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You want a WHAT!!?? This is the likely response from those who aren't around Saints, regularly. From those who haven't researched the breed to any degree. Probably from your family and friends. I know that many in MY family had this reaction. Especially my Mom. Her perplexity was compounded, when I told her of my decision to Rescue. My older brothers weren't too thrilled about the idea, either. People think of 1 of 2 famous St. Bernards, when they think of St. Bernards: Beethoven, and Cujo. Neither is a good or fair representative of the breed. I have 2 Saints, and neither behaves like either of these. Really! Every St. Bernard has its own personality -- some
may look like others, on the outside, but each is individual. I have 2 very
affectionate dogs -- each in her own way. Cis is more boisterous -- she's the one
more likely to launch herself at your chest (or the guests'), if she feels she's not
getting her fair share (i.e., all) of the attention. Zoey should be wearing angel
wings. She sits politely, waiting for the release command, before gently nuzzling
her head into the lap of whoever happens to be sitting down (which may or may not be
viewed as a "good thing" -- she leaks a lot more than Cis does!) She has
never even LOOKED like she was thinking of launching. Both dogs follow me from room
to room, wanting always to be near. In the evenings, Cis is more than likely on the
floor in front of the couch -- that's where she prefers to be. She's affectionate,
but not a lap dog.
When considering making a St. Bernard a member of your family, you have to consider lots of things besides just the obvious "because I want one!" reason. Consider these, while you're at it: The size of your couch: does it comfortably fit your family now? Get a bigger one -- or, better yet -- a second one. Plan on 1 to 2 people per sofa, plus a giant dog stretched between. The amperage of your vacuum. You will need something that has the capability of sucking the wood through the carpeting, with all this dog hair. You will be vacuuming every day. Every thing. Do you have a special love for dark-colored clothing? Either lose it, or buy stock in the 3M company. Keep rolls of tape in the glove box in your car. You'll have to "tidy up" before you shut the door of the car, before going into the office or grocery store. Jeans and patterned shirts wear better (especially if you've got a leaker).
The size of your bed: if you've got a full or queen, you'd better upgrade. Not just to the next larger size, either. Super-size it. Getting a second one won't help, in this instance -- unless you and hubby are splitting the beds, too. The dog will want in the bed WITH you. The size of your vehicle: when we decided to add a Saint to our family, we had just purchased my 2-door T-bird, hunter green, with charcoal crushed velour interior, moon-roof, bucket seats, every amenity. Unless, of course, you're a Saint. In the summer, I wear jeans and sweater in the car. I have to. The seat covers make the dogs over-heat, and I have to set the A/C on Arctic. As we've recently added a second Saint to the family, the next vehicle will be a van or Explorer. With leather. And soon -- the girls are growing, and it's becoming quite difficult for them to both sit in the back seat, at the same time. I had never obedience-trained a dog, before we got Cis. My last dog, before her, weighed 22 pounds at her heaviest weight. She was well-versed in house manners, and could walk on-lead -- there was no need to learn about dog behavior, and why dogs do things, and how to STOP them from doing things. She was 10 years old, when I had to have her put down with cancer. Then came Cis. And now, Zoey. At almost 1 year (they were born 6 days apart), they can easily -- and do -- lay their heads on the table during dinner. They do understand that this is the limit of what they're allowed, but this is not something I thought about, on the day Hubby got Cis for me. If my husband eats his dinner while sitting in the recliner, he's got one dog sitting on each side, with their heads resting on the arms of the chair. Watching. Drooling. Hoping. Along with the increase in size for couch, bed, and vehicle, consider the need for a larger pooper-scooper. This pile is not something that you can just nonchalantly walk away from, at the ballpark. People REALLY notice this -- if there are more Saints at the game than just yours, you may be able to put it off on another dog. But, our town is small -- the only dogs at baseball games are my 2, and a miniature poodle. There is NO WAY a poodle could do this. Besides, if you leave it, there is a good chance that it'll get hit by a lawn-mower. Or, maybe the neighbor kid will slide to home plate through it. Don't leave it. Get the bigger pooper-scooper, as a gesture of neighborly good-will. While I'm doing this, I should probably discuss the concept of St. Bernards as guard dogs. They're not. If someone knocks on the door, while they're awake, they will bark (most people don't recognize this for what it is -- a play-bark. The UPS guy throws packages on the porch, and runs!!) If, however, someone walks in while they're asleep (this has happened twice, since I've had them!), when the dogs wake up, they treat the newcomer as though they've always been here!! The only reason that I don't have problems with people breaking into my home, is that everyone in the neighborhood has seen me walking 2 Saints on a coupler -- they're afraid of ME!! I also need to talk about St. Bernards and kids. Everybody has this over-blown notion that St. Bernards and kids go together like peas in a pod. Not true. Nothing could be further from the truth. Kids will do things, and blame it on the dogs (so do husbands, by the way!). Kids will feed the dog crayons, to see what color he poops. Kids lie. They'll say that the dog came over and took the sock off their foot, and ran with it. St. Bernards don't. They'll bring the sock to you, and drop it in your lap -- soaked and chewed, maybe -- but the honest intent is there! Kids will pull your dogs' ears, and tail, and roll all over them, and the dog will just sit there AND LET THEM DO IT -- with this big, happy, tongue-falling-out-of-their-heads look on their faces, like it's just the best thing in the world!! I wouldn't have kids and Saints together, if I were you. Get rid of the kids. Brenda Rushman, Web Author |
Zoey, on the other hand, is the epitome of lap dogs. Her
life's work is to find laps, and then to find ways into them. If you're lying down,
it's because you wanted to extend your lap and make more room. She also stretches
out full-length on top of my husband, when he's kicked back in his recliner. With
her head on his shoulder, and her back feet dangling off the footrest, touching the floor.
Snoring. Really loud.
Speaking of leaking. Understand first, that
there is a difference between drooling and leaking. This is not hair-splitting.
All Saints drool to some degree -- some more than others, depending on the shape of
the flews, and level of excitement. The "flews" are the droopy part of the
bottom lip, on each side of the muzzle. So, if your dog has really droopy flews,
he's gonna drool. Level of excitement simply refers to how badly your dog wants
whatever it is that your eating -- or whether or not you've just showered and changed to
leave the house. Leaking refers to what happens when your dog takes a drink of
water, and then, as he's walking away from the bowl, half of what went in runs back out.