During his recovery from a serious illness left him in a coma in 1994, Huneck drew support and inspiration from his dogs, in particular his black lab Sally, who was a regular subject for his woodcuts and carvings.

After financial difficulties stemming from the Great Recession led Huneck to layoff staff at Dog Mountain, he committed suicide in January 2010.

Huneck had severe dyslexia, but he found calm in exploring the woods near his home and roughly carving bits of fallen branches.

[1][2] After graduating from Lincoln–Sudbury Regional High School, Huneck moved to Boston at age 17 to attend Massachusetts College of Art, working as a taxi cab driver to pay his bills.

[4][12][13] Although he was largely self-taught as a carver, a skill he developed while working as a furniture restorer, Huneck was uncomfortable being labeled a "folk artist."

[15] In 1996, for its salute to folk art at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, The Coca-Cola Co. commissioned a 10-foot (3.0 m) Coke bottle carving from Huneck, which he capped with a gold-winged cow.

[16][17] Huneck also received commissions for works from celebrities and politicians, including Sandra Bullock, Dr. Phil McGraw, and U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy.

[18] Huneck described his coma as a "near death experience" during which a dog-headed figure visited him and sold him "a fantastic dog sculpture that seemed to contain the secrets of life itself," inspiring him to build the chapel.

"[1] Friends of Dog Mountain, the non-profit that manages the site, describes the chapel as Huneck's "greatest and most personal artistic contribution" as well as "a living piece of communal art and history, ever evolving with each new note and photo pinned to the memorial walls.