It is an unusual name for a dog, but Barry was the name of a Saint Bernard. He was a famous dog which had been trained to rescue lost travelers or those who had been caught in avalanches in the Swiss mountains.
There is a statue of Barry in the Museum of Natural History in Berne, Switzerland. It was paid for by one of the forty people whose lives were saved by Barry during his lifetime. This is the story of his rescue.
Arthur Chasi had been walking along a mountain roadway when he was suddenly buried by the edge of an avalanche. The major part of the avalanche had roared down the mountain just ahead of him. It had wiped out houses, trees and anything else in its path.
The rescue teams that came to search for buried people concentrated on the major area of the snow slide, looking for survivors buried in the snow and debris. But Art was not buried where the searchers were looking. He was about one-half mile away, unconscious under three feet of snow.
Barry was with one of the rescue teams that had come to the avalanche scene. He and the other dogs would use their keen sense of smell to find the buried victims. The dogs would announce their find by standing over the spot and barking. Then the men would dig through the snow until they found the victim.
At first Barry stayed close to the center of the avalanche disaster area. He had found several bodies of those who had been killed. Then moving farther and farther away, he picked up Art’s scent. He barked loudly, and soon men were there with shovels. They found Art, half frozen, but still alive. He was taken to a hospital where he was cared for until he recovered.
In the Bible we read that the Lord Jesus came into the world to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:1010For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)). There are boys and girls and older people, too, all over the world who are lost in sin with no way to help themselves.
But there are those who already have been rescued — they have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour and know their sins are forgiven. By His death on the cross and the shedding of His precious blood, the Lord Jesus has saved thousands and brought them safe home to heaven.
He is still willing to save any who will trust Him. Has He saved you, or are you still buried in your sins? The Bible says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:2727And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27). If you really want to be saved, you only need to tell the Lord Jesus. He loves you very much and wants you to accept Him as your Saviour. Won’t you do that right now?
ML-08/11/1985