Tim Walz's disputed dog photo sparks criticism from Republicans

ST PAUL, MINNESOTA: Prominent conservative figures circulated a peculiar allegation against Tim Walz, claiming that he was faking the identity of his family dog, Scout.

Dustin Grage, a columnist at the right-wing website Town Hall posted two contrasting images of Walz on X (formerly Twitter) and claimed, “This is Tim Walz tweeting about his dog Scout. Only problem is that these are two completely different dogs."

Tim Walz's dog park video controversy

One of the two images Dustin Grage posted was of Tim Walz with a black labrador mix named Scout, celebrating the pup’s birthday in June 2022, while the second image showed the Minnesota governor petting a different dog in October 2022.

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

At the time, he also posted a video on Instagram showing Scout and other dogs at the park.

In the clip, Walz is seen wearing the same jacket, and beanie, and holding the same dog toy as in the X post.

The video showed the Democratic vice presidential nominee jokingly asking his dog Scout if he is "jealous" of the attention given to other dogs before giving him a warm rub.

The photo of Walz at the dog park has since been removed from his X account, but the video remains a testament to the dog's true identity.

Conservative claims about Tim Walz's loyal companion since 2019

Scout has been a member of the Walz family since 2019 and even received a Vogue profile recently.

It seems reasonable to assume that Walz was simply sharing a picture with a friendly dog he encountered at the park, rather than concocting an elaborate plan to deceive voters about his family dog, per Rolling Stone.

However, right-wing political figures pounced on Grage's post. Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt quoted the post and captioned, “Why would Tim Walz do this? It’s Creepy™️ and Weird™️.”

In a now-deleted tweet, Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk declared, “Tim Walz is an all-time legendary liar."

Former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is currently engaged to Donald Trump Jr wrote, “Wait so Walz is even lying about his dog? Ruff stuff."

In another since-deleted post, right-wing activist Rogan O'Handley wrote, “If Tim Walz would lie about his dog’s name, he’ll lie about literally anything. Can’t put someone like that in charge of nuclear weapons.”

Providing context to the misleading claims, Grage's post has since been tagged with a community note.