Winston-Salem artist's 'Little Pet Chapels' provide outlet for grief

When walking through one of Winston-Salem’s many parks, you may encounter a box resembling one of those Little Free Libraries where people share books with neighbors. But when you open the box, instead of finding books, you’ll see a collection of notes, photos, remembrances, and yes, Valentines, dedicated to departed pets. They’re part of the Little Pet Chapel Project, the brainchild of local author and artist Lynn Byrd.

Byrd has a background in veterinary medicine and animal tracking. She spends much of her time these days maintaining the chapels and finding paths to expanding the project.

WFDD’s Neal Charnoff recently sat down with Lynn Byrd to talk about the Little Pet Chapels. 

Interview highlights

On building the chapels:

"My husband builds them, I paint them, and the city installs them. There's no money exchange for this project. It's simply a love gift that we give to the city, and the city, in exchange, gives us the manpower to do what we need to do, to install them."

On plans for future chapels (there are currently chapels in Long Creek Park, Miller Park, Hathaway Park, and at the Muddy Creek Trailhead):

"The Forsyth Humane Society is going to have a chapel on site, probably back in their garden area. And the second chapel we're working on is probably going into Washington Park. So we're always looking for help building these chapels. We really could use some volunteers who have carpentry skills to help us build these chapels so we can get more out there for the public."

On why the Little Pet Project has resonated with the public: 

"These animals that we love, who we love, are put on the planet to teach us how to love. Period. End of story. That's it. That's their main job. So when they die, we never get over it. There's no getting over loss. We just make room in our heart for the next good thing to come along."