Welcome to another bonus episode of Sleep Whispers and Extra Treat for Myself Plus members.

I'll begin with some facts about the modern St. Bernard,

and then I'll dig into the fascinating history.

The modern St. Bernard is best known for being a very large and heavy dog.

A female St. Bernard can grow to be about 130 pounds or 60 kilograms.

A male St. Bernard can grow to be about 160 pounds or 70 kilograms.

Sure enough, the world record for the heaviest dog is held by a St. Bernard, who was named Benedictine.

This massive dog weighed.

Are you ready for it?

367 pounds, or 167 kilograms.

That there is a big dog.

The next key trait of St. Bernard's are they thick and soft fur.

This beautiful fur is mostly brown and white with some black shading around their face and ears.

St. Bernard's are also known as being gentle giants due to their mild temperament.

They are calm, patient, loyal, and affectionate with adults, and especially children.

Oh, but wait, you've probably seen the movie or read the book, Kujo, the story of a killer St. Bernard dog. Okay, two important details. One, that story is fiction, and two, in that story, the dog had rabies.

And anything with rabies should be feared.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone has made a horror movie titled Sluggo, the Killer Sloth with Rabies.

Okay, back to St. Bernard's. The biggest real threat to small children and even adults

is being accidentally knocked over by these lumbering gentle beasts.

It is important, though, that St. Bernard's, like all very large dogs, be well socialized

with people and other dogs in order to prevent any possible aggression.

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