Every dog is a hero. But some are truly legendary.

One intrepid St. Bernard rescue dog boasts a résumé that surpasses most humans. Meet Barry der Menschenretter (yes, he has a last name). To the Swiss, he’s just “Barry.”

In the early 1800s, Barry worked as a rescue dog at the Great St Bernard Hospice in Switzerland, a monastery and hostel for travelers of an Alpine pass near the Swiss-Italian border. (The same monastery is how Barry’s breed got its name!)

St. Bernard dogs were bred by monks of the Hospice to help rescue lost or injured travelers of the mountain pass. Barry was among the finest of his kind. His heroism became a national symbol of courage and dedication that lives on to this day.

Barry’s life-saving slobber

It’s said that Barry saved 40 or more lives during his service.

His most famous rescue was of a young boy found unconscious and nearly frozen to death in the snow. Barry reportedly saved the boy—believe it or not—by licking the warmth back into him. Imagine waking up to that!

Barry helped the boy climb onto his back and then carried him back to the safety of the Hospice, where the boy reunited with his family.

Barry’s life may have ended in 1812, but his story continues to inspire.

He has a dedicated monument in the Cimetière des Chiens pet cemetery in Paris, and his preserved body is also on display in the Natural History Museum in Bern, Switzerland. The Hospice where he served also houses a museum about St Bernard rescue dogs, and to this day, they always keep one dog with the name Barry in his honor.

Let’s all aspire to be more like Barry. Given his stellar track record, most of us will come up short.