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There is a depth to martial arts that both draws us in and makes us look outside of ourselves. The winding of legend and fact is at the heart of the history of kung fu. This practice has been around longer than there have been people to write it down. But from records we see that one of the first instances of this practice was over four thousand years ago.

The first ones to practice this style were not battling on a field but were fighting for their lives not to be the prey of the animal predators stalking them. These animals had defense and offensive moves that made them strong and able to overtake men so the men began to pay attention to what made them so stealth.

Taking those powers and strengths into consideration man utilized them to not only defeat the animal predator but to bring into the arsenal to use in battle against man.

Kung fu had many different styles and techniques that evolved from different ways. But since the basic of the art was the fight with beasts, the practice took on the defensive techniques of birds, insects, and animals. Like the tiger, panther and bear the practice became stealth and wise in attack. The birds like crane, eagle, and chicken used their strength and wit to outsmart their predators. All of these traits of the animals broadened and gave an easy example of how to practice this form of martial arts.

The Buddist monk Bodhidarma or Dot Mor was an intrinsic force in the definition of Kung Fu. With his arrival the practice of Kung Fu became both internal and external. The internal was related to using the energy of the body and spirit that not only brings force to your practice but peace to your life. The breath control aspect of the practice began here. The use of breath to add to the force of your strikes became the core of the practice.

The practice of Jiao Di was the first type of this martial art. Brought to life by the Yellow Emperor he developed the way of fighting where a horn was attached to a helmet and then two men fought each other. This was not just simple physical domination as this Yellow Emperor was a man of learning. He studied astronomy and medicine and incorporated the art of intelligence into a usually typical physical match up.

As happens in a society the philosophical mindset changes and these adaptations were incorporated into the practice of kung fu. The Taoist influence was brought in since it believes in the ying and yang or the soft with the hard. This combined with the art of using your chi to empower your movements and strikes gave a delicate balance that created great force.

The vast amount of time dedicated to the growth and history of kung fu brings much to light. However it changed and grew and whoever influenced the change, kung fu evolved and became more by the people who practiced and defined its being.

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If you heard the words “medical dog” you could have a number of different thoughts. Some people might look confused, others might look amused thinking you’re pulling their leg. Yet others might try in vain to find out what it really means, and some people might even believe you’re referring to the growing popularity of using medical dog tags as jewelry. For my part however, if I hear the words medical dog mentioned I immediately think of the giant Saint Bernards who gained fame by rescuing unfortunate travels from dangerous snow bound situations.

Probably no one has ever called the Saint Bernard a medical dog, though that is the picture that always comes to mind. These gentle beasts are popular with many people and have long been considered a family dog. They love children, and can live peaceably with other animals as well. They love as much attention as they can get and are very affectionate.

As a medical dog in the present day, the Saint Bernard isn’t much utilized, but in the days when they were bred especially for the purpose of coming to the aid of people in need, the Saint Bernard was in full demand. The greatest and most well known of these dogs was a Saint Bernard medical dog named Barry.

The earliest Saint Bernard breed was bred with a short, glossy coat which made it easier for them to stay in the freezing weather conditions, whereas the latter breed of Saint Bernard with the Newfoundland mix sported a longer coat. This was unsuited to the prevailing weather conditions as their shaggy coats would always be full of icicles. This ruled them almost instantly as a good breed of medical dog, and the original short haired Saint Bernard was kept for this purpose.

If you’re getting a Saint Bernard medical dog for your family, you need to realize that they grow very large and very fast. So you’ll need to have somewhere that your dog can stay without tearing your house up into shreds. You’ll also need to be able to give it enough nutrition during its formative growth years as these medical dogs need to be kept nourished constantly to help in their massive bone growth.

As a family dog, the Saint Bernard loses much of the need for it to be a medical dog, but don’t close that door just yet. These dogs are very intelligent and will rush to your aid if there is something amiss. Much as they used to in the early days of the 17th century.

You can picture it in your mind. The great Saint Bernard making his way through the treacherous snowed in passes to save unwary travelers from a plight of certain death. And don’t forget to add the small cask of brandy around the Bernard’s neck. That adds the finishing touch to your mental picture of the great medical dog, the Saint Bernard on his medical rounds.