Bernese Mountain Dog

I

History

Drovers' dogs of the Swiss canton of Bern, the Berner Sennenhund pulled milk carts down alpine paths for centuries before nearly vanishing in the late 1800s. A handful of farm dogs, recovered and registered in 1907, became the foundation of every Bernese on earth today.

II

Personality

Gentle to the point of melancholy, devoted to children, and constitutionally unable to be in a different room from their people. They are the soft murmur in the corner of every gathering — present, attentive, asking little.

III

To Live With One

They thrive in cool climates, large kitchens, and households where someone is almost always home. They shed magnificently and live too briefly; both facts must be accepted at the outset.

IV

Notable Companions

The Bernese has never been a celebrity's accessory; it is a family dog, and its most distinguished owners have been the grand Swiss farming families who preserved it. That said, its growing presence in the estates of New England and the Pacific Northwest suggests a quietly expanding circle of discerning households.