St. Bernard Rescue Dogs

[Jinx]

Cartoons show St. Bernard rescue dogs with those barrels under their chins. I always assumed (or heard somewhere) this was based on rescue dogs in the Alps. Is there any truth to this? And, what’s in those barrels?

[Johnny_L.A]

From a previous thread

@Q.E.D

Originally, Saint Bernards, as they came to be known, were a short-haired breed, but they were crossed with Newfoundland dogs in the early 1800s to produce the longer-haired version we’re familiar with today. However, Saint Bernards did not have little casks of brandy tied around their necks to help revive frozen travelers – that myth was begun in the 19th century when British animal painter Edwin Landseer painted a Saint Bernard with the cask

From this site and others with the same reference.