Lincoln
An energetic Flat-Coated Retriever, Lincoln was an exceptional search dog with an unforgettable personality. Lincoln loved to search. He was renowned for independently ranging hundreds of yards through thick forests to find ‘lost’ training subjects and with contagious flatcoat enthusiasm greeting them with a large kiss before racing back to encourage his much slower handler to catch up. An observer once remarked, “Lincoln can’t be working, he’s having too much fun!” He responded to over 150 search missions and earned 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. A part of Lincoln will always be running through the fern-covered cascade mountain forests. If you listen closely you can still hear his search vest bells in the distance.