Therese Price, age 10, of Bennington, Vt., for her question:

HOW MUCH DOES A SAINT BERNARD DOG WEIGH?

The Saint Bernard is a breed of working dog that originated in Europe sometime before the Christian era, probably from a large Asian dog brought to Europe by Roman soldiers. The Saint Bernard is a large, powerful animal that weighs between 150 and 200 pounds. The male is about 27 inches high at the shoulder while the female is slightly smaller.

Since the middle of the 17th century, the most important center for the breeding and employment of the dog has been the hospice of Saint Bernard of Menthon on the Great Saint Bernard Pass in the Alps, east ' of Mont Blanc.

The dog was used by the monks of the hospice first as a watchdog and then to help rescue persons lost in snowdrifts. In the past 300 years the dogs, whose power of scent and sense of direction particularly qualify them for detecting persons buried in the snow and for leading rescuers back to the hospice during snowstorms, have saved many thousands of lives.

The dog received its present name in 1880.

The Saint Bernard has a massive skull, a short muzzle, medium sized drooping ears, brown eyes, a strong neck, broad and sloping shoulders, a broad back and a long tail that terminates in a blunt tip.