Many customers and visitors to the nursery knew Corona. Often people would come to the nursery just to see him –  and I know why. Corona was left at our farm about 6 years ago, and we fell in love with him. I had his DNA done , with a mail order kit that you swab inside the mouth and send the samples to a lab in the U.S. They sent a detailed history of what he was-  a cross between a German Shepherd and a Chinook.  I had never heard of a Chinook. Have you?  It turns out to be a very rare  breed of sled dogs , from New Hampshire. You have to Google Chinook dog and read the amazing story of one Arctic explorer, who kept the ‘recipe’ a secret and how his favourite one was named ‘Chinook’.  The breed was only recognized by the AKC in 2013 , and in 1981 there were only  13 (yes, thirteen) breedable Chinooks in the world.   Anyways, Corona was mostly Chinook – he looks ( I mean , looked) like a purebred. One of the most amazing traits of these dogs is that they love to talk. I suspect there is Husky blood contributing to this. Corona would look right at you and talk in ‘sentences’, matching the length of what you said to him. I am too sad to go on….. but one day in the near futureBrent and I will get another dog, for sure. Hopefully, a Chinook – but Corona will never be replaced, ever.