Gov. Mark Dayton's black German shepherd, Mesabi, died Thursday afternoon.

Nearly 11 years old, Mesabi is the second dog the governor has lost since taking office. Mesabi's littermate, Dakota, died in 2011,days after Dayton was sworn into office. He has also adopted two black German shepherds with in the past two years.

As he had throughout his term, the governor shared his canine news on his Facebook page.

On Thursday evening the news was sad.

"My wonderful dog, Mesabi, died suddenly and unexpectedly this afternoon," he began a post Thursday night

"Mesabi was a terrific dog. Everyone who knew him, adored him," Dayton wrote. "He loved to sit in the front yard and quietly watch people walk by on Summit Avenue. The silence was shattered, however, when another dog had the temerity to trespass on Mesabi's sidewalk."

Over the weekend, Dayton wrote that Mesabi had a tumor on his spleen. This week, the dog had surgery "remove his spleen and a likely cancerous tumor," the governor said.

"This afternoon, Mesabi went back to the vet, and again I was told that he checked out fine. When he returned to the Residence, however, he just lay in the driveway. We thought he was probably disoriented from the travels and his pain meds; so we carried him upstairs and laid him in my bedroom," Dayton wrote. For the next hour, he lay quietly, while I sat next to him and worked."

Dayton said after Mesabi died, he thought of "a line from a long-ago song by "Blood, Sweat, and Tears." "And when I die, when I'm gone, there'll be one child born in this world, to carry on. Carry on."

He concluded his Facebook post saying: "I am very fortunate to have Wanamingo and Itasca, two equally wonderful German shepherds, to carry on. Rest in Peace, dear Mesabi."