Hortman family's dog, Gilbert, lives on through service dog training organization Helping Paws

Over the past year, many people have found ways to honor Mark and Melissa Hortmans' dog, Gilbert. He, too, was shot on June 14, 2025, and had to be put down.

But Gilbert was more than just the family's pet. The golden retriever's kind spirit is living on through Helping Paws service dogs.

One by one, eight golden retriever puppies were handed off to the volunteers who will spend the next two-and-a-half years preparing them to become service dogs.

They're known as the "Guided by Gilbert" litter. Each, like Ginger, Gertie and Gus, were given a name that starts with 'G' in honor of Gilbert.

"They're obviously part of what we're doing. There's just too many coincidences, there's too many serendipitous moments where we're like, 'They're with us,' and so we're still really in the moment," Alyssa Golob, executive director of Helping Paws, said.

A day doesn't go by where their names aren't spoken at Helping Paws.

But the story of this litter really began 10 years ago with another Helping Paws dog. Her name was Minnie.

Earlier this month, Sophie Hortman saw her for the first time in nearly a decade alongside army veteran Aric Elsner. As a high schooler, Sophie Hortman helped raise and train Minnie.  

"I think she probably did as much for me in high school as she did for you," Sophie Hortman told Elsner.

"I had struggled a lot with mental health issues in high school, and having that constant companion was something so incredible," she added.

After 25 years in the military and multiple deployments, Elsner says Minnie helped him reconnect with life.

"I started getting out in public again and got a lot of pieces back that, you know, my life that was really missing," Elsner said.

Minnie was trained to assist him in public, but she quickly learned something more.

"She instantly knew if I was having a bad dream at night, that she knew that she had to do something, so she would bump me or whatever. Nothing helped me at night until I got her," Elsner said.

Sophie Hortman says those stories are exactly why her family became so committed to Helping Paws. 

"What they're doing here is incredible work. It is changing lives. It's changing lives of the people who volunteer. It's changing lives of the folks who receive service dogs and work with them for the rest of their lives. It's something I'm incredibly proud to be part of," she said.

That impact was something the Hortmans learned firsthand. Sophie Hortman trained Minnie. Her father, Mark Hortman, helped finish Minnie's training when she left for college.

After seeing the difference Minnie made, Melissa Hortman decided to train a dog of her own. That dog was Gilbert. He "flunked out" of his service dog training for the best of reasons: he was too friendly. 

"Gilbert could have been a very effective service dog for the right person who maybe didn't go out into hot weather or drive in their car. He was really car sick," Sophie Hortman said.

Instead, he became a beloved member of the Hortman family.

When Melissa, Mark and Gilbert were killed last year, Helping Paws unexpectedly became a place many Minnesotans turned to in grief. 

"A woman came up to me, and she's like, "Oh, are you with Helping Paws?' And I was like, 'Oh, I'm the executive director of Helping Paws,' and she's like, 'I just made a donation yesterday,' and I was like, 'You know, thank you, thank you so much.' And she said 'I had to put my grief somewhere, and you guys are a safe place to put it.'" Golob said.

The response was immediate and far-reaching. Cards, flowers, and messages arrived by the hundreds.

Volunteers stepped forward wanting to do what the Hortmans had done: help raise a dog that could change someone's life.

In response, Helping Paws worked with Sophie and Colin Hortman to establish the Hortman Heroes Fund.    

"Gilbert wasn't a Democrat or Republican; he was a 4-year-old golden retriever, an innocent bystander in this horrible, horrible, horrific event," Golob said.

That community support continues today.

This spring, Minnesota lawmakers, led by Rep. Robert Bierman, approved a $200,000 grant to support the Guided by Gilbert litter as they begin their journey toward service.

There are a lot of connections tying this new litter back to Gilbert. The puppies were born to Petra.

"Petra is actually the niece of Gilbert, and Melissa and Mark lived about two blocks from our house," Jordy Stradtman, foster home trainer at Helping Paws, said. "We ran into each other, walking and stuff all the time. We were fairly good friends, and of course, we dog-sat."

Even the timing seemed meant to be.

"I was secretly crossing my fingers that the other dog would be ready to have a litter before Petra, that she would get the F litter and somehow Petra would get the G litter, and when it happened, I was like, 'There's another butterfly,'" Golob said.

If Minnie is any indication of what's possible, these dogs could someday help someone reclaim a missing piece of their life again. 

"She was the only one I cried saying goodbye to when I left for college," Sophie Hortman said about Minnie.

Ten years later, Minnie is still making a difference. And now another generation of Helping Paws puppies is beginning that same journey. 

"The legacy of Gilbert and Melissa and Mark will be carried on through these fluffy, wonderful, four-legged friends that are going to change somebody's life," Golob said.