GOP Strategist Tries To Ignite Conspiracy About Tim Walz's Dog—And Is Instantly Factchecked

Minnesota GOP strategist Dustin Grage tried to dig up some dirt on Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate, Governor Tim Walz, by insinuating that somehow the vice presidential nominee swapped out his dog, Scout, with another dog—and the fact-check was fast and furious.

Grage attempted to expose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz by sharing two side-by-side photos that had previously been posted on social media. The first photo, posted in June 2022, showed Walz with Scout, a Labrador retriever mix he adopted in 2018.

The caption read:

“Sending a special birthday shoutout to our favorite pup, Scout.”

The second photo, taken in October of the same year, featured Walz with a different dog, with the caption:

“Couldn’t think of a better way to spend a beautiful fall day than at the dog park. I know Scout enjoyed it.”

Grage, very much pleased with himself, posted the two photos on X, formerly Twitter, with the following caption suggesting Walz had swapped out his dog or was somehow lying about...something.

" Yes, this is Tim Walz tweeting about his dog Scout. Only problem is that these are two completely different dogs.”

You can see his post and the photos below.

@Tim_Walz/X

@Tim_Walz/X

But the fact-check was swift, as shown by an X Community Note that offered valuable context:

"The photo on the right is from a dog park that Tim Walz was at with Scout and many other dogs. In the video, Scout can be seen playing with these dogs."

Indeed, Walz posted a video on Instagram showing Scout and several other dogs at a dog park. In the video, Walz is wearing the same jacket, beanie, and holding the same dog toy seen in the photo, with the dog featured in the X post also clearly visible.

At one point in the clip, Walz jokingly asks Scout if he’s “jealous” of the attention he’s giving the other dogs before giving him an affectionate rub.

You can watch the video below.

Grage's "gotcha!" moment was a big dud.

Walz is a huge animal lover who has even used his pets in promotional videos for the Harris campaign.

Amid the controversy generated by former President Donald Trump's running mate J.D. Vance's now-infamous remarks about "childless cat ladies," Walz took to social media to share his love of cats.

In 2021, Trump's running mate told then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson that the country is run by “Democrats… corporate oligarchs… a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices they made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too.”

These remarks have proven so controversial that they've raised concerns Vance is weighing down the GOP ticket and the Harris campaign ran with it by sharing a photo of Walz with his rescue cat, Afton, to promote "Cat people for Harris-Walz."