The St. Bernard or St Bernard (UK: /ˈbɜːnəd/, US: /bərˈnɑːrd/) is a breed of very large working dog from the western Alps in Italy and Switzerland. They were originally bred for rescue by the hospice of the Great St Bernard Pass on the Italian-Swiss border. The breed has become famous through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for its enormous size. The name 'St. Bernard' originates from the Great St. Bernard Hospice, a traveler's hospice on the often treacherous Great St. Bernard Pass in the Western Alps, between Switzerland and Italy. St. Bernard dogs are no longer used for Alpine rescues, the last recorded instance of which was in 1955. As late as 2004, the Great St Bernard Hospice still retained 18 of the dogs for reasons of tradition and sentiment.