Each year, dogs and dog lovers gather on the third Saturday in August to remember beloved companions and to release butterflies in their memory. Funds raised at this annual event have helped to support the building of Place to Paws. It has taken years but, finally, Place to Paws is a reality. Friends of ElderDog celebrated the grand opening of Place to Paws in 2018.
On the day of the Butterfly Release and opening of Place to Paws, it rained so hard that, as one stalwart attendee so beautifully wrote, it was "as if heaven was trying to cleanse the grief-filled hearts of all the souls in attendance." Undeterred by the weather, rain-soaked people and dogs gathered in the shelter of Place to Paws to celebrate its long awaited opening with blessings, poetry, and song.
Place to Paws is a chapel-like building located at ElderDog Canada National Office and dedicated to the memory of beloved dogs who live forever in their companions’ memory. A stunning post and beam construction, Place to Paws is set in a beautiful clearing overlooking a sheltered cove and surrounded by tall evergreens, wild apple trees, and the occasional hardwood. It is a place of peace and tranquility where people (and dogs) can honour the animal-human relationship and pay tribute to canine companions who have passed on. Inside Place to Paws is a gallery of commemorative photographs and artifacts, a memory wall, a contemplative space for quiet repose, and various spaces for people to pay tribute to a special dog in their life.
Visitors to Place to Paws are welcome to walk the 5km of trails through field and forest, treat a dog to a dip in the cove, or relax on the shore and appreciate the beauty and tranquility of the property that ElderDog and Friends of ElderDog are entrusted to use.
On the day of the Butterfly Release and opening of Place to Paws, it rained so hard that, as one stalwart attendee so beautifully wrote, it was "as if heaven was trying to cleanse the grief-filled hearts of all the souls in attendance." Undeterred by the weather, rain-soaked people and dogs gathered in the shelter of Place to Paws to celebrate its long awaited opening with blessings, poetry, and song.
Place to Paws is a chapel-like building located at ElderDog Canada National Office and dedicated to the memory of beloved dogs who live forever in their companions’ memory. A stunning post and beam construction, Place to Paws is set in a beautiful clearing overlooking a sheltered cove and surrounded by tall evergreens, wild apple trees, and the occasional hardwood. It is a place of peace and tranquility where people (and dogs) can honour the animal-human relationship and pay tribute to canine companions who have passed on. Inside Place to Paws is a gallery of commemorative photographs and artifacts, a memory wall, a contemplative space for quiet repose, and various spaces for people to pay tribute to a special dog in their life.
Visitors to Place to Paws are welcome to walk the 5km of trails through field and forest, treat a dog to a dip in the cove, or relax on the shore and appreciate the beauty and tranquility of the property that ElderDog and Friends of ElderDog are entrusted to use.
