Colle del Gran San Bernardo — While the lovable, slobbering Beethoven may have earned Hollywood star status for his kind, Barry the Saint Bernard carried much more credit to his humble name. The Great St. Bernard Pass that leads into Switzerland wasn't far off from our lodgings, so a visit (by car) to where monks used to train the large breed as a rescue unit was a sort of salute to the canine world. Did we see a bunch of Saints? Well, yes and no. It depends if you're intent on seeing tables lined with stuffed pooches instead of living, breathing, panting hounds. Those rescuing days are long gone, having evolved into the hi-tech methods of modern times. I only remember having seen the dogs once on italian news where they were part of a search team. We didn't cross into Switzerland as Maddie and MrB had no passport, but we did take a short stroll around. The views are so unbelievably gorgeous in the Alps - no matter from where you are in the midst of it all.
Comments
I didn't think about the dogs needing passports, how do you go about doing that? Do they need certain shots?
Have a great time!
Cynthia - I've read that the monks have been hurting for sponsors so I don't think many dogs are there anymore. A good thing they kept that SB in a kennel, no?! We did see a couple of Saints off-leash, but they were with their owners, completely oblivious to the smiles and stares from everyone around them.
Debi - if we should ever cross the border I will make it a point to look into stuffed doxies. You will have to give me a mailing address if I hit the dachshund mother lode.
Kat - that would be just too cool. I know for sure that Mads would LUV Japan!
Fern - as I am very fond of dogs, I'd love to stay at a place where one of those Bernard's greeted me at the door. Just please don't jump because I'm sure the force of the wind right before impact would surely blow me down. :-O
Gummies in Dachshund shapes! I've seen them on eBay
RONW - they used to be filled with brandy, until the state decided to lay even more taxes on alcohol. Like pakalolo, it didn't matter if the use of brandy would benefit the recipient - they just wanted to be sure that said recipient would be paying for it, and dearly.
Passports for dogs huh? I never even thought of that. Is that something Italy does, or is it recognized by other countries in the area? I need to start thinking about how Dapper and Thumper are going to make the trip back to the states with us in the future.
Brad - I only ever hear about passports for dogs, but I'm sure cats need them too. Passports apply to all of the EU countries as far as I know, but they are especially strict in Switzerland. No one ever asked for Maddie's identification when we drove to France, Spain, Belgium or Germany.