Person of Interest Inspired Dog Names

Person of Interest is an American crime drama television series that has received a lot of acclaim because of its unique plot and how it brings the implications of advanced technology into the spotlight. Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson have also been highly praised for their roles as John Reese and Harold Finch respectively. While most of the cast played their roles perfectly, one unexpected “scene-stealer” from the series is Graubaer’s Boker, or better known by fans of the show as “Bear”.

Bear is the military-trained Belgian Malinois who is introduced in the series’ second season. He was first shown as an attack dog, who was then called “Butcher”, owned by an Aryan Nationalist named Byron. When a colleague of his, Leon Tao, was caught by the Aryan Nation, Reese planned out a rescue mission for him and befriends the dog in the process. This is because Bear only responds to Dutch commands, which Reese learned while he was in the military. This allowed him to get the dog to turn against Byron. At the end of the mission, Reese brought the dog home with him. He decided to change his name to “Bear” after he ate Leon’s stolen bearer bonds while waiting in the car.

After the rescue, Reese brought Bear into Finch’s Library. According to him, his apartment does not allow pets, which means he has to leave the dog with Finch. Much to his dismay, Bear immediately displays an interest in his books, especially the rare leather-bound ones, and is worried that he will ruin his collection. Because of this, Finch initially did not like Bear. However, as time passed, he starts to warm up to the dog as he aids in his recovery from PTSD. Eventually, Finch and Bear become close; he even starts playing with Bear and bought him a squeaky toy. For most of the series, Bear spends time in the Library with Finch.

Aside from being Finch’s companion, Bear also takes part in a lot of the team’s missions. For instance, in one mission, he was used as part of Reese and Zoe Morgan’s cover as husband and wife who are looking for a house to move in to. He also helped Leon fight off some Nigerian fraudsters. Sameen Shaw, one of Reese and Finch’s allies, also develops a close bond with Bear.

In real life, Bear is named Graubaer’s Boker, a working line Belgian Malinois who is IPO trained and has won several dog awards, including some for Schutzhund.