The dog chapel grew out of a bit of inspiration after his 1994 hospitalization with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, which nearly killed him. When he came out of it, he says, he had a vision.

"I kept thinking what a great thing it could be, for people not only to mourn the loss of a dog but to celebrate nature and their relationships with their dogs," he said.

Using wood harvested from his own property, Huneck modeled the one-room chapel after 19th-century Vermont churches, with vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows and wooden pews.

Built at a cost of "several hundred thousand dollars" and completed in 2000, it has stained glass windows with images of dogs pieced into them.

The wooden pew-style benches in the 30-by-22 foot main room have one-dimensional dog likenesses at either end that are so realistic, Huneck says, that live dogs sniff their bottoms.

Outside, a sign welcomes all: "Welcome all creeds, all breeds. No dogmas allowed."

"I wanted the dogs to know this is their place," he says.

It's also a place for their owners — many of them still grieving over their loss, years later.

The walls are covered in handwritten remembrances and photographs left by owners. It's no accident: Paper and pencils are stocked on a door near the entrance, next to the statue of Artie the angel dog, a black Labrador with golden wings.

"We came with Webster, to remember Boris," reads one. "He passed this week. He was a good dog and we will miss him. Webster will miss him too. But our visit today will help us all. Thanks. Cambridge, Mass."

Another: "Roxie: you are the dog of my heart. You taught me so much about life and love. Always, N."

If you go Dog Mountain: 143 Parks Road, St. Johnsbury, Vt.; 800-449-2580. Stephen Huneck's gallery and dog chapel sit side-by-side on a steep hill on Dog Mountain. The dog chapel is open daily, year-round; the gallery, which contains a gift shop that sells Huneck's books, sculptures and art, is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Getting there: Located about 50 miles south of the U.S.-Canadian border, just off Route 2, north of the center of St. Johnsbury.

Another: "In memory of Rebel, our beautiful greyhound, who died when I was giving birth to my daughter, Kyra."

"I got this idea that I wanted people to be able to put up pictures of their dogs and put up a short paragraph about their dogs and that they could share that with other people and that it would always be there," said Huneck. "To my great surprise, the place is almost completely, totally full of photographs.

"It brings tears to your eyes, or you could start laughing. It's just incredible insight," he said.

Weddings and civil union ceremonies have been held in it, although whenever someone makes such a request, Huneck and his wife, Gwen, explain that the chapel has to remain open for others while the ceremony is being held.

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The chapel, which is unheated and never closes, is busy and full of life in summer and fall, but quiet, empty and solemn on most winter days.

"It's just so unique," said Jennifer Goodman, 29, of Boston, who made the three-hour drive to it in January, accompanied by her boyfriend and her 7-year-old basset hound, Beans.

"My friends were like `You're going to Vermont? Are you going to go skiing?' I'm like, `No, we're going to a dog mountain,' and no one quite understands it. We literally just got here, checked into a hotel."

Twice a year, Huneck and his wife throw outdoor barbecues — with food for everyone, two legs or four.

"When dogs pull up in here, they may never have been here before, but it's like they saw the `Disneyland' sign. They just get so excited, so happy," he said.

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