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. The St. Bernard was the very first breed entered into the Swiss Stud Book in 1884, and the breed standard was finally approved in 1888. Since then, the breed has been a Swiss national dog. St. Bernard dogs are no longer used for Alpine rescues, the last recorded instance of which was in 1955. In that year, the Barry Foundation created breeding kennels for the breed at the town of Martigny down the Great Saint Bernard Pass, and purchased the remaining dogs from the Hospice. During the summer months each year, a number of the animals are temporarily relocated from Martigny to the Hospice for viewing by tourists. This page was last edited on 31 May 2020, at 01:28 (UTC). This page was last edited on 31 May 2020, at 01:28 (UTC).