10 hours ago
Melissa and Mark Hortman's work lives on through trained service dogs
Melissa and Mark Hortman served their community in many ways, including training dogs to be service animals for people in need.
WCCO spoke with the volunteer group and a veteran who has benefited from their efforts.
Minnie, 11, is a special Labrador. She's the perfect companion for veteran Aric Elsner.
"She's just the greatest gift, and I've told many people, and I still say this, this dog saved my life," Elsner said.
He served in the Minnesota Air National Guard for more than 25 years and lives every day with physical and mental pain.
"I had a lot of health issues, PTSD was one diagnosis, and I was diagnosed with a very painful musculoskeletal condition too," Elsner said.
That's when Helping Paws came into his life. He was matched with Minnie.
"If I'm anxious at home or I have a bad dream, she's right there," Elsner said.
Minnie went through two-and-a-half years of training at Helping Paws, working directly with the Hortman family, who volunteered to train her. It started as a high school service project for their daughter, but when she left for college, Mark Hortman finished training Minnie.
"Their love for helping others, their love for doing something above themselves, is just living on every day with the gift that I got from their family," Alyssa Golob, executive director with Helping Paws, said.
Gilbert never graduated from training school, but went on to be a beloved pet of the Hortman family. Melissa and Mark Hortman and Gilbert were shot and killed on Saturday.
"It's evil on its own, and then you add in an innocent dog, and that's a certain kind of evil," Golob said.
Minnie is just one of the many examples of Melissa and Mark Hortman's legacy living on, continuing to serve Minnesotans for the better.
Since Saturday, Helping Paws donations have been pouring in, totalling more than $10,000. The money will be used to continue connecting veterans with service dogs.
