Mr Viral
While America’s political landscape remains divided, there is one thing that most people can agree upon: Tim Walz’s dog Scout is a very good boy.
Scout is, of course, the rescue dog who allows Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Walz, as well as the rest of the Walz family, to share his space. While poll numbers relating to the upcoming 2024 election can be interpreted in any number of ways, Scout’s numbers are rock solid, earning a 14/10 from the dog-rating authorities at WeRateDogs. (They rate dogs.)
Scout (and Walz) recently took time out of his busy schedule for a walk with WeRateDogs founder Matt Nelson. In a video posted Monday, the trio romps through one of Minnesota’s off-leash dog parks, where Walz shared Scout’s origin story, what he’s learned from being a dog owner, his pup’s crimes (and Walz’s subsequent excuses for them), and more, with plenty of deep thoughts along the way. First, some key facts about Scout: He’s a 5-year-old labrador/boxer/chow chow mix who was found in a box near a high-kill shelter in Oklahoma, he got over his fear of water thanks to a tennis ball covered in bacon fat, and he shares a name with the model of vintage truck Walz spends his downtime tinkering with. (Dog and truck frequently share the frame in photos Walz shares on his social media.)
Walz said that son Gus was the “lead negotiator” when it came to getting both Scout and Honey, a cat the family rescued. Walz promised Gus that the family could adopt a dog if he won the governor’s office in 2018.
“His mom and I had forgotten about that and on election night 2018 they announced the winner and instantaneously, with everyone in the room, Gus said, ‘I’m gettin’ a dog!’” And thus it was so.
A key part of Gus’ argument for both pets, Walz said, wasn’t a promise that he would tend to the animals—it was that he would love them.
“Gus made the case that they need a home: ‘We’ve got this big house!’” he said. “My advice is to pull on the heartstrings of your parents. Don’t tell them you’re going to clean the litterbox.”
Walz steered clear of party politics during the discussion, which Nelson wrote on Instagram was the “first episode that required a background check,” making the afternoon more about dogs sniffing butts than politicians shaking hands, but did share some insights into what kind of person he is, via comments about his dog.
Asked about leadership, Walz said, “Having a dog or pets makes you a better human. He counts on me, he’s loyal, he gives unconditional love. I think because of that, that sense of empathy that you’d like to see in all leaders, you hope you have it already, but it certainly gets magnified. He’s counting on you, and he gives it back, so I do think that.”
Walz credited Scout with lowering the stress level in his household, bringing him joy via his exuberant zoomies, and forcing him into getting a new pair of glasses after chewing up Walz’s old ones. “No one but me thought I looked cool in those glasses,” he admitted. The one piece of constructive criticism Walz did have for his pup?
“He does not pay rent, so he should probably step it up a bit.”
Ella Emhoff, stepdaughter of Walz’s running mate Kamala Harris, showed her approval of Scout’s message in an Instagram comment. “This is the collab we all needed,” she wrote.
Walz offered the following words of parting: “Get a dog, get out the vote!”
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