People suggested 600 names for Benton County's new K9 recruit
A central Minnesota sheriff says his office was overwhelmed with suggestions for what to name its new K9 recruit.
Benton County invited the public to name the dog and Sheriff Troy Heck says in 10 days they got 1,200 responses suggesting 600 different names.
Now we have a winner: Ragnar.
The sheriff said in Friday's announcement that three people wrote in suggesting Ragnar. One of their names will be drawn and they'll be invited to come to the sheriff's office in Foley to meet Ragnar and his trainer.
The rest of us might get our chance to greet Ragnar this summer, once he's finished the training he needs to become a full-fledged K9 officer. Sheriff Heck says if all goes well Ragnar could be on duty in time for the Benton County Fair in St. Cloud.
What Ragnar means
For local football fans the name Ragnar might be best known for the longtime Minnesota Vikings mascot who used that moniker.
By all accounts the name is traced to Scandinavia but there are a few variations of its meaning.
The website Behind the Name says Ragnar is a variation of the name Rayner, which is a combination of the words for advise and army.
Another name site – sheknows.com – says in English the name means "strong counselor," in Norse it means "warrior from the gods," and in Swedish it means "strong army."
Sounds like a good choice for a new K9 officer.
