I have to admit that our beginning with Lincoln was NOT smooth sailing.  

He was crazy-wild and totally unpredictable. 

He was like that wind-up energizer bunny. 

We never knew what he was gonna think of next but we knew it was probably TROUBLE!

He did chew-up a few of Lobo’s slippers, but…..he was a teething puppy and…..he was so cute!

He WAS a lot of work, I can’t deny that.

He was a master escape artist and a runner.  

We took him every where with us but sometimes we had to leave him in the car.  

How he knew, I don’t know, but he knew the times he was gonna be staying in the car and he was ready…..

He’d position himself so that the moment one of us opened our car door, like a bouncing bullet he jumped over us and out.

I can’t even count the times he escaped from the car and ran free in a big parking lot and there we would be, chasing him and yelling…LINCOLNNNNN and there HE would be, running wild and dodging oncoming cars.

Eventually we learned that Lincoln’s biggest weakness in life was FOOD.

So, we kept a little bag of treats in the glove box and that’s how we lured him back EVERY time…..he’d see us holding a treat and he’d come back to us like a wild horse on a stampede…..anything for FOOD!

It took maybe 500 water bottles to remember NOT to leave our water bottles in the car with Lincoln!

We’d return to two completely destroyed plastic water bottles and spilled water everywhere.

THAT was Lincoln.

There was something about all the wild, crazy things he did.  

He caused us a LOT of work and money but…..he was FUNNY!

Well, I thought so anyways.

Lobo’s thoughts were different, maybe getting rid of him was a good idea, less stress, less money…..those were his thoughts but…..the face!

I thought maybe Obedience School was our answer.

And so, we signed him up and once a week for six-weeks we attended Obedience School with Lincoln.

His behavior in Obedience School reminded me of a long-ago little boy named Kyle, who was a clown.

We’d attend Kyle’s school functions; plays, concerts, sports…..whatever and end up laughing at his antics up on the stage or out on the field because while others were trying to be serious and do their thing…..there was Kyle, making faces and hand gestures to all of his family out in the audience or on the bleachers.

That was Lincoln in Obedience School.  

All the other dogs were learning the word and hand commands.

Not Lincoln.

Well, I don’t mean he didn’t learn.  

I KNOW he learned because every evening after class we’d go into the kitchen where there was room and I’d review the class with him and he did those commands perfect.  

I just figured he was a fast learner and bored with doing it over and over for an hour.  

For Lincoln…..once was enough!

But he was a big distraction to the other dogs in class who wanted to behave, learn and make their people proud.  

We had to keep him leashed or he’d find the biggest dog in class and try to entice that dog to quit paying attention and play with him…..maybe break away and run through the store.

A very strange coincidence was that one of Lincoln’s siblings was taking the same classes but on a different day.  

We had received a phone call one day from a woman who lived not too far from us saying that she’d bought the most adorable Wire Fox Terrier and the woman that she bought him from told her that we had “Jake’s” sibling.  

How fun!

We agreed to meet at a dog park and let the two brothers reacquaint themselves with each other.

It didn’t go so well.  

They spent a bit of time sniffing each other, maybe exchanging phone numbers and then went their separate ways.  

We could tell that Jake was a well-behaved boy.

Lincoln?

He found a mud hole filled with water, jumped in it and rolled around like a country pig.

(Remember that, Sierra?)

So, when Obedience School was over and the final night was the big test…..well, Lincoln FAILED!

Lincoln flunked Obedience School!

He absolutely refused to do one command from me for the instructor.  He acted like he know nothing of what I was saying or doing…..NOTHING!

So, all the other dogs got certifications.

Lincoln?

Nothing!

Oh and on the way out the door, the instructor told us what a joy Jake was to have in class and how smart and well-behaved he was…..”nothing like his brother, Lincoln.”

But, for the rest of his life…..when he felt like it, he’d obey those commands that he refused to do on the day of testing.