St. Bernard dogs are the ones that traditionally have come to the rescue of humans. But in a reversal of circumstances, humans rescued a St. Bernard after she collapsed while coming down England’s highest mountain.
With their great sense of direction and resistance to cold, St. Bernards have been saving people in the mountains since the 18th century, according to the Smithsonian Magazine. They were first bred by monks living in St. Bernard Pass, a dangerous route through the Alps connecting Italy and Switzerland, to help them on rescue missions after heavy snowstorms. Over a span of nearly 200 years, the dogs saved about 2,000 people, according to the magazine.
