Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate Rep. Byron Donalds posted a campaign-trail video on X on Saturday showing him visiting an animal shelter and holding puppies, writing that he “made some new friends” and that “they won me over.” The clip appears to show a facility in Florida, though the post does not name a city. Online users reacted after the video circulated, with some praising the stop and others calling it a photo-op.
The roughly 30-second video appears to show Donald touring an animal facility and interacting with dogs. In the clip, he is seen smiling while holding a puppy beside another man with a second pup, walking an outdoor path past a “PUPPIES” sign, looking into a kennel, and later bending to pet beagles. Dogs are also shown standing at a glass door as he walks a hallway marked “WING 1 Simmons Family.”
The montage ends on a campaign graphic reading “DONALDS AVILA FOR FLORIDA.” The footage does not include clearly captured spoken dialogue, and it is not clear from the video what was said on site or which city the stop was in.
According to the post, Donalds wrote, “Made some new friends along the trail this week. Safe to say, they won me over.”
Responses to the Florida Shelter Video
Some users treated the stop as a light campaign moment. One commenter wrote, “Love it. @ByronDonalds and @ErikaDonalds are good to people and pups!”
Another said, “Fantastic work out there, Sir!” A pet owner added, “56% of Florida homes have a pet. I have 7 cats. We love our leaders that love pets too.”
Others questioned the visit. One reply began, “Love dogs but…” and said the writer would not support Donalds for governor.
A widely engaged quote argued that “pitching in and helping out seems to be beneath Byron,” adding that he could “walk some dogs, clean some cages, prepare some food.”
Separate commenters called the puppy footage a way to “cloak” his alignment with President Trump or to “follow DeSantis’ playbook with rescue puppies.”
For now, the shelter clip sits alongside other campaign-trail posts from Donalds as Florida’s governor’s race continues. Viewers remain split over whether the stop is a straightforward visit with rescue dogs or a carefully staged campaign moment.
