Kristi Noem Shot and Killed Her Dog and Probably Her Chance at Being a VP Candidate

South Dakota governor and vice presidential hopeful Kristi Noem is doing the press rounds to promote her upcoming book, No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward.

You know what you can’t go back on? Shooting and killing your dog. Noem wrote about shooting and killing her dog in her upcoming book. So, why exactly did she shoot her dog? Based on public outcry, she likely also killed her future in politics and her chance of becoming a VP candidate.

Cricket, a Wirehaired Pointer, was about 14 months old when Noem shot and killed the dog in a gravel pit. She specifically said that she "had" to shoot the dog. Based on her framing, she had no other choice.

The Guardian first obtained a copy of the book and on April 26, 2024, shared the tale of Noem's family bringing Cricket on a pheasant hunt. The dog, in Noem's own words, was “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds, and having the time of her life,” you know, like how a 14-month-old untrained dog would normally behave.

After this normal behavior, Cricket jumped out of the family truck at another friend’s family farm and proceeded to “grab one chicken at a time, crunching it to death with one bite, then dropping it to attack another” — like most 14-month-old untrained dogs would probably behave.

Noem writes in her book, “I hated that dog,” it was “less than worthless … as a hunting dog” and “I realized I had to put her down.”

Although it may seem unwise to share a tale about killing an innocent 14-month-old dog that was doing what most untrained dogs that age would do, Noem views it as a chance to show that she won't back down on what needs to be done, even if it's hard.

Two days later, once it was clear the story wasn’t going anywhere, Noem posted a much longer tweet explaining her action. She once again justified killing an innocent 14-month-old dog. She wrote, “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.”

Although Noem does point out that it’s perfectly legal to kill your dog if your untrained dog does what an untrained dog does, she neglects to mention that obtaining a dog is optional in the state of South Dakota and every state in America. The statement from a PETA representative does a good job of reminding people about options when it comes to pet ownership.

PETA's Colleen O'Brien wrote, “Most Americans love their dogs, and we suspect that they’ll consider Gov. Noem a psychotic loony for letting this rambunctious puppy loose on chickens and then punishing her by deciding to personally blow her brains out rather than attempting to train her or find a more responsible guardian who could provide her with a proper home. Noem obviously fails to understand the vital political concepts of education, cooperation, compromise, and compassion.”