>>> BACK NOW, 7:49 WITH SAD NEWS
WE HAVE TO SHARE TODAY.
MANY OF YOU REMEMBER WRANGLER,
OUR FIRST PUPPY WITH A PURPOSE.
>> HE DIED OVER THE WEEKEND
AFTER A BOUT OF LIVER DISEASE.
HE WAS YOUR BUDDY.
>> FIRST GUY I SAW WHEN I CAME
IN.
WRANGLER MADE MY EARLY MORNINGS
SO MUCH BRIGHTER.
IN HIS SHORT LIFE, WRANGLER MADE
A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE FOR A LOT
OF PEOPLE.
>> WRANGLER TROTTED INTO OUR
STUDIO AND INTO AMERICA’S LIVING
ROOMS AT JUST 8 WEEKS OLD.
>> OVER 80,000 PEOPLE CHIMED IN
ON OUR PUPPY’S NEW NAME, AND IT
IS WRANGLER.
>> BECOMING THE "TODAY" SHOW
PUPPY WITH A PURPOSE.
>> WRANGLER, DOWN.
>> BY WORKING TOWARDS BECOMING A
GUIDE DOG FOR THE NONPROFIT
GUIDING EYES FOR THE BLIND.
IT’S A JOB HE TRAINED FOR EVERY
DAY AFTER THE SHOW.
>> HEADED HOME NOW.
>> WITH HIS TRAINER, SAXON.
BUT HERE IN STUDIO 1A, HE STOLE
OUR HEARTS.
>> AND THOSE OF OUR GUESTS.
>> WRANGLER AND I.
>> WHILE EMBARKING ON A
CROSS-COUNTRY ROAD TRIP AND EVEN
STARRING IN A SUPER BOWL
COMMERCIAL.
>> THE WRANGLE, HE’S DOING THE
WRANGLE.
>> WRANGLER LEFT US FULL TIME IN
MARCH OF 2016.
AFTER NEARLY 290 SHOWS, AND
ALMOST 6,000 TREATS.
>> WHEN THE SHOW IS OVER, YOU
TAKE WRANGLER HOME.
YOU’VE DONE SO MUCH WORK.
WHAT DOES TODAY, THIS MOMENT
FEEL LIKE FOR YOU?
>> SO MANY EMOTIONS.
I WOULD SAY THIS IS THE HARDEST
PART OF PURPOSEPY RAISING
BECAUSE IT’S THE PART WHERE YOU
HAVE TO SAY GOOD-BYE, BUT IT’S
SO REWARDING.
>> WRANGLER SPENT ONE MORE YEAR
WITH HIS GUIDE TRAINER BILL,
BEFORE BECOMING A DOG FOR THE
CONNECTICUT STATE POLICE
SNIFFING FOR EXPLOSIONS AT TRAIN
STATIONS AND WORKING TO KEEP
PEOPLE SAFE.
THIS WEEKEND, WRANGLER PASSED
AWAY SUDDENLY WITH LIVER
DISEASE, PAYING TRIBUTE TO HIS
LASTING LEGACY, SHE WRITES,
WRANGLER DID MORE THAN MOST
HUMANS.
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
EVERY DAY AS A CONNECTICUT STATE
EXPLOSIVES DETECTION CANINE.
AND FOF US HERE ON "TODAY," HE
WAS SWEET, LOVING TO ALL HE MET
AND A LOYAL AND DEVOTED FRIEND.
>> I DON’T THINK ANY OF US
REALIZED HOW MUCH IMPACT -- IT
WAS A GREAT PROGRAM, A GREAT
IDEA, BUT EVERY GUEST THAT CAME
IN HERE, WRANGLER BECAME A REAL
MEMBER OF THIS FAMILY.
>> IT’S SAD.