| 8 weeks 2 days 17 hours ago Spiritual place for dog lovers in St. Johnsbury, VT
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(NECN: St. Johnsbury, VT) - A chapel is not typically the type of place you'd take your pet, but at one chapel in Vermont, it's actually encouraged. It’s a place designed especially for dogs and their owners, and it's been attracting two and four legged visitors from all over.
From the moment you arrive at Stephen Huneck's St. Johnsbury, Vermont, property, it becomes clear - Huneck is a dog lover.
His farmland is aptly named “Dog Mountain.” His gallery has almost all canine-themed art and his chapel is four-legged friendly.
The stained glass, recycled from an old church, features dog images. The legs of the pews were modeled after Huneck’s own pets.
Stephen: "This is Molly - she was the model for the gold bench."
Huneck built the chapel eight years ago, but it will forever be a work-in-progress. The walls are decorated by the many people who stop in, who are mourning the loss of their pets, and need a way to express their grief.
The notes are brief but emotional.
Huneck says this is not a religious place, but it is a spiritual place. And it's open to everyone, as the sign at the entrance indicates: “All creeds and all breeds, but no dogmas are allowed."
Stephen: "I think of it as a place to celebrate life."
Dogs and owners a-plenty stop by his chapel.
Jack Musgrove of Great Barrington, Mass. says, “We’ve sort of directed our route home this way to see the chapel.”
They are
drawn in by both the familiarity and the novelty of the hillside spot.
Jim Herold: “It is very unique. I don’t know if you’d find too many dog chapels in the world.”
Huneck began testing out his art skills in the 1980s and soon began focusing on man’s best friend. He doesn’t claim to be a dog expert, just a dog observer.
Stephen: "They have their own world - I’m just trying to understand that world."
Huneck’s dog creations include sculptures, books, and prints -- some cute, some humorous. He says they are inspired by three things: mystery, fascination and obsession.
His work has attracted locals and celebrities.
Stephen: “It is shocking – I never envisioned it.”
His chapel is bursting at the seams with memories, captured on paper and in pictures, of the many dogs who have clearly left quite an impression on their owners.
NECN’s Anya Huneke pays the unique chapel a visit.
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