These far-flung locales are going to the dogs…that is if they haven’t already.

Snoopy Island

Nishinoshima lies off Japan’s Pacific coastline and is best known for its active volcano, which last erupted in November. The ensuing lava flow created an entirely new island called Niijima. But the volcano wasn’t quite done. In the weeks that followed, it spewed out enough lava to connect the two islands as one. This strange event caused many a volcanologist to cry “good grief!” when they first saw aerial photos of the new, improved Nishinoshima: because the island now strongly resembles Snoopy. However, Japanese scientists aren’t ready to rename it “Snoopy Island” just yet. They say that the volcano is still active and that Nishinoshima’s current shape may only be temporary.

Lasqueti Island

This isle sits between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland in the Strait of Georgia. Lasqueti’s few hundred human residents enjoy living life off the grid and things there are low-key and relaxed…provided you stay away from Tikki Smith’s place. Smith breeds St. Bernards, and, at last count owns 42 of them. Smith’s dogs alone make for a sizable population that rivals Lasqueti’s humans. A video of the gigantic hounds happily romping through a nearby forest has drawn over a million views on YouTube and has practically made Smith a household name in western Canada. She told journalists that the dogs follow her everywhere she goes and treat her as their alpha female. Smith is also now considered one of the top breeders of Saint Bernards in the world.