No bones about it, group wants to preserve doggie haven
ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. — At Dog Mountain, canines and their human owners can take walks on a 150-acre Vermont hillside, enjoy several ponds, attend dog parties and even visit a chapel and an art gallery. Now, a group is hoping to preserve the doggie haven and the vision of Stephen Huneck, the late artist and children’s book author who founded it.
The Friends of Dog Mountain recently received a $75,000 federal grant that will used to transfer the property to non-profit ownership and for fundraising and development efforts.
“The mission is to preserve, steward and protect both Dog Mountain as a public access and asset for future generations to enjoy with their dogs,” said Scott Buckingham, acting director of the non-profit Friends of Dog Mountain.
Huneck and his wife, Gwen, purchased the property in 1995, transforming the barn into an art studio, and later opening the dog chapel, which welcomes “all creeds, all breeds, no dogmas allowed.” Huneck, whose whimsical dog-centric prints, sculptures and furniture showed his love of the animals, envisioned the chapel as a ritual space to help people achieve closure after their dogs die. And based on the vast amount of loving notes on the chapel walls from pet owners to lost pets, it has achieved his vision.