A viral video shared on X claims to show 2024 Republican vice presidential nominee and Ohio Sen. JD Vance admit he has a “rent-a-dog.”

HOLY CRAP: How weird is it #1: @JDVANCE has a “rent-a-dog”.

How weird is it #2: @JDVance admits its a “rent-a-dog” and the dog is to “… make me seem like I’m a dog fan…” pic.twitter.com/zdpFu4IB4w

— American Muckrakers (@AmericanMuck) September 21, 2024

Verdict: False

The claim is false. Vance did not admit to having a “rent-a-dog” but rather responded to a false rumor during a recent sit-down interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. In addition, a Vance spokesperson denied the claim’s validity in a phone call to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

Vance will attend a “Get Out the Vote” rally in Georgia on Sept. 26, according to local news outlet FOX 5 Atlanta. Vance is set to deliver remarks during the event, the outlet reported.

The X video, viewed over 900,000 times as of writing, claims to show Vance admit to having a “rent-a-dog.” In the video, Vance can be seen sitting down for an interview with Carlson. A German Shepherd joins the pair, and Vance appears to say, “He’s actually a ‘rent-a-dog’ that was given to me by the campaign to make me seem like I’m a dog fan.”

The claim is false. The original video of the interview, shared to Carlson’s verified YouTube channel, indicates Vance was not admitting to having a “rent-a-dog,” but rather, responding to a false rumor.

The interview opens with Carlson asking Vance about the state of the 2024 presidential race when their conversation is interrupted by Vance’s German Shepherd, Atlas.

“So this is Atlas, which I found out on the Internet a few weeks ago that he’s actually a ‘rent-a-dog’ that was given to me by the campaign to make me seem like I’m a dog fan,” Vance says, addressing the false rumor. “And it’s actually hysterical to hear these lefties be like, ‘Oh that dog, that’s totally not his dog.’ And of course, we got him when he was like an eight-week-old puppy,” he adds.

Likewise, Atlas made his debut on the 2024 presidential campaign trail back in August 2024 during a stop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, according to Fox News. The New York Post also published an exclusive piece introducing Atlas, Vance’s 10-month-old puppy, to the public the same month. The exclusive features photos of the German Shepherd boarding a plane on the campaign trail and being held by Vance’s wife, Usha.

In addition, there are no credible news reports to suggest Atlas is Vance’s “rent-a-dog.” On Sept. 22, PolitiFact reported the claim was false.

The false rumor surrounding Atlas may be linked to an August 2024 piece published by Jezebel, which claimed the way Vance held his dog’s leash appeared to suggest he’d never “walked, let alone even met” the dog. (RELATED: Did JD Vance Follow Trump Would-Be Assassin On Social Media?)

Furthermore, a Vance spokesperson denied the claim’s validity in a phone call to Check Your Fact.

“Senator Vance got Atlas as a puppy back in January before the 2024 campaign started,” the same spokesperson said.