Latest news with #StBernard
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Mandi cloudbursts: Puppy who saved lives lauded in Assembly; substitute for warning system, says Congress MLA
Congress MLA from Gagret mentioned and applauded pet dog Rocky, who was credited with saving nearly 20 families on June 30, during the ongoing monsoon session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday. In a lighter vein, MLA Rakesh Kalia described Rocky as a substitute for sophisticated Early Warning Systems (EWS) until such systems are installed in the state's disaster-prone areas. On June 30, Rocky alerted Lalit Bhardwaj, its owner, of an imminent flash flood that hit Syathi Tribala village under Longni Gram Panchayat. The timely warning saved more than 55 people, including children, women and senior citizens. Bhardwaj, along with others, was awakened by Rocky's loud continuous barking and went to comfort the dog. On stepping outside, they noticed an overflowing rivulet on the verge of sweeping the village, following which they raised an alarm. Rocky, a Gaddi breed puppy, was six-months-old at the time of the incident. During a discussion on natural disasters under Rule 67, the Congress MLA said, 'The way Rocky saved nearly 60 lives in Syathi village… is an eye-opener… I also have a pet dog… whenever a windy storm comes, my pet gets nervous… starts barking. Dogs have natural senses to identify such events in advance. We can have dogs like Rocky being an EWS till the time these gadgets are not being installed at every sensitive and prone place to the natural disaster in Himachal Pradesh.' Speaking in the house, MLA Kalia also mentioned a St Bernard breed dog and said: 'There is a record about a dog in Switzerland which saved around 100 human lives in a heavy snow storm.' He also drew attention to the increasing pattern of cloudbursts and shifting rainfall from higher altitudes to lower elevations. Meanwhile, Bhardwaj said, 'It is a matter of pride that Rocky was discussed in the Assembly. We owe our lives to him and will never forget what he did. Rocky is now eight-months-old. Rocky is with us. We are currently staying in a rented accommodation nearby our village.' Notably, the puppy was swept away by the strong water current of the rivulet, along with the temporary shelter, only to be found stuck in the bushes the next day. On June 30, massive cloudbursts also struck several other areas in Mandi district.
Bangkok Post
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Bangkok Post
Funny old world: the week's offbeat news
PARIS - From a hero lapdog Lassie to why tennis stars can't stop pinching Wimbledon towels. Your weekly roundup of offbeat stories from around the world. - Chihuahua to the rescue - A chihuahua saved a hiker who fell eight metres (26 feet) into a glacier crevasse high in the Swiss Alps. The lapdog's "extraordinary" heroics surely saved his master, the Air Zermatt rescue service said, refusing to leave the spot where the man disappeared into the crevasse, leading rescuers straight to him. While the man was able to call for help with a walkie-talkie, rescuers struggled to locate him. "The glacier surface was wide and the hole was barely visible," they said. But then they spotted the tiny shivering chihuahua perched on a rock, refusing to budge. "Thanks to the dog's behaviour, the crew was able to abseil down to the casualty and save him." - Doggone luxury - In the past, stricken alpinists could count on a sup of warming brandy from a St Bernard dog. But these days, the gentle giants are more likely to be getting a massage, a manicure or a spot of hydrotherapy at the new Barryland theme park over the mountains at Martigny, where Switzerland's national dog is a major tourist attraction. Helicopters have now taken over their mountain rescue role, allowing the St. Bernards to enjoy their retirement as pampered pensioners or care dogs. - Leaping mad - Life can get a little dull on the flat Friesian polders, which may explain why the Dutch came up with one of the world's maddest sports, "fierljeppen". This involves crossing canals by clambering up a 12-metre (40-foot) pole -- roughly the height of a four-storey building -- so you can land (or be catapulted) to the other side. The uniquely Dutch sport combines pole-vaulting, long jump and, when misjudged, some unplanned swimming in the soup. Farmer and fierljeppen world record holder Jacob de Groot told AFP that the sport may not have caught on elsewhere because "in the rest of the world there are not so many canals and also maybe the people are not so crazy". - Centre Court steal - Polish tennis ace Iga Swiatek powered through the women's singles at Wimbledon, bagging as many of the tournament's trademark towels as she could carry. "No one talks about it, but we love your towels," she admitted after dispatching Russian Polina Kudermetova on Monday. "Every time I come back 10 members of my family want the towels. Sorry Wimbledon, I am not sure if I'm allowed." But the 24-year-old makes sure to keep some for herself. "I have lots at home. If I play on the circuit for another 15 years, I will have to build another room to keep them in," she laughed.
News.com.au
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Funny old world: the week's offbeat news
From a hero lapdog Lassie to why tennis stars can't stop pinching Wimbledon towels. Your weekly roundup of offbeat stories from around the world. - Chihuahua to the rescue - A chihuahua saved a hiker who fell eight metres (26 feet) into a glacier crevasse high in the Swiss Alps. The lapdog's "extraordinary" heroics surely saved his master, the Air Zermatt rescue service said, refusing to leave the spot where the man disappeared into the crevasse, leading rescuers straight to him. While the man was able to call for help with a walkie-talkie, rescuers struggled to locate him. "The glacier surface was wide and the hole was barely visible," they said. But then they spotted the tiny shivering Chihuahua perched on a rock, refusing to budge. "Thanks to the dog's behaviour, the crew was able to abseil down to the casualty and save him." - Doggone luxury - In the past, stricken alpinists could count on a sup of warming brandy from a St. Bernard dog. But these days, the gentle giants are more likely to be getting a massage, a manicure or a spot of hydrotherapy at the new Barryland theme park over the mountains at Martigny, where Switzerland's national dog is a major tourist attraction. Helicopters have now taken over their mountain rescue role, allowing the St. Bernards to enjoy their retirement as pampered pensioners or care dogs. - Leaping mad - Life can get a little dull on the flat Friesian polders, which may explain why the Dutch came up with one of the world's maddest sports, "fierljeppen". This involves crossing canals by clambering up a 12-metre (40-foot) pole -- roughly the height of a four-storey building -- so you can land (or be catapulted) to the other side. The uniquely Dutch sport combines pole-vaulting, long jump and, when misjudged, some unplanned swimming in the soup. Farmer and fierljeppen world record holder Jacob de Groot told AFP that the sport may not have caught on elsewhere because "in the rest of the world there are not so many canals and also maybe the people are not so crazy". - Centre Court steal - Polish tennis ace Iga Swiatek powered through the women's singles at Wimbledon, bagging as many of the tournament's trademark towels as she could carry. "No one talks about it, but we love your towels," she admitted after dispatching Russian Polina Kudermetova on Monday. "Every time I come back 10 members of my family want the towels. Sorry Wimbledon, I am not sure if I'm allowed." But the 24-year-old makes sure to keep some for herself. "I have lots at home. If I play on the circuit for another 15 years, I will have to build another room to keep them in," she laughed.
IOL News
08-07-2025
- General
- IOL News
From lapdog to lifesaver - a Chihuahua saves his owner trapped in a glacier
The pet Chihuahua that saved its owner's life after the unidentified man fell into a Swiss glacier on Friday. Last Friday an unidentified Swiss man was hiking with his dog on the Fee Glacier in the Swiss Alps when he unknowingly stepped onto a snow bridge - a fragile layer of ice that forms over cracks in the glacier. The bridge gave way, and he plunged 8m into the icy darkness below. It wasn't a muscular St Bernard or a hardy German Shepherd that came to the rescue. Instead, it was a long-haired Chihuahua, no taller than a hiker's boot, who led a rescue team to its owner after he plummeted into a glacier crevasse in southern Switzerland. How a tiny dog sparked a big rescue Trapped and injured deep inside the glacier, the man managed to call for help using a basic walkie-talkie. A passerby picked up his distress call and contacted emergency services. However, the rescue team from Air Zermatt struggled to locate him. The glacier's vast, jagged surface offered little clue as to where he had fallen. But then came a breakthrough. One of the rescue specialists spotted a flicker of movement against the rock - the small figure of a dog, sitting alertly by a near-invisible crevasse. The Chihuahua had remained right next to the hole where its owner had vanished, refusing to budge.
The Star
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Saint Bernards are the furry stars at this unique Swiss theme park
Syrah walks slowly and deliberately on a treadmill submerged in a large water tank, as two therapists help keep her steady, and a crowd looks on in awe. The eight-year-old St Bernard is receiving her regular hydrotherapy session, while visitors to the newly reopened Barryland theme park in the Swiss Alpine valley town of Martigny follow every move. "We give hydrotherapy to older dogs or dogs that have undergone surgery," said Barryland director Melanie Glassey-Roth. "Everything here is conceived for the wellbeing of our dogs." Revamped from a smaller, "living museum" focused on St Bernards, after two years of work Barryland has morphed into a large, interactive theme park fully dedicated to Switzerland's national dog. Built in the shape of a paw print, the main building offers interactive experiences and virtual reality tours of the history and myths surround the St Bernard, as well as the chance to interact with the big dogs themselves. The park is hoping to see its visitor numbers soar to potentially 200,000 a year, up from 83,000 before the renovation. A St Bernard during a grooming session at Barryland. Emblematic hound The St Bernard breed, which reached a new level of stardom when it starred in the 1992 blockbuster Hollywood comedy film Beethoven, was cross-bred into existence centuries ago in the Swiss Alps, not too far from where today's theme park lies. It was originally bred from farm dogs indigenous to the region by a hospice monastery, perched 2,500m above sea level, to use for rescue work in the perilous Great St Bernard Pass between Switzerland and Italy. "This is an emblematic dog that represents the entire region," said Jean-Maurice Tornay, head of the Barry Foundation, which runs Barryland. A visitor taking a picture of a St Bernard at the park. Barryland got its name from the most famous and heroic St Bernard of all. Local lore holds that Barry, who lived from 1800 to 1814 and was credited with more than 40 rescues in his lifetime, carried a little barrel of alcohol around his collar, a welcome drink for weary travellers. In his honour, the monastery always had one dog named Barry – a tradition that continues at Barryland today. The park's current Barry, a towering seven-and-a-half-year-old male weighing around 80kg, is the largest and most decorated of its dogs. A visitor taking a photo of a framed picture of Barry, the most famous St Bernard rescue dog. The Barry Foundation has 36 St Bernards in all who live at a nearby kennel in Martigny. Some dogs spend whole summers up at the Great St Bernard Pass. But with the reopening of Barryland, 16 dogs from the Martigny kennel will crowd into a large van each morning and be driven across to the theme park, ready to play stars. New mission At Barryland, the giant dogs, with their dark-ringed eyes and fur covered in reddish-brown patches, run around in spacious, grassy parks, lounge in large indoor enclosures and submit to grooming, massages and treatments. During the recent reopening, the park presented two new puppies, Xcell and Xaver, who tumbled enthusiastically around their mother Lio, nudging her until she sat down to let them nurse. Nearby, dog handler Sahel Robette encouraged Tosca, an eight-year-old female, to climb onto a large weighing scale. "(She's) 65kg!" he exclaimed, as he began brushing her down, searching her fur for tics and inspecting her ears and nails. An old picture of two St Bernards and a priest taken at the Great Saint Bernard pass. Once the heroes of the Swiss Alps, St Bernards today are doing heroic work in other settings, Tornay said. With helicopters having taken over their rescue role, the St Bernard has "found a new social mission", he said. The foundation's dogs make hundreds of visits each year to hospitals, nursing homes and prisons, where they are used for therapy and social training, "sharing a little bit of kindness", he said. The St Bernard is perfect for these missions, Glassey-Roth said, as one of the dogs laid its giant head on her lap. "It has a quiet force; it is calm and very social." – AFP
