Latest news with #StBernard
Malay Mail
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Say woof! A unique Swiss theme park reopens — and its St Bernards are ready for their close-up
MARTIGNY (Switzerland), June 28 — Syrah walks slowly and deliberately on a treadmill submerged in a large water tank, as two therapists help keep her steady, and a crowd looks on in awe. The eight-year-old St. Bernard is receiving her regular hydrotherapy session, while visitors to the newly reopened Barryland theme park in the Swiss Alpine valley town of Martigny follow every move. 'We give hydrotherapy to older dogs or dogs that have undergone surgery,' Barryland director Melanie Glassey-Roth told AFP. 'Everything here is conceived for the wellbeing of our dogs.' Revamped from a smaller, 'living museum' focused on St. Bernards, after two years of work Barryland has morphed into a large, interactive theme park fully dedicated to Switzerland's national dog. Built in the shape of a paw print, the main building offers interactive experiences and virtual reality tours of the history and myths surround the St. Bernard, as well as the chance to interact with the big dogs themselves. The park is hoping to see its visitor numbers soar to potentially 200,000 a year, up from 83,000 before the renovation. A St. Bernard dog receives care during a press visit ahead of the inauguration of the Barryland museum and park in Martigny, in the Swiss Alps, June 26, 2025. The Barry Foundation is opening a unique venue dedicated to the rescue dog, Switzerland's national emblem. — AFP pic 'Emblematic' The St. Bernard breed, which reached a new level of stardom when it figured in the 1992 blockbuster Hollywood comedy film Beethoven, was cross-bred into existence centuries ago in the Swiss Alps, not too far from where today's theme park lies. It was originally bred from farm dogs indigenous to the region by a hospice monastery, perched 2,500 metres (8,200 feet) above sea level, to use for rescue work in the perilous Great St. Bernard Pass between Switzerland and Italy. 'This is an emblematic dog that represents the entire region,' said Jean-Maurice Tornay, head of the Barry Foundation, which runs Barryland. Barryland got its name from the most famous and heroic St. Bernard of all. An old picture of a St. Bernard dog and a priest taken at the Great Saint Bernard pass is displayed at the Barryland museum and park in Martigny, in the Swiss Alps, June 26, 2025. — AFP pic Local lore holds that Barry, who lived from 1800 to 1814 and was credited with more than 40 rescues in his lifetime, carried a little barrel of alcohol around his collar, a welcome drink for weary travellers. In his honour, the monastery always had one dog named Barry — a tradition that continues at Barryland today. The park's current Barry, a towering 7.5-year-old male weighing around 80 kilograms (176 pounds), is the largest and most decorated of its dogs. The Barry Foundation has 36 St. Bernards in all who live at a nearby kennel in Martigny. Some dogs spend whole summers up at the Great St. Bernard Pass. But with the reopening of Barryland, 16 dogs from the Martigny kennel will crowd into a large van each morning and be driven across to the theme park, ready to play stars. Visitors watch with virtual reality headsets next to a display featuring a model of a St Bernard dog at the Barryland museum and park in Martigny, in the Swiss Alps, June 26, 2025. — AFP pic New mission At Barryland, the giant dogs, with their dark-ringed eyes and fur covered in reddish-brown patches, run around in spacious, grassy parks, lounge in large indoor enclosures and submit to grooming, massages and treatments. For Thursday's reopening, the park presented two new puppies, Xcell and Xaver, who tumbled enthusiastically around their mother Lio, nudging her until she sat down to let them nurse. Nearby, dog handler Sahel Robette encouraged Tosca, an eight-year-old female, to climb onto a large weighing scale. 'Sixty-five kilos (143 pounds)!' he exclaimed, as he began brushing her down, searching her fur for tics and inspecting her ears and nails. A woman takes a picture of a St. Bernard dog during a press visit ahead of the inauguration of the Barryland museum and park in Martigny, in the Swiss Alps, June 26, 2025. — AFP pic Once the heroes of the Swiss Alps, St. Bernards today are doing heroic work in other settings, Tornay said. With helicopters having taken over their rescue role, the St. Bernard has 'found a new social mission', he told AFP. The foundation's dogs make hundreds of visits each year to hospitals, nursing homes and prisons, where they are used for therapy and social training, 'sharing a little bit of kindness', he said. The St. Bernard is perfect for these missions, Glassey-Roth said, as one of the dogs laid its giant head on her lap. 'It has a quiet force; it is calm and very social.' — AFP
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
I can't afford my 12st St Bernard's vet bills because he's so big - his cancer treatment cost £8,000 and it would be much cheaper for a Chihuahua
A heartbroken family has revealed how they are unable to afford their gigantic 12-stone dog's cancer treatment - because his huge size makes the bills so expensive. Katie Bridge, 33, from Bristol, first became worried for her St Bernard Hercules when he started to suffer with an upset stomach, and later lost weight. When the 11st 7lbs dog then refused to eat, Katie rushed him to the vet. The six-year-old pooch was ultimately diagnosed with lymphoma - and now needs to take a staggering 13 steroid tablets a day and undergo weekly chemotherapy to battle his cancer. The family are now fundraising to help pay for Hercules' £8,000 treatment in a bid to save his life. Hercules hit the headlines in 2021 due to being so blissfully unaware of his enormous size he still tries to be a 'lapdog' - crushing people under his great weight. The family have to warn guests to be careful when sitting down or they may get trapped under the gentle giant. Katie said: 'Every one of the vet appointments were a few hundred pounds and at the specialist hospital everything cost more so we'd exhausted our insurance. 'It was either we try to raise some money and rely on the good will of other people or we were resigning him to death to put it bluntly. 'It's more expensive for him as he is such a large dog. If we went through the full course of treatment it would be £8,000 on top of the biopsies and other appointments he's had to have. 'He is a massive part of our family and we will do whatever it takes to raise the money.' Katie explained that Hercules' vet bills would be far smaller if he was a Chihuahua. 'Everything is magnified because of his size,' she said. While his cancer is not curable, the NHS worker hopes he will enter remission after a few months of treatment which will allow him to live for at least another two years. Katie said: 'If it works it will give him a good quality of life and he'll be able to live another 18 months to two years. That would be the ultimate dream.' Hercules is a loving, family dog and Katie says he's seen as a 'celebrity' in their local area. Katie said: 'He is a mini celebrity around here as you don't see a St. Bernard dog everyday. 'So far we have been so overwhelmed by the response of the local community and even people that have never met him. 'He has a following on Instagram of about 11, 500 followers and we've had donations pouring in from them too.'
BBC News
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Crewe teenager 'very happy' after winning award at Crufts
A teenager has spoken of the "exciting" moment she was named Young Person of the Year at and her autism assistance dog Ember, a St Bernard, were announced as the category's winner at the dog show in Birmingham on 17-year-old, from Crewe, Cheshire, received the award in recognition of her and Ember's efforts to highlight the role of autism assistance who is autistic and has a heart condition, told BBC Radio Stoke she was "very happy" because she was surprised at how many people were aware of their work. "That was very exciting," Faith pair were automatically shortlisted in the Young Person of the Year category, which was decided by a public vote, after they won the Kennel Club's awareness and Ember often attend dog shows and events to educate people about the work of autism assistance well as helping Faith with her autism, Ember can also detect when her heart rate gets too fast or when she might be on the verge of fainting. Asked about her relationship with Ember, Faith said: "It's not really like a dog and a person anymore. It's like we're a family."Her mother Rosanna said she was "so proud" of the pair, describing the moment they won the award as "amazing"."They took all the finalists in the ring and explained why they were there…they called out Faith's name and it was absolutely fantastic," she what it was like to be at Crufts, Rosanna said it was "very hectic" at the show at Birmingham's NEC, but the family would never forget the experience or the acknowledgement of Faith and Ember's achievement. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Crewe teen and assistance dog up for national award at Crufts
A teenage girl and her faithful autism assistance dog have been nominated for an award at this year's from Crewe, Cheshire, and Ember, a St Bernard, will be attending the dog show where she is shortlisted for young person of the 17-year-old and her canine companion were nominated after they won The Kennel Club's awareness award in recognition of her efforts to highlight the work of autism who also has a fainting condition, told BBC Radio Stoke: "Ember is my best friend, she goes everywhere with me and we get along very well." She has owned Ember since she was a puppy but the dog now weighs about 70kg and is "very fluffy", Faith said. As well as being her autism assistance dog, Ember can also detect when Faith's heart rate gets too fast and when she might be on the verge of said Ember would then get her to sit down or grab her hand and take her over to a quiet space, adding: "She is everything."She said she was "shocked" to have won the Kennel Club's awareness category, which automatically shortlisted her for young person of the year award, for which five people are pair often attend dog shows and events as well as go out to speak to people about the work of autism assistance dogs. "Ember knows she's popular," Faith said, "at training and dog shows she gets a lot of fuss and a lot of attention. She loves attention."The young person of the year award will be presented to the winner at the final day of Crufts 2025 in Birmingham on 9 winner will be decided by a public vote, which is currently running on The Kennel Club's website. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
