Kevin Spacey played a little game with his Twitter followers the other day. Here’s the first of the photos he sent, unaccompanied by text:

A dog’s paw? It would seem. But you saw The Usual Suspects, right? Don’t believe everything you see. Except in this case you should, because he sent this other picture later that day, also unaccompanied by text:

Huh. Is Kevin Spacey tweeting a portrait of a dog in pieces? That’s what it seems like Kevin Spacey is doing on this particular weekday. Here are some comments his followers left about this particular piece:

• “don’t leave us hanging”
• “that snake has a beard!”
• “OK…i give up…why this picture?” (Greta Van Susteren sent this tweet, and after she did the conversation quickly devolved into juvenile cracks about Greta Van Susteren.)

Finally, 45 minutes later, Spacey completed the puzzle. He tweeted the whole enchilada: his new dog. And she’s a cute one:

His message: “Mystery solved. New member of my family. Her name is Boston in honor of the city.”

What he didn’t Tweet is that Boston is a shelter dog from North Shore Animal League America. The group is also on Twitter, of course, and it quickly chimed in with dog’s pedigree: a Boxer mix.

As for the name, it’s not an empty gesture. Spacey has been widely seen in Boston after the bombings, visiting victims and first responders and generally trying to lift spirits.

When he saw the tragedy unfold, he said he “had to get on a plane.”

“I’m not a doctor or first responder, but if people know me from movies, and walking into their workspace or room brings a smile to their face — with the challenges these amazing citizens have in front of them — then that’s worth coming,” Spacey told the Boston Herald. “The cops, nurses, doctors, hospital staff, and patients that I have met over the past few days have given me the greatest feeling of pride in being an American and made me understand that we are all Boston.”

But what about Spacey’s other dog, the terrier mix he adopted years ago? The actor quickly tweeted reassurances.

“For those asking, Mini is great. 15 & still acting like a puppy. Be a week or so before she can meet Boston. I’m definitely in dog heaven!”