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Tim Walz faces backlash as GOP strategist invents conspiracy theory about his family dog Scout: ‘These pathetic…’

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz faced backlash on Monday for faking the identity of his family dog Scout.

Published on: Aug 27, 2024, 16:35:22 IST
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Tim Walz faced backlash on Monday for faking the identity of his family dog Scout. Taking to X, Republican strategist for Minnesota Dustin Grage attempted to expose Walz by comparing two images that the Minnesota Governor previously shared on social media.

Tim Walz welcomed Scout into his family in 2019. (AP)
Tim Walz welcomed Scout into his family in 2019. (AP)

In June 2022, Walz shared a picture with his furry friend, a Labrador retriever mix, and captioned it, “Sending a special birthday shoutout to our favorite pup, Scout.”

Another photo was shot in October of the same year and featured Walz with a different dog along with the caption, “Couldn’t think of a better way to spend a beautiful fall day than at the dog park. I know Scout enjoyed it.”

On the same day, Walz shared a video of Scout and a few other canines at a dog park on Instagram. In the video, the governor can be seen wearing the same jacket and the dog featured in the X post is also visible. Before rubbing Scout tenderly, Walz asks him in jest whether he's “jealous” of the attention he's giving to other dogs. It seems Walz has deleted the picture of him visiting the dog park from his X account.

Meanwhile, Grage discovered the scandal in the two photos, which were shared by him on X. “Yes, this is Tim Walz tweeting about his dog Scout. Only problem is that these are two completely different dogs,” he wrote.

Republicans, MAGA blast Tim Walz

Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Republican from Missouri, reposted Grage's tweet, asking, “Why would Tim Walz do this? It's weird and creepy.”

Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, said in a now-deleted post on X, “Tim Walz is an all-time legendary liar”.

“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,” wrote ex-Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle in a since-deleted post.

Following this, a community note was added to Grage's post. However, conservatives have demonstrated that they would stop at nothing to create an opportunity to target Walz, whether it is through his military service, his relationship with son Gus, who suffers from ADHD, and now his dog.

The community note pointed out that “the photo on the right is from a dog park that Tim Walz was at with Scout and many other dogs”. The note says that Scout can be seen playing with other dogs in the park.

The note-maker included the video in her own post as well, writing: “It took me exactly 45 seconds to go to @Tim_Walz Instagram page and see this is a video of his dog Scout playing with another dog at the dog park.”

Also Read: Kamala Harris ‘ineligible’ to run for president, claims Republican group citing infamous Dred Scott ruling; What is it?

Netizens call out Grage’s ‘critical thinking’ skills

Blasting Republicans and MAGA for launching baseless attacks on Tim Walz, the Vice President candidate of Kamala Harris, one X user wrote: “How are some of you still alive with critical thinking skills like this?”

“These morons have such low thinking skills that it didn’t occur to him that Walz is taking a photo w ANOtHER dog (pic at right) bc they are at a DOG PARK,” another commented.

A third user chimed in, “These pathetic weirdos are so desperate to find a line of attack that sticks to @Tim_Walz that they're resorting to dog park conspiracy theories.”

Scout has been the part of Walz family since 2019 and has been residing with the Minnesota Governor and his wife Gwen and their two children. The family stole the limelight at Democratic National Convention (DNC), with Gus, 17, shedding tears of joy during his father's moving speech.

  • Shweta Kukreti
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shweta Kukreti

    Shweta Kukreti has over 8 years of experience in covering Indian and world politics. She joined the Hindustan Times in 2024 and is primarily assigned to the US desk. She currently works as Deputy Chief Content Producer and reports on a wide range of topics, including US politics, immigration issues (especially H-1B visa) and major global events. Shweta strongly emphasizes team operations, which encompasses monitoring news, delegating tasks, editing, developing comprehensive coverage strategies, and crafting engaging, and data-informed narratives. She received the Digi Star Award at the Hindustan Times within a year of joining for her broad coverage of US politics. In 2025, she earned both a promotion and a redesignation, a significant achievement recognising her contributions and the strong value she brings to the team. She has previously worked with the Indian Express, HTDS, ANI and Republic World. Seniors in all the media organisations recognised her work. Regarding education, she earned a BA (Hons.) in Political Science and a master's degree from Delhi University, and she pursued a PG Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institution of Mass Communication (IIMC). She also holds a diploma in Women's Empowerment and Development from IGNOU University and a French certification course from Alliance Française de Delhi. If not working, you can find her exploring the hills and engaging in adventurous activities in Rishikesh and Himachal Pradesh. She loves to play badminton, volleyball, and chess, and spend time with her friends and family. She also enjoys spiritual activities.Read More