The Day Lincoln Chose Me

Life lessons from the dog I’ll never forget.

Before Lincoln, I’d already had a lot of dogs in my life. And I loved them all. At the time, Madison — my Cairn Terrier — had been with us for a couple of years. She was smart, funny, and so full of personality. But when my fiancé switched from working at home to an office job, it left her alone most of the day. We could both tell she was lonely, and it broke my heart.

So I decided she needed a playmate. I decided. My fiancé? Not so much. He wasn’t on board, but I still went back to the place where we had gotten Madison. And there they were: a group of miniature schnauzer puppies. All ridiculously cute.

The saleslady handed me one — a little black-and-white guy — and I was hooked. I called my fiancé right away: “I want him.” He said, “Not right now.” Ugh. I was so disappointed, but I put the puppy back and started to walk out.

And that’s when it happened. Because the pen was glass, he followed me all the way to the door. Looking up at me like, “Hey, wait a second. You forgot me. You’re mine and I’m yours.” I walked outside, pulled out my phone, and called my fiancé again. I told him what happened. He gave in, and just like that, Lincoln came home with me.

From that day on, he was my little man. For fifteen years, he proved over and over again that I wasn’t the one who picked him — he picked me.

The Lesson
Sometimes the best things in life don’t happen because we plan them. They happen because love won’t take no for an answer. I thought I was fixing Madison’s loneliness, but Lincoln filled a space in my heart I didn’t even realize was waiting for him.

Closing Wrap-up
That tiny puppy following me to the door wasn’t just cute — it was the start of a love story. One where I got chosen, and it changed everything.

Life lessons from the dog I’ll never forget.