Dayton's New Dog Gets Another Minn. Name: 'Itasca'
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Gov. Mark Dayton has a name for his new German shepherd puppy: Itasca.
The governor got the new puppy as a companion for another of his German shepherds, Mingo. That's because his third shepherd, Mesabi, is getting old and slowing down.
In calling the dog Itasca, Dayton stuck with his Minnesota regional naming theme. Mingo is short for Wanamingo, a town in southern Minnesota. Mesabi is the name for the region covering northern Minnesota's Iron Range.
Itasca is a northern Minnesota county and the lake where the Mississippi River originates.
Dayton's administration sponsored a "guess the new dog's name" contest on Mingo's Facebook page. The winner was Emily Flesch of Duluth, with the governor promising to treat her to dinner at a Minneapolis restaurant owned by his sons.
(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)