Pets in Ohio are being ‘marked safe’ in a light-hearted response to Donald Trump’s remarks in the live presidential debate.
The former US president amplified false rumours that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were abducting and eating pets during the debate in Philadelphia.
There is no evidence that Haitian immigrants in an Ohio community are doing that, officials say.
But during the debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Mr Trump specifically mentioned Springfield, Ohio, saying that immigrants were taking over the city.
“They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” he said.
Ms Harris called Trump “extreme” and laughed after his comment.
Debate moderators pointed out that city officials have said the claims are not true.
Mr Trump’s comments echoed claims made by his campaign, including his running mate Ohio Senator JD Vance, and other Republicans.
The claims attracted attention this week when Mr Vance posted on social media that his office has “received many inquiries” about Haitian migrants abducting pets.
Mr Vance acknowledged on Tuesday it was possible “all of these rumours will turn out to be false.”
Dog owners in Springfield have been posting photos of their pets, marking them “safe” after Trump’s claim.
One put on Instagram, “The Martin dogs are marked SAFE from being eaten”, while another strapped a ‘marked safe’ notification to their dog’s collar.
The reaction elsewhere was of a similar ilk: