NEW YORK: Two images shared on X in 2022 by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, featuring his dog Scout, were misleadingly portrayed online as evidence that the current Democratic vice-presidential candidate was caught in a “lie” by identifying two different dogs as Scout.
However, the original post with the second dog did not claim that dog was Scout. A video posted by Walz at the time shows the second dog was one of several he encountered at a dog park, where Scout was also present.
In August 2024, social media posts shared screenshots of Walz’s X posts from June and October 2022, during his reelection campaign for Minnesota governor. The June post shows Walz with Scout, a black dog, while the October post features him petting a light-brown dog.
One post claimed, “Tim Walz even lies about his Dog!!! On his official Twitter account, just 4 months apart, he claimed both dogs pictured are his dog named Scout.” Another comment added, “It’s almost as if he’s incapable of telling the truth…”
A spokesperson for Walz confirmed the authenticity of the 2022 posts and explained that the second post featuring the other dog was later taken down to prevent confusion. Walz originally shared the picture of himself with Scout on June 15, 2022, to celebrate Scout’s birthday, with the caption, “Sending a special birthday shoutout to our favorite pup, Scout.”
