Gilbert, the four-year-old golden retriever trained by Rep. Melissa Hortman to be a service dog, was too friendly for a working dog’s life. So, he became the family pet, much to Hortman’s delight.
“A lot of dogs just want to be around people — all people” — a wonderful trait that Gilbert shared, but a less-desirable attribute in service dogs, who need to focus on one person, said Alyssa Golob, executive director of the nonprofit Helping Paws, which trains and places service animals with the help of volunteers like the Hortmans.
Gilbert was humanely euthanized by the Hortmans’ adult children after he was gravely injured in the early Saturday shooting that killed his owners, according to Rep. Erin Koegel, DFL-Spring Lake Park.
During a safety meeting after the shooting, the House sergeant-at-arms told members that Gilbert had to be put down. Gilbert formerly made appearances in legislative Zoom meetings, barking or jumping up on Hortman, Koegel said.
“When I heard that Gilbert had passed, too, I just knew it was because Melissa needed him. She needed him with her,” Koegel said.
In a statement released Monday night, Hortman’s children Sophie and Colin said one way to keep their parents’ memory alive would be to “pet a dog…a golden retriever is ideal, but any will do.”
The Hortmans became involved with Helping Paws, which helps find service animals for people with disabilities, veterans and first responders, as part of their daughter Sophie’s service project during her senior year in high school, Golob said.
Rep. Hortman’s husband, Mark, took over training their first recruit, Minnie, when Sophie went to college, Golob said.
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