A defiant Kristi Noem hit back at critics following outrage over her upcoming memoir that reveals she once killed a dog.
“I can understand why some people are upset about a 20 year old story of Cricket, one of the working dogs at our ranch, in my upcoming book — No Going Back. The book is filled with many honest stories of my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions, and lessons learned,” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem began in a social media post published Sunday on X.
“The fact is, South Dakota law states that dogs who attack and kill livestock can be put down. Given that Cricket had shown aggressive behavior toward people by biting them, I decided what I did,” Noem continued.
Outrage spread across social media platforms late last week after the Guardian reported on an excerpt of Noem’s upcoming memoir, “No Going Back,” which is set to be released on May 7. The excerpt detailed Noem describing taking her 14-month-old female dog Cricket to a “gravel pit” near her farm and shooting her because it was “less than worthless,” “untrainable” and had killed and eaten several chickens.
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She explained that Cricket had ruined a pheasant hunt when she went “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life.”
“It was not a pleasant job, but it had to be done. And after it was over, I realized another unpleasant job needed to be done,” she continued. In the book, Noem also described killing a “nasty and mean” goat at the same gravel pit, according to the report.
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The report garnered pushback online, from both Democrats and conservatives, who appeared shocked and outraged over the killing of the dog.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem takes part in a panel discussion on Nov. 15, 2022, in Orlando, Florida. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
“Omg – now my blood is boiling. Remember, I’m a country boy who lives on a ranch . There’s a huge difference between putting an old horse down who is suffering, than shooting a 18 month dog for being untrainable. But then to plug your book at the end,” wildly popular conservative X account Catturd tweeted.
“Seriously, is it just me? [I’m[sic] have no words,” he added.
New York Post columnist Miranda Devine commented, “No. Not normal. Shameful.”
“Anyone who has ever owned a birddog knows how disgusting, lazy and evil this is. Damn,” Democratic Montana gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse posted.
Noem has been floated as a potential running mate in former President Trump’s effort to regain control of the White House come November. Critics, however, speculated the controversy over killing her dog may have ended her career in politics.
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Noem initially addressed the controversy on Friday, posting on X that her family loves animals, “but tough decisions” are often made on farms.
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Gov. Kristi Noem takes the stage at a campaign rally on Nov. 2, 2022, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (AP Photo/Stephen Groves)
“We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm. Sadly, we just had to put down 3 horses a few weeks ago that had been in our family for 25 years,” she posted, while encouraging people to purchase her memoir for “real, honest, and politically INcorrect stories that’ll have the media gasping.”
On Sunday, Noem said she does not shy away from difficult decisions, and believes “people are looking for leaders who are authentic.”
“What I learned from my years of public service, especially leading South Dakota through COVID, is people are looking for leaders who are authentic, willing to learn from the past, and don’t shy away from tough challenges. My hope is anyone reading this book will have an understanding that I always work to make the best decisions I can for the people in my life,” she said.
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“Whether running the ranch or in politics, I have never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else to handle. Even if it’s hard and painful. I followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor. As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy. But often the easy way isn’t the right way,” she concluded.