Tim Walz’s dog Scout dismisses conservative conspiracy theory

A conservative attempt to discredit Minnesota Governor Tim Walz by questioning the authenticity of his dog, Scout, has backfired. The controversy began when Dustin Grage, a conservative commentator and “Minnesota GOP Hype Man,” shared side-by-side photos of Walz with two different dogs, suggesting that Walz was being dishonest about owning a dog named Scout.

Grage’s post, which claimed that Walz’s dog in one photo didn’t match the dog in another photo, aimed to undermine Walz’s public image. The first image depicted Walz celebrating his dog Scout’s birthday, while the second showed him petting a different dog at a park. Grage’s implication was that Walz was misleading the public about his pet.

However, the attempt to create a scandal quickly unraveled. X users and fact-checkers pointed out that the second dog in the photo was a different animal Walz met at the park while bringing Scout along. A video from Walz’s Instagram, dated October 2022, confirmed that Scout was indeed present at the park but was simply out of frame in the second photo.

The Community Note attached to Grage’s post clarified the situation: “The dog in the second photo is one Tim Walz met while taking Scout (from the first photo) to the dog park. Full video from that moment available on Tim Walz’s Instagram.” The clarification led to a figurative “dog pile” on Grage’s attempt to discredit Walz, inadvertently boosting the governor’s public image as the true story emerged.

The debacle highlights how misinformation and poorly executed attacks can backfire, especially in the age of social media where facts can quickly come to light.