Kristi Noem Doubles Down, Claims 'Any Mom' in Her Position Would Have Also Killed The 'Vicious' Puppy

Kristi Noem defends her stance after getting criticized for killing her dog. The South Dakota Governor detailed how she killed her puppy Cricket in her work No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward. Recently Noem appeared on Meet the Press with host Peter Alexander and showed no remorse for the act.

According to Raw Story, Alexander questioned the Governor if her killing her dog potentially jeopardized her chances of being Donald Trump's running mate. Noem responded, "You know, I would say that that was a story from 20 years ago about me protecting my children from a vicious animal. And any mom in those situations, when you have an animal that's viciously killing livestock and attacking people, it's a tough decision. And if you read the book, a lot of what got reported was not the truth."

Earlier in April, Noem, in a tweet, argued, "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. If you want more real, honest, and politically INcorrect stories that’ll have the media gasping, preorder 'No Going Back.'" 

In an excerpt of the book obtained by The Guardian, Noem wrote, "I hated that dog, less than worthless as a hunting dog," and deemed her 'untrainable' and 'dangerous'. She recounted, "At that moment […] I realized I had to put her down...It was not a pleasant job but it had to be done." She dragged Cricket to a pit and shot her dead as witnessed by a shocked construction team. According to Noem, Cricket wouldn't hunt much and would often go "out of her mind with excitement." Describing the dog's behavior, she wrote, "Like a trained assassin. Grabbing one chicken at a time, crunching it to death with one bite, then dropping it to attack another." Cricket was a 14-month-old wire-haired pointer puppy that the Governor intended to keep for pheasant hunting. 

If a dog is "found chasing, worrying, injuring, or killing poultry or domestic animals," it's legal to execute them as per South Dakota law, Rolling Stone reported. Back in April, PETA Senior Director, Colleen O’Brien, slammed the governor, "Most Americans love their dogs, and we suspect that they will 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 would provide her with a proper home. Gov. Noem fails to understand the vital political concepts of education, cooperation, compromise, and compassion."