Coombs Kennels in Heber Valley is now boarding polar bear–woolly mammoth hybrids. Don’t worry, this one doesn’t bite—he has no teeth. Meet Denali, the malamute with a gummy-bear smile.
Credit: Lexie Larson – Take a Hike Photography
Adopted at age three, he was not the same guy you see before you today. Emaciated and sick from a difficult start, he’s made quite the comeback. Owner Joseph tells me they don’t know what Denali’s life was like before they adopted the woolly dog. After a steady diet of love and good dinners, he fully recovered.
Denali knows only happy thoughts and appreciation. A lover of the outdoors, that’s where he’d rather be—even in the cold of winter. You can often see him curled up, like a powdered doughnut, as the snow falls. Each morning and evening, he accompanies Joseph on a walk. The two have probably walked hundreds of miles by now, often sharing a comfortable silence as they stroll through the valley.
Credit: Lexie Larson – Take a Hike Photography
Denali loves his vacations at Coombs, from the lovely employees that greet him each time to his favorite dog friends eagerly waiting to play. My monthly visits to Coombs are equivalent to winning a lottery ticket, a new fuzzy mug appearing behind the wooden swinging door each time. (Boy, am I rich!)
Denali and his toothless smile nearly had me on the floor. What an honor it is to meet these dogs: to pet their scruffy ears and be drooled on by their happy faces. Denali won the lottery himself: a family, a home, and unconditional love—more love than the hairs on his shaggy head.
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