The Minnesota governor's residence will soon hear the pitter-patter of little paws.
"I've got some breaking news story for all of you. I'm getting a new puppy," Gov. Mark Dayton told reporters Thursday.
The black German shepherd, born on Aug. 16, will join the bachelor governor's two black shepherds: Mesabi, whom the governor got in 2002, and Mingo, a pup who joined the family this year after the death of Dayton's beloved dog Dakota.
Dayton is not revealing the new pup's name. The governor plans to have a "guess the puppy's name" contest through Mingo's Facebook page, starting Monday. Dayton also said he would go to dinner with the contest winner at his sons' new Minneapolis restaurant, the Bachelor Farmer.
"Mingo says: If you don't want to have dinner with my dad, don't enter the contest," the governor said.
The new dog will help Mingo work through her high energy, Dayton said, but he noted that the benefits go beyond his canines.
"I come home and those tails are wagging. It's just very, very good companionship," Dayton said.
RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER
