Amos the Mini-St. Bernard's brother, Apache ~ The Dedicated Student (adopted) can also be seen on our website.

Description:
Amos is a great big teddy bear of a St. Bernard. He was rescued from a high-kill shelter in Georgia where they gas the animals. That is a horrible way to die. The animals start whimpering in a matter of seconds and die crying. Horrible.....
We rescued Amos' brother, Apache, the first week a July. It wasn't until he was brought to us that we found out that Amos was at the same shelter. We couldn't just leave him there! I mean, look at the photo of him in the cement walled room. That was taken at that shelter. What do those eyes say to you? An independent group of volunteers brought Amos to us the following week. And we are so glad! Look at him now! He is a real sweetheart! He will be neutered on July 14th and ready for his forever home after that.

Foster update 8/25: Amos is very sweet but very, very shy and submissive. I believe this to be a trust issue as he has limited exposure to people. Once he gets to know you, he will let you pet him for hours (and he doesn't try to lick you which is great). He seems to have a greater liking for women and takes to them very well.

He is very good in the car and lies down right away. He doesn't seem to bark as we've only heard him once in several days and it wasn't very loud. He is house broken and is crate trained. In fact he runs to his crate every time he gets nervous. He sleeps in the crate through the night without making a peep.

When we're watching TV he has learned to sneak up onto the sofa to lay next to you, but is also very happy under the coffee table. He pulled hard on the leash on his first few walks, but in only a few days of training, he has learned to walk next to me and enjoys it. He also loves to run in the backyard and even likes to chase, in a very playful way.

He would do well in a quite home without a lot of loud noises and things to make him nervous. Thunder was not an issue as he was clam through the storm yesterday. He definitely needs more socialization with humans. He's very good with other dogs. As he begins to play more with our 10 pound Maltese, you can see he would do better with a larger friend that he can romp with.

Foster Update 8/29: Amos is doing great. No problems except for his shyness/nervousness. His leash walking is also excellent including sitting when you stop walking. I took him to our Vet to give him a ride and get weighed (45 lbs) and he was very calm in the clinic. He just lay on the floor while I talked to the staff. I've also introduced him to several kids on the street and he was great with them.

According to www.dogbreedinfo.com, this is a very ancient breed. It was founded in AD 980 by St Bernard de Menthon as a refuge for travelers through the perilous Alpine pass between Switzerland and Italy. It is descended from the Tibetan mastiff and therefore must have originated with the mastiff brought to the Alps by the Romans around the year 1000. The monks probably crossed the ancient mastiff with the Great Dane and the Great Pyrenees. Its use and popularity as a rescue dog began in the middle of the seventeenth century. The Saint Bernard was used as an avalanche and rescue dog in the snowy passes near the Hospice. More then 2,000 people have been saved by this amazing servant of mankind. The dogs search out and find the lost or injured traveler, and then lick him and lie next to him to give him warmth. Then one dog from the party heads back to the Hospice to get a full rescue team. The Saint Bernard's sense of smell is so excellent that he can find a person even under many feet of snow. This breed is also known for his ability to foretell storms and avalanches, perhaps because he may hear very low frequency sounds that are beyond our ability to hear. There are two varieties: short-haired and long-haired. The short-haired variety is more often used for mountain work because he can tolerate cold temperatures. The long-haired variety's coat tends to collect icicles. Some of the Saint Bernard's talents are search & rescue, watchdogging and carting.
They are extremely gentle and friendly and very tolerant of children.