Gilbert, a golden retriever with an endlessly wagging tail, wasn\u2019t cut out to be a service dog \u2014 but he captured hearts everywhere, especially Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman\u2019s.<\/p>\n
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<\/em> made that impossible.<\/p>\n \u201cSome dogs just want to be around all people,\u201d said Helping Paws director Alyssa Golob. \u201cThat\u2019s sweet, but not ideal for service work.\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, Gilbert \u201cflunked out\u201d \u2014 and became the Hortman family\u2019s beloved pet. Hortman had grown especially close to him during hard times after the Capitol riot, pandemic, and George Floyd\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n Though he didn\u2019t complete training, Gilbert became a Capitol fixture, joining Zoom calls and occasionally climbing into Hortman\u2019s lap.<\/p>\n The family first got involved with Helping Paws through their daughter Sophie\u2019s school project. Their earlier dog, Minnie, trained by Sophie and her dad Mark, went on to help a veteran with PTSD.<\/p>\n Gilbert\u2019s story ended in tragedy. On June 14, he was fatally injured in the same attack that killed Rep. Hortman and her husband. The couple\u2019s children had to euthanize him due to his injuries.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was with his people until the very end,\u201d said Golob. Rep. Erin Koegel added, \u201cWhen I heard Gilbert died too, I knew it was because Melissa needed him.\u201d<\/p>\n 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. \u201cHer happiest moment was when he dropped out,\u201d said Rep. Jamie Long. \u201cShe loved Mark \u2014 but Gilbert was the love of her life.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gilbert, a golden retriever with an endlessly wagging tail, wasn\u2019t cut out to be a service dog \u2014 but he captured hearts everywhere, especially Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman\u2019s. 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…<\/p>\n