Imagine a huge dog park, a dog-friendly art gallery and a beautiful location to remember your beloved dog and memorialize them. That’s what you find at the Dog Chapel at Dog Mountain in Vermont.
We stopped by on our way to Mt Pisgah and Lake Willoughhby and spent a few minutes wandering the property, enjoying the atmosphere in the Dog Chapel and taking in the beautiful art gallery.
Stephen Huneck was an artist. In 1994 he had an accident and was alive, but left having to relearn everything. He and his wife, Gwen, owned a home down the road and created Dog Mountain as a place to celebrate dogs. He died tragically in 2010 and Gwen ran Dog Mountain until her passing just over 3 years later. Their memories live on in this 150-acre mountain-top retreat for dogs and their people to play, love and remember.
We’d been told by many people that this was one of “the things” to do in the area. We didn’t make it last year when we visited Montpelier, so we made it a point to visit during our stay in Waterbury. Now I wish we’d set aside more time for it. We’d planned the hike up Mt Pisgah for after, so we had to move on but there was plenty of walking for Truffles to enjoy. And best of all… leashes are optional!
First we visited the Stephen Huneck Art Gallery and met Pam who explained the rules of the site to us. Be respectful, have fun and clean up after your pets. That’s pretty much it! I didn’t get a lot of images inside the gallery, but there’s a lot of beautiful dog artwork done by Mr. Huneck over the years. From paintings and prints to books and sculptures, it’s a feast for the senses to take in all his life’s work with dogs as his primary subjects.
We then made our way over the Dog Chapel where dogs are welcome and encouraged. You’re just asked to be respectful of those who may be present remembering their own pets. The walls of the chapel are covered – no really, COVERED – with pictures and notes of those who’ve lost dogs over the years.
There’s stained glass windows, pews and some of Mr. Huneck’s work. No dogmas are welcome. This is an open place for anyone of any creed, belief or religion to come together to memorialize their pets.
We took the opportunity to play outside on the gorgeous day. The property is well maintained and beautifully landscaped. We took Truffles down by the pond and played ball, letting her show honor to all those dogs that have gone before her by living her very best life.
It was getting on so we had to head to our next hike. Truffles took advantage of the communal water. This must be very special water because Truffles is quite water-particular and won’t usually drink out of communal water dishes. She was off leash until it was time to go. She said goodbye to Pam and off we went.
Overall, our visit to the Dog Chapel at Dog Mountain was sadly beautiful. So many beloved pets remembered in a beautiful setting. It’s a credit to those that maintain it after the Hunecks passed away so that dog lovers from around the country can come and celebrate those dogs they’ve known and loved.
Address
Dog Mountain, Home of Stephen Huneck Gallery, 143 Parks Rd, St Johnsbury, VT 05819
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