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Original Today Show service dog Wrangler goes OTRB

By Wesley Coburn

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 03: Sully, the yellow Labrador retriever service dog of former President George H.W. Bush walks thorugh Joint Base Andrews after the arrival of U.S. Air Force 747, being called 'Special Mission 41' carrying the casket of the remains of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush before heading to the U.S Capitol on December 3, 2018 in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. A state funeral for former U.S. President Bush will be held in Washington over the next three days, beginning with him lying in state in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol until Wednesday morning. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 03: Sully, the yellow Labrador retriever service dog of former President George H.W. Bush walks thorugh Joint Base Andrews after the arrival of U.S. Air Force 747, being called 'Special Mission 41' carrying the casket of the remains of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush before heading to the U.S Capitol on December 3, 2018 in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. A state funeral for former U.S. President Bush will be held in Washington over the next three days, beginning with him lying in state in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol until Wednesday morning. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) /
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The original Today Show service dog, a yellow Labrador named Wrangler, has gone Over the Rainbow Bridge.

He was relatively young, at just 6 years old (about 44 in dog years), and this news was previously reported by People Magazine.

The cause of death was liver disease, according to his handler, Saxon Eastman, and he passed away on Saturday night, July 17.

According to a Twitter post from the show, he was with The Today Show as the first Puppy with a Purpose for around 300 shows and 5,780 treats during his time getting basic training as a puppy in 2015. Since them, many large companies and professional sports teams have also begun raising guide dog or service dog puppies before they go off to Puppy College for more extensive training.

The original Today Show service dog, Wrangler the yellow Lab, has passed away.

They ran a segment on Tuesday, July 20’s show on the original Today Show service dog’s life.

“Wrangler made my mornings so much brighter, and hopefully he did the same for you,” Carson Daly eulogized.

While receiving Guiding Eyes for the Blind basic training as a guide dog, he also became a favorite with the cast and crew, and met celebrity guests including Chrissy Teigen and Keith Urban. He also starred in a Super Bowl commercial and traveled around the country before leaving the show in March 2016.

“He started a wave of national media coverage for guide and service dogs, he worked as a guide dog, and most importantly, he protected thousands of people everyday as a Connecticut State Police Explosives Detection K9,” Eastman wrote in an Instagram post.

Around the house, Wrangler was remembered as a very good companion.

“He had the most perfectly squishable neck rolls. He rarely caught the ball, but never stopped trying. He was one of the few Labs I know who wasn’t fickle with his love. And I know that my life would look very different today if he hadn’t been a part of it.”

Additionally, he graduated the Connecticut state police dog school in December 2019 (where he majored in explosives detection), working with Trooper First Class Kevin Reed of the Mass Transit Unit, protecting trains between New Haven and New York City.

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We are very thankful for Wrangler’s impact on the world in making it a better and safer place for his immediate community, and his impact in the world at large.

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