Tim Walz Deletes Dog Tweet After Claims He Posted 'Two Completely Different' Canines As Pet, Scout
Tim Walz has deleted a post about his pet dog, Scout, on X after it sparked a new conspiracy theory about him.
The post in question -- originally shared on Oct. 19, 2022 -- featured a photo of the vice presidential nominee and Minnesota governor petting a dog with white and light brown fur wearing a light blue harness.
"Couldn't think of a better way to spend a beautiful fall day than at the dog park. I know Scout enjoyed it," the post was captioned, according to an archived page capture shared by Snopes.
According to the fact-checking website, the X post was deleted at around 9:30 a.m. EDT on Tuesday -- not long after allegations first surfaced that Walz posted images of two different dogs to represent his black labrador mix, Scout.
Snopes has since debunked this rumor, citing an October 2022 video on Walz's Instagram showing him wearing the same outfit as the tweet.
The clip showed his dog Scout playing with the same light brown dog featured in the governor's post.
This suggested that Walz was simply photographed petting another person's pooch at a dog park while his own pet was outside of the frame of the picture.
The conspiracy theory stemmed from a tweet posted by X user and Honeyhive Strategies president Dustin Grage on Monday, which was also National Dog Day.
"Yes, this is Tim Walz tweeting about his dog Scout. Only problem is that these are two completely different dogs," Grage wrote on the post, which has received nearly 7 million views and been reposted nearly 5,000 times.
Grage shared a screenshot of Walz's October 2022 post alongside a screenshot of a June 15, 2022, tweet featuring the governor posing with Scout, a black labrador mix.
"Sending a special birthday shoutout to our favorite pup, Scout," Walz captioned the older photo, which is still up on his X account.
Among those who reposted Grage's tweet -- and further spread the conspiracy theory -- was Turning Point USA founder and president Charlie Kirk, Snopes reported.
"Tim Walz is an all-time legendary liar," Kirk wrote in his now-deleted tweet, according to a screenshot shared by Meidas Touch editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski.
After Walz's October 2022 tweet was taken down, Grage tweeted: "JUST IN: Tim Walz just deleted this tweet. Where is Scout?"
But other X users quickly fired back at those spreading the rumor.
"It took me exactly 45 seconds to go to @Tim_Walz's Instagram page and see this is a video of his dog Scout playing with another dog at the dog park," one person tweeted alongside a screenshot from the video showing Walz and the two dogs.
"He took his dog to a dog park. He took photos with other dogs at the dog park. Which he does all the time. He loves dogs, not just his own. These people are sick," Filipkowski wrote.
As of this writing, it is unclear why Walz deleted the October 2022 tweet of him petting another person's dog.
The conspiracy theory comes days after Walz formally accepted the vice presidential nomination on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention Wednesday.