Career
Most of his artwork is composed of carvings of dogs. In addition to carvings, Huneck also wrote several children"s books, the main character of which was his black Labrador Retriever, Sally. Huneck was originally from Sudbury, Massachusetts.
Before becoming an artist, Huneck lived for several years at Quarry Hill Creative Center, Rochester, Vermont, where he began to work in wood.
He then became an antiques dealer. He was discovered in 1984 when he found a man pulling one of his carvings, an angel, out of the back of Huneck"s pick-up truck.
The man asked how much he wanted for the angel. Not intending to sell it and believing that the man wouldn"t pay such a high price, Huneck told him that he wanted $1,000.
The man revealed himself to be an art dealer from Manhattan and paid Huneck the money.
Pieces of Huneck"s artwork are in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution, the Dog Museum of America and the American Kennel Club. Huneck received commissions for works from celebrities and politicians, including Sandra Bullock, Doctor Philosophy McGraw, and United States Senator Patrick Leahy. Much of the basswood, cherry, maple and pine he worked with came from his farm.
In 1997, after a near death experience with acute respiratory distress syndrome, Huneck started work building a chapel dedicated to dogs.
, which took three years to complete, is situated next to his studio in Saint Johnsbury, Vermont. The inner walls are covered with remembrance notes and pictures of visitors" deceased canine pets.
People brought their dogs for a day of relaxation. Contests were held for categories such as loudest bark, biggest/smallest dog, best dog kiss, et cetera
The dogs were let off their leashes and allowed to run free and play with other dogs.
Huneck was despondent over having to lay off employees in January 2010 and had been dealing with depression. On January 7, 2010, after driving to a psychiatrist"s office in Littleton, New Hampshire, Huneck shot himself and died. He was 61 years old. After her husband"s death, Gwen Huneck was the head of Dog Mountain until her death three and a half years later.
