Kim Hayes Photography » Seattle Dog Photographer | Seattle Puppy Photographer | Seattle Photographer | Seattle Portrait Photographer

I fell in love with Lincoln before I fell in love with my husband.

A friend and I moved to Mammoth Lakes, CA. right after 9/11 to get away from the city and snowboard for the winter.  The first night in town we met two cute boys at a bar.  They invited us to a party the next evening at their house.  We were eager to make new friends, so we accepted.  Little did I know I’d fall in love that night…

We arrived fashionably late, and while we were searching the crowd for our new friends, an adorable floppy eared black puppy with feet that were seemingly too large for his body emerged through the sea of faces (or feet, really). Lincoln greeted me in the same fashion he greeted everyone for the rest of his life, with huge doggie kisses and unyielding love.  My heart burst open immediately and I completely fell in love at that moment.  I spent the evening playing with Lincoln.  Already protective of him, I kept the drunk partygoers from feeding him nachos and beer.  I also spent the evening with Casey, who little did I know at the time, would become my husband.

Casey and I spent everyday together for the next 10 years with Lincoln in tow.  We’ve been on many adventures together over the years, most of which remain my favorite memories of all time.  I could fill hundreds of pages with the things we’ve done together.  But for now, I’ll keep those precious moments to myself, I’d rather tell you a little bit about him…

Throughout those years Lincoln has eaten (and survived) more things than you can imagine.  You could say he had a passion for food and eating.  He has consumed many unusual things over the years, too many things to list. But some of my favorites include: an entire bathroom floor, a 3×4 ft. patch of wall, rat poison, a box of chocolate bars, almost an entire couch (piece by piece), the contents of our refrigerator (and politely spit the olives into a pile- the only food he doesn’t like) and all kinds of books and clothes.  If you’ve ever been to a party at our house, you’ve undoubtedly seen Lincoln nonchalantly grab some food right off your plate.  He was good at stealing food, so good that you didn’t want to punish him for it, because he’d look up at you with those innocent brown eyes and melt your heart.  My absolute favorite thing he has devoured was a box of tampons.  I came home from work to find Lincoln sitting in the window with what looked like a cigar sticking out of his mouth.  He had the goofiest of expressions on his face.  Upon closer inspection I saw that he had a tampon stuck in his mouth, sticking out in a way that made him look like George Burns puffing on a stogie. I still laugh when I think of that night…

Lincoln passed away last Friday, Aug.5th.  His passing has left a gigantic hole in our hearts; a hole that we’re not sure can ever be filled again.  We’ve never known a life together without Lincoln.  The pain has been so bad that we’ve even talked about never getting another dog.  The thought quickly passes as we remember all the joyous and downright hilarious moments we’ve had with Lincoln.  There really is no replacement for the love and laughter that a dog brings into your life.  Lincoln was a giant goofball, a people pleaser, and a lover- there wasn’t anything you could do to make him angry.  He was a great cuddler, a protector, and a constant office companion to me.  He loved everyone that came into his life, unconditionally.  (He loved you more if you gave him some sort of treat and a butt scratch)  He was a mouth-breather, an incessant snorer, a drooler, and was always underfoot in the kitchen.  The house seems so quiet and empty without him.   Pip is stepping in as head-of-household and is trying her best to keep us happy.  The 3 of us together are slowly adjusting to a life without Lincoln…

I’ve come to realize this past week that life is really just a series of miracles and tragedies and all we can hope for in this world is that the miracles are so bright and frequent and amazing that they outshine the tragedies a million times over.

You will be missed, Stinky Linky, more than you will ever know.  (Below are some old scanned photos and some of my favorite digital photos from over the years.)