It's a way to remember man's best friend and memorialize the pets that mean so much to us. Lynn Bird started something called the Little Pet Chapel Project just a few years ago. She and her husband build and paint a small chapel maintained by the city. Later, Winston-Salem will be located in Piedmont Park across the street from the Triad. A small space filled with lots of love. “When you open the door, there's just so much love,” Bird said. “It's so wonderful. The chapel has hundreds of sticky notes in memory of special pets who have passed away and left us with so many meaningful memories.” 99% of it is pure love from someone. “It's the heart,” Bird said, adding, “It's sacred.” “And it's to honor something sacred: countless memories in memory of humanity's best friend. “It's amazing to read the diary entries,” Bird said. “People pour out their hearts and write stories and post pictures of their animals.” The concept of doing something to remember the pets we loved and memorializing them after they've passed away is what she thought years ago. “I'm humbled,” she said. “This whole project is humbling,” said Bird, who first launched the project in 2020 and has continued to expand since then. “I lost two horses, my parents, my dog and my best friend in the same year,” Bird said. “And it just snowballed. And I'm not alone. People grieve huge losses all the time, but it was just too big. And I felt like something for myself… We felt it was necessary.'' Since starting the project, Lynn's husband has been building a chapel. “Some of the bills are short and some were written by children,” Bird said. “But they're all filled with love. And that's what this is about.” From diary entries to sticky notes to photos and everything in between, these are sacred emotions. It is a sacred part of life and we have lost so much. Too soon. “Animals are here to teach us how to love. That's their main job,” Bird said. “To show us how to love each other, care for each other, and take care of each other. And sometimes they leave us too soon.” Bird said at least once every two weeks. Checking the contents of the pet chapel. She sometimes puts sticky notes on people to remember them. This little pet she chapel is funded by donations and the sale of Byrd's art. Click here to learn more about the Pet Chapel Project.
It's a way to remember man's best friend and memorialize the pets that are so dear to us.
Lynn Bird started something called the Little Pet Chapel Project just a few years ago.
She and her husband built and painted a small chapel, which the City of Winston-Salem will install in a park across the Piedmont Triad.
A lot of love is packed into a small space.
“When you open the door, there's just so much love,” Bird said. “That's really wonderful.”
The chapel is filled with hundreds of sticky notes remembering special pets who have passed away and left us with so many meaningful memories.
“Ninety-nine percent of what happens in a chapel is pure love from someone's heart,” Bird said.
“It's sacred,” she added. “And it is to honor what is sacred.”
Countless memories in memory of humanity's best friend.
“It's amazing to read the contents of the diary,” Bird said. “People write stories from their hearts and include pictures of their animals.”
The concept of doing something to remember the pets we love and memorialize them after they pass is something she thought of years ago.
“It's humbling for me,” she said. “This whole project is humbling.”
Bird first launched the project in 2020 and has been expanding ever since.
“I lost two horses, my parents, my dog and my best friend in the same year,” Bird said. “Then it snowballed. I'm not alone. People grieve huge losses all the time, but it was so big that I realized I needed to do something for myself. .”
Since starting the project, Lin's husband has built the chapel, she has painted it, and the city has installed it.
“Some are short notes, some are written by children,” Bird said. “But they're all full of love. That's what this is about.”
From journal entries to sticky notes to photos and everything in between, these are sacred emotions and sacred parts of life that we lost far too soon.
“Animals are here to teach us how to love. That's their main job,” Bird said. “To show us how to love each other and care for each other and take care of each other. And sometimes they leave us too soon.”
Bird checks on things inside the pet chapel at least once every two weeks.
Sometimes there are even post-its to remember people.
The Little Pet Chapel is funded by donations and Bird's art sales.
Click here to learn more about the Pet Chapel Project.
