JD Vance’s German shepherd, Atlas, is his actual dog, not a ‘rent-a-dog’

A short video going around social media makes it look as if U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, aiming to look more like a dog person, admitted to renting his German shepherd. But the video was deceptively edited; Vance did not say that.

An 11-second clip shows Vance sitting with ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson when Vance’s dog, Atlas, joins the interview.

The video shows Vance telling Carlson, "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."

Carlson, laughing, replies, "How weird. You’re weird."

We found similar posts that Vance was renting his dog on TikTok, Threads and X, where an anti-Donald Trump account’s post earned a community note.

The full video from Vance’s Sept. 18 interview with Carlson shows Vance was discussing rumors people had spread online about his dog. Vance said his family has had Atlas since he was a puppy. 

Vance: "Atlas, come here. Atlas, come. What's up, buddy? 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."

Carlson: "How weird. You’re weird."

Vance: "It's actually hysterical to hear these lefties be like, ‘Oh, that dog, that's totally not his dog.’ Of course, we got him when he was an 8-week-old puppy, and we love dogs, and he's been our little guy. But he's, like, so well-trained and so normal. It's like, shocking, to me that anybody would think that he's not our puppy. But here we are."

Carlson: "He's on the road with you."

Vance: "He's on the road with us, yes. We have our whole family up here." 

A Vance spokesman confirmed that the Vances got Atlas when he was 8 weeks old, in January 2024 — before Vance became the vice presidential nominee.

Featured Fact-check

Donald Trump

stated on September 29, 2024 in a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania

Vice President Kamala Harris “even wants to legalize fentanyl.”

Atlas boarded the Trump campaign’s plane Aug. 16 with Vance and his wife, Usha in Milwaukee. A New York Post story sparked by the dog’s appearance said Atlas turns 1 on Election Day, Nov. 5. The Vance family’s other dog, Pippin, died earlier this year, the Post reported.

Politicians have featured dogs that weren’t theirs in political ads to help drum up voter support. 

Other times, politicians have been falsely accused of faking their dog ownership. False online claims targeted Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and his dog Scout.

Vance did not call his dog a "rent-a-dog." That video clip was manipulated. We rate the claim False.