was used on a mission, they had mostly been replaced at rescue scenes by smaller, speedier golden retrievers and German shepherds.

But the Saint Bernards remain the tourist's best friend.

As their usefulness declined, the monks began to send the dogs to spend the winter in kennels down in the valley, first in Econe and now Martigny. During the summer tourist season, they were brought back up to the pass.

The dogs are expected to be sold to associations rather than individuals. The buyers will be required to let them return to the pass each summer.

"Nothing will really change when the dogs are sold," said Brother Frederic. "Just the ownership. It will take a load off of us and allow us to spend more time with those who need it. But the dogs will still be around."

Monks founded the hospice at the summit of the pass -- 8,100 feet above sea level -- in the 11th century as a refuge for travelers. Large mountain dogs have been a part of hospice life since the mid-17th century, providing the brothers with company and protection as well as being deployed to rescue travelers lost in the fog and snow.

The Saint Bernard's great stamina, extraordinary sense of smell and hearing and double fur coat covering a heavy layer of fat made it ideal for its job in the Alps.

The dogs saved numerous lives during Napoleon's famous trek across the Great Pass in 1800.