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A nonprofit that trains service dogs has established a fund to honor the lives of Minnesota House DFL leader Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark and their dog Gilbert.

The Hortmans were avid volunteers for Eden Prairie-based 

 — including training Gilbert, a golden retriever, who they adopted after he was found to be too friendly to work as a service dog.

Helping Paws said Monday that it received an outpouring of donations after the Hortmans were killed in June; Gilbert also died in the shooting. The group is using those donations to establish the 

The fund will be focused on programs that train service dogs for veterans and first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“This was a profound loss for the entire Helping Paws community, as we mourn the passing of two dedicated volunteers and a beloved dog who trained in our program,” Helping Paws Executive Director Alyssa Golob said in a news release. “Melissa served her community in more ways than one, and the Hortmans’ commitment to our mission and to helping others was unwavering. They raised and trained a working service dog that continues to this day to support a veteran.”

Helping Paws said it is “committed to honoring Gilbert and the Hortmans in a way that reflects their advocacy, love and impact on the community.”

Support pours in for service dog nonprofit that Hortmans volunteered with

Mark and Melissa Hortman’s children, Sophie and Colin, also issued a statement saying that their parents “deeply treasured their relationship with Helping Paws, and we are so honored to preserve their legacy through The Hortman Heroes Fund.” 

“We want to extend our gratitude to all those who were moved by their story and contributed to Helping Paws. Our family is committed to the work that Helping Paws is doing, and we look forward to the positive impact that this fund will have in providing healing and support for veterans and first responders,” Sophie and Colin Hortman said.

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The Hortman Heroes Fund — in honor of Minnesota House DFL leader Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark and their dog Gilbert — will be focused on programs that train service dogs for veterans and first responders with PTSD.

Minnesota service dog nonprofit establishes fund in honor of Melissa and Mark Hortman

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