"Did He Kill His Dog?" — No, Tim Walz Did Not Replace His Dog Scout With Another Dog Named Scout

It goes without saying that, during an election season, supporters of each political party will sometimes go to great lengths to cast doubt and negativity onto the others. This often includes rumors, teasing memes, and even conspiracy theories — including ones that involve the candidates' pets.

Minnesota governor Tim Walz, who is running alongside Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, has been outspoken about his love for his pets and advocacy for animal rescue. But now, a viral post on X (formerly Twitter) has called his dog Scout into question. The post shows two side-by-side tweets from Walz posing with "Scout" — but both photos show a different dog.

What's going on?

The Walz family adopted a black lab named Scout in 2019 after Tim Walz promised his son that they could bring a pup into their family if he won the 2018 gubernatorial election. The dog has been a beloved member of their family for over half a decade, and he often makes appearances on Walz's social media, campaign videos, and more.

However, a viral X post from a user known as "The Feminist Misogynist" has called this all into question by showing off two different posts from Walz with his dog, "Scout." The first photo is of the Scout we know and love — but the second shows a mystery dog that is definitely not Scout.

"Couldn't think of a better way to spend a beautiful fall day than at the dog park," Tim tweeted on Oct. 19, 2022. "I know Scout enjoyed it."

In response to The Feminist Misogynist's post, netizens have accused Tim of everything from lying about his dog all the way to killing the original Scout and replacing him with a new one. "These posts are only 4 months apart. Is Tim Walz a compulsive liar or does he name all his dogs Scout?" one user asked.

However, it turns out that Walz's original post, in addition to his photo with the mystery dog, also included a video of his black lab — the real Scout, for those confused — playing with the non-Scout dog in question at the park. This, of course, explains why the caption mentioned Scout when he wasn't in the photo.