May 23rd, 2009 by admin

The first St. Bernard to have a great impact on America was a dog named ‘Plinlimmon,’ bred by F Smith. Mr Emmet, who was an American actor, exported the dog to the United States. The first St. Bernard to win the Westminster Kennel Club show was Merchant Prince in 1886, which was the Club’s tenth annual show. It was establishment in 1877 and is the oldest dog show in the world and the most important in the US. Chief, owned by Mr Goicowria of New York and bred by Mr J P Haines from New Jersey, was the first St. Bernard registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC). The St. Bernard Club of America was founded in 1888 by a group of individuals who imported dogs from England. These dogs were in very high demand and were often purchased for thousands of dollars. The First St. Bernard kennel to be registered with the AKC was the Carmen Kennel, owned and operated by Mr T E L Kemp in 1903.

By the mid-1900s, large numbers of St. Bernards were exhibited at dog shows exhibited at dog shows throughout the US. However, there weren’t many specialized breeders at this time, and she quality of the dogs declined drastically. The St. Bernard Club went through several changes, and many presidents and secretaries came and went during this time. It wasn’t until the election of Joseph Fleischli from Illinois as president that the breed took a turn for the better. Fleischli imported many fine dogs from Germany and Switzerland. His most famous import was Ch Gerd vd Edelweiss, who bloomed into a 21-time Best in Show winner, as well as the victor of several national specialties during the early 1950s.

The famous Sanctuary Woods kennels, operated by Mrs Beatrice Knight, dominated the breed after the post-war years. The kennel bred well over 100 champions, including the well-known Ch Sanctuary Woods Fantabulous and Ch Sanctuary Woods Better Times. The outstanding of Mrs Knight to the progress of the breed for several decades will likely never be surpassed.

William and Elizabeth Robert’s Shagg Bark kennels and the Subira kennels, originally established by Lillian Bull, were well known from the late 1950s into the 1960s. Shagg Bark kennels produced Ch Browser Waller, winner of 100 Bests of Breed, numerous group placements and 5 Bests in Show.
Space does not permit the author to include the names of every great breeder of this era, many of which continue to have an influence in the breed today. Among the top names were Judith Goldman ( Serendipity), Doug and Marlene Anderson (Beau Chaeval), Glenn and Diane Radcliffe (Opdyke) and many, many others.