After a near-death experience in 1998, folk artist Stephen Huneck built a chapel on “Dog Mountain” in Vermont. He wanted to celebrate the spiritual bond humans have with dogs. On top of the white steeple is a Labrador Retriever with wings, while the interior is decorated with carved wooden dogs on the pews and stained glass windows depicting dogs (of course). The building is open to all, even the furry kind, so a table offers biscuits and other treats for the pooches. There’s even a doggie door! The chapel walls are covered in handwritten notes and photographs of dogs and other animals that have passed on. Various dog sculptures and canine heads decorate the rest of the mountain’s 150 acre property. And don’t worry…people of any faith or belief system are welcome. A sign outside of the chapel reads: “Welcome all creeds, all breeds. No dogmas allowed.” Each year Stephen and his wife Gwen held a gathering known as Dog Fest at his art studio where prizes were given for biggest and smallest dog, etc. Unfortunately, Huneck fell into a deep depression and took his own life in 2010. Gwen is determined to keep Dog Mountain free and open to the dog-loving public for as long as she can. Pray that it lasts forever. This place makes me weep.
Stephen Huneck’s chapel on “Dog Mountain” in Vermont
