Meet the puppies of candidates Tim Waltz and J.D. Vance

Vice presidential candidates J.D. Vance and Tim Walz have constant companions at the rallies, interviews and meetings that make up the 2024 presidential campaign: their dogs.

Meet American Dog Campaign activists: Atlas and Scout. These two dogs may differ in age and breed, but their mission is the same – to help their owner win elections.

Both dogs were highly visible during the months-long campaign and even received some press coverage.

Here’s what you need to know about the MVPs—the most valuable dogs—of running mate campaigns.

Atlas: JD Vance

Atlas is a German shepherd who will celebrate his first birthday on Election Day, Nov. 5, Vance’s spokesman Luke Schroeder told USA TODAY this week. The family purchased the dog from a local breeder.

The Atlas was a constant companion as former President Donald Trump’s running mate campaigned across the United States. Photos and videos of him accompanying Vance were widely circulated on social media, leading to claims that the Republican candidate rented a dog to make him look like a “dog.” fan.”

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Responding to this claim in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, Vance, whose hand was holding Atlas, joked: “So this is Atlas, who I found out online a few weeks ago is actually a rental dog that was given to me by the campaign. to make me look like a dog fan.”

Vance continued: “It’s actually hysterical to hear these lefties say, ‘Oh, that dog, that’s not his dog at all.’ Of course we got him when he was an 8 week old puppy and we love dogs and he was our little guy, but he is so well trained and so normal. It shocks me that anyone would think he’s not like that. our puppy, but we’re here.”

Atlas loves lamb and blueberry dog ​​food, and his favorite human food is anything, including “any leftover meat” he can get his hands on, Vance’s campaign told the New York Post. As for his favorite toys, he loves “any plastic or stuffed toy that he is lucky enough to find in the family home, whether it belongs to him or not.”

Scout: Tim Walz

Five-year-old Scout is a former shelter dog that Democrat Waltz calls a “lab mix” because the dog is a cross between a Labrador Retriever, a Boxer and a Chow Chow.

“Scout is a gentle giant, a big sweetheart, who loves ice cream, her sister Honey, cat food, catching frisbees – and us,” the Walz family told USA TODAY in an email. “We would like to tell him that he saved us just as we saved him.”

The Waltz family adopted Scout from Minnesota-based nonprofit Midwest Animal Rescue and Services after the governor promised his son Gus that he would give him a dog if he won the 2018 Minnesota gubernatorial election, Vogue reports.

When they were just 11 weeks old, Scout and nine of her littermates were found abandoned on the side of a rural Oklahoma road by a woman named Katie. Many of the puppies slid down and got stuck in the ravine right before the downpour. Katie and her son helped save them all before the area was flooded, Vogue reports. The litter was adopted by Midwest Animal Rescue and Rescue and given temporary names: Scout was christened Genie.

“I’m proud that Minnesota’s first dog is a rescue dog, and I hope that Scout, who was a very good boy, will serve as a reminder to Minnesotans that there are many puppies out there waiting to be adopted,” Walz told reporters. at the time, according to Vogue.

Walz later told WeRateDogs’ Matt Nelson that he believes “having a dog or pets makes you a better person.”

Scout makes news

In October 2023, Scout made national headlines after accidentally locking himself in his bedroom. At the time, Walz shared messages from his wife on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, warning that the dog was locked in the bedroom. A rescue team had to use ladders, and after about an hour they were able to successfully release Scout, Walz told TODAY.com at the time.

“One of the windows was unlocked, so they were able to get in there and then let him out,” Walz told TODAY.com. “He wasn’t happy about it. But he lay comfortably all the time and slept on the bed. So he left, very happy, and we took the lock off the door so it wouldn’t happen again.”

Walz later told WeRateDogs that Scout snuck into his bedroom with the intention of taking a nap on his bed, which he was not supposed to do. To avoid getting caught, Scout closed the door and opened the lock, as a result of which he locked himself in the bedroom.

“Responding” to Vogue’s “Dogue Questionnaire,” Scout said his favorite food is anything with peanut butter and his favorite pastime is playing Frisbee with Tim.

At the time of this article’s publication, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris did not own any dogs.

Saman Shafik is a popular news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dogs’ Lives: Meet J.D. Vance and Tim Walz’s dog campaigners.