Gilbert, a golden retriever with an endlessly wagging tail, wasn’t cut out to be a service dog — but he captured hearts everywhere, especially Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman’s.
In 2021, Hortman joined a Helping Paws training program and brought Gilbert home. He was meant to become a focused support animal, but his love for everyone made that impossible.
“Some dogs just want to be around all people,” said Helping Paws director Alyssa Golob. “That’s sweet, but not ideal for service work.”
Ultimately, Gilbert “flunked out” — and became the Hortman family’s beloved pet. Hortman had grown especially close to him during hard times after the Capitol riot, pandemic, and George Floyd’s murder.
Though he didn’t complete training, Gilbert became a Capitol fixture, joining Zoom calls and occasionally climbing into Hortman’s lap.
The family first got involved with Helping Paws through their daughter Sophie’s school project. Their earlier dog, Minnie, trained by Sophie and her dad Mark, went on to help a veteran with PTSD.
Gilbert’s story ended in tragedy. On June 14, he was fatally injured in the same attack that killed Rep. Hortman and her husband. The couple’s children had to euthanize him due to his injuries.
“He was with his people until the very end,” said Golob. Rep. Erin Koegel added, “When I heard Gilbert died too, I knew it was because Melissa needed him.”
Their bond was deep. When Gilbert was once pulled for retraining, her colleagues joked about sneaking language into a tax bill to get him back. “Her happiest moment was when he dropped out,” said Rep. Jamie Long. “She loved Mark — but Gilbert was the love of her life.”