Yuri Koval has a story “The Island of Unworn Puppies”, where anyone who landed on it found himself in the cutest trap in the world: hundreds of puppies flew at him and it was necessary to flog each one. It turns out that there is something similar in Canada! 
This island is called Lasqueti. It is secluded and located in Canada (about 50 miles off the coast of Vancouver). Silence, tree branches sway slightly in the wind, and birds fly overhead. And also the loud snorting and stomping of dozens of massive paws, gradually approaching the guests of the island. And so, from all the bushes, attentive brown eyes on huge fluffy muzzles look at the person. It was the Saint Bernards who came to meet each other. 
Of course, not only these cute goofy dogs live on the island. It is inhabited by approximately 400 people who engage in agriculture, fishing, and they also cut down and plant trees. In short, they are farmers. They get energy from solar panels, wind turbines and water mills. In general, the simple life of ordinary people on a small island. Which, by the way, they love very much and try to emphasize that this is not some specially created community, and the island is not a paradise utopia. Lasqueti is an island where people live who are independent-minded, have their own culture and a certain identity. Indirect quote from Lasqueti's official website.
But where do so many dogs come from and why only St. Bernards? 
By the way, the history of the breed begins in Europe. But one of the residents of the island, Tikki Smith, is engaged in professional breeding of St. Bernards. Her pets often took first places in competitions and competitions. The dogs even have their own website. Tikki always emphasizes that she takes the most careful care of her St. Bernards.
Quote from Tikki's website: "All St. Bernards living here (on the island) are first and foremost family members, not kennel dogs."
Huge, slobbering goodies get along well with other pets, children and generally everyone who inhabits Lasqueti. And they live their best dog life there, running around the forest all day long. 
Of course, St. Bernards do not live completely freely. On the island, they were given as many as five acres of land (more than 2 hectares), on which they frolic with might and main all day long. They also have somewhere to hide from bad weather - a huge hut was built for the whole horde. Dozens of St. Bernards are not cramped in their ideal nursery: it is divided into seven rooms, always covered with fresh sawdust. They have both open and closed areas, with a huge bowl filled with fresh water.
Tikki did everything to ensure that her puppies lived the life that every dog probably dreams of living.
The woman, by the way, said on her website that the situation with 40 St. Bernards living on Lasqueti happened almost by accident.
At first she just wanted to get herself a St. Bernard. One such good-natured plush. She wanted to adopt a male dog and Tikki was put on the waiting list, where she stayed for more than a year! The demand for St. Bernards turned out to be very high and now, after a long wait, she was informed that a one-year-old girl, Iota, was available. The person who offered Yota Tikki made her promise that she would breed the dog along the line, and they would separate the puppies and raise them together.
Iota
Tikki had been waiting for her St. Bernard for so long that the offer didn’t bother her at all. She could not even imagine that this decision of hers would lead to something much greater.
And so, a male named Sky Meadows was brought to Iota. A young male and this was his first mating. Here they are, the progenitors of the Lasqueti dog pack.
On September 12, 1997, Iota gave birth to 12 puppies, two of which, unfortunately, did not survive. The remainder were equally divided: five boys and five girls.
Tikki decided to keep two for herself as a souvenir and finally she had the male dog she had originally dreamed of. She also decided to keep one girl for herself. Knight and Kootenay.
A little later, Tikki decided to take another female dog, which she bred with Knight. The dogs became friends and brought their puppies into the world. In 2000. One boy and three girls. Tikki kept one girl for herself. Do you still remember the fact that Tikki once wanted a St. Bernard boy?
Well, the rest is clear. Tikki's family grew, Tikki communicated with other breeders, bred her puppies and many of them, by the way, took prizes in competitions.
So much time has passed since the woman decided to engage in this difficult task and sometimes laughs when she recalls her desire for “just one dog.” Now she owns excellent St. Bernards with a very complicated pedigree. There are grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and sisters, and uncles, and anyone else in general. And some are not even related to each other. And, of course, Tikki does not allow incest so that her pets do not give birth to weak and sick puppies.
Snow periodically falls on the island, which is a great joy for St. Bernards, because the breed comes from the European Alps. These guys are truly made for snow.
Tikki posts videos with her “children” and you can see how they live happily. Especially when it snows. Comments under the videos indicate that viewers really enjoy watching them and that they are infected with positivity from Tikki’s puppies.
In addition to St. Bernards, on Lasqueti Island you can find an impressive herd of feral sheep. And there are also a huge number of butterfly species that the island’s residents take care of, trying to preserve their populations. The islanders do everything to maintain the natural areas of the island in the right condition, but not to disturb the natural flora. They deliberately do not position the island as a tourist area, because Lasqueti is their home and they want to protect it.
Residents of Lasqueti manage without a number of technologies familiar to us all. Everything from food production to electricity isn't easy for them, but they don't complain. Living on Lasqueti has its advantages. They are not burdened with the anxiety that residents of big cities face, live in the fresh air, and constantly receive a dose of positive energy from St. Bernards and support from the community.
