St Bernard Foundation in Martigny celebrates its 20th birthday.
Keystone-SDA
The Fondation Barry du Grand-St-Bernard in Martigny, southwestern Switzerland, is celebrating its 20th anniversary on Tuesday. Since its establishment, almost 500 puppies have been born at the foundation’s breeding station in the Lower Valais.
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Twenty years ago, the future of breeding the dogs of the Augustinian canons of the Great St Bernard Pass was uncertain. The canons announced that they wanted to part with their breeding programme. There were no longer enough of them to fulfil all their duties.
On January 28, 2005, a foundation was set up in Martigny to continue breeding the 300-year-old breed in place of the canons. Since then, the foundation has been the owner of the world’s oldest and most important breeding location of the famous Swiss dog.
During this time, 456 puppies from 69 litters have been born at the breeding station in Lower Valais, the Fondation Barry said in a press release. The initial five employees have now grown to 45. The St Bernard kennel has grown from 15 to over 30 dogs.
Theme park
The St Bernard became famous through its use as an avalanche dog by the canons. Barry is said to have saved the lives of over 40 people in the 19th century.
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However, today’s breed no longer has much in common with this dog. St Bernards have become heavy and bulky. As avalanche dogs, they have been replaced by dogs of other breeds.
A new theme park with an area of 20,000 square metres is currently under construction in Martigny. The opening is planned for next summer. A total of CHF24 million ($26.5 million) has been budgeted for the construction costs.
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Translated from German by DeepL/ts
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