💔 K9 Lincoln’s search bells have gone silent
Heartbroken: K9 Lincoln died peacefully last week after a remarkable life of service, achievement, and wholehearted joy.
An energetic Flat-Coated Retriever, Lincoln was an exceptional search dog with an unforgettable personality who always greeted the search subjects he found with a large ‘kiss’. He responded to over 150 search missions and had KCSD and NSDA certifications in wilderness airscent and human remains detection. In 2022, he received the AKC Search and Rescue Award for Canine Excellence for some of his finds. He represented search and rescue dogs before a national audience on ABC and ESPN, bringing his unmistakable enthusiasm to every moment.
Lincoln and his handler, Jon, built a partnership through years of training, missions, trust, and love. Together, they were wonderful ambassadors for KCSD and familiar faces at demonstrations, fundraisers, and events. Their work showed what is possible when a talented dog, a devoted handler, and a community of mentors and teammates align.
Dogs live in the moment, and Lincoln filled his moments completely. His life was rich with meaningful work, great adventures, beloved people, and extraordinary achievements. His legacy lives in the people he helped bring home, the teams he inspired, and the many hearts made better by knowing him.
Please join us in sending our love and condolences to Jon, Edith, K9 Puzzle, and everyone who loved Lincoln. Rest well, good boy. We are endlessly proud of you.
#toosoon
#cancersucks
GET READY TO GIVE BIG!
King County Search Dogs has been there 24/7/365 for 30 years working to help reunite Washington families. Each of our members averages 182 hours/year volunteering on search missions and training activities but we can’t do it without your help.
Consider helping King County Search Dogs during GiveBig 2026 and through the end of the year during our anniversary fundraising. Every donation helps and every dollar of your gift will be matched up to $10,000 by a generous supporter.
https://www.wagives.org/organization/kcsearchdogs
#VolunteerService #Searchdogs #dogs #searchandrescue
Someone is Having a Birthday 🎂🎁🎉
Formed in 1996 with first deployment in 1997, KCSD is celebrating 30 years of service to Washington State and the King County Sheriff’s Office including over 1,240 search missions with King County Search and Rescue. Please join us as we profile our wonderful dog teams as well as training and community outreach activities over the next year.
KCSD is 100% volunteer and depends community support. You can help during the 2026 Give Big Day appeal on Tuesday and our 30th Birthday fundraiser where your donation will be matched by a generous supporter doubling your impact. (https://www.wagives.org/organization/kcsearchdogs)
#VolunteerService #Searchdogs #SearchAndRescue
Farewell to a K9 Superstar
💔 K9 Natick Wilderness Searcher: 9/2/2012-4/25/2026.
It’s what happens in that dash between the years that counts: Natick began his introduction to KCSD at 8 weeks, certified in wilderness airscent at 21 months and deployed on first official mission a week later. In 2015 he helped find a camper who was reported missing but wasn’t actually lost and in 2016 helped find a father and son from Germany visiting our region who got lost on a hike in the Alpine Lakes. Natick added certifications in Cadaver and Human Remains Detection through KCSD and NSDA. Throughout his career he helped make many finds on land and in water to help bring closure for families. Among Natick’s favorite activities were demonstrations and and education events, interacting with youth and general public, performing run-aways and finding kids in classrooms, auditoriums, ballfields and playgrounds. Natick worked until the end, helping find an elderly woman who had wandered from home near Lake Kathleen in late 2025. Natick loved being part of KCSD and working with all the dogs and human searchers throughout the SAR community.
Please join us in celebrating his legacy and thanking Natick and his handler Josh Gerstman for their outstanding service to the people and dogs of Washington Sate.
National TV spotlight on KCSD search dog!
Who was that dog??
ABC/ESPN, KOMO4 recently included a wonderful short profile of our very own K9 Lincoln. It aired during their broadcast of the 25th AKC National Championship Dog Show where Lincoln was a great ambassador for all hardworking SAR dogs even though he was an over-excited hot mess the one time he entered a show ring. You can see the video here: https://www.kcsearchdogs.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/AKC-NC-Lincoln-SEGMENTsmall.mp4
We are very proud of Lincoln and all his KCSD teammates and we are especially grateful for the support we continue to receive from the community that they serve. Best wishes to everyone for a safe 2026! Thank You!!!
