Why Potential Trump VP Kristi Noem Shot Her 'Less Than Worthless' Pet Puppy and 'Disgusting' Goat

In the domain of US politics, legends about politicians and their pet animals have won the hearts of the public for years. No matter whether it is Richard Nixon's pet dog, Checkers, or Mitt Romney's ivory-skinned Seamus, these stories have mostly portrayed the real characters behind the podium. Yet, Kristi Noem's confession has painted her in a much darker light. Indeed, Noem, who is a strong opponent for the role of Donald Trump’s potential running mate, has definitely grabbed the headlines – however, perhaps in a different manner than she intended – for stating she shot her 'less than worthless' pets.

In her forthcoming book, No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward, the South Dakota governor delved into a startling admission: she once euthanized her own dog, Cricket, and a troublesome goat. Cricket, a wirehair pointer with a lot of hair, apparently had an 'aggressive' personality and had to be trained to hunt pheasants. On one particular pheasant hunting trip with older dogs, Cricket was "out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life," leading Noem to use the electric collar on her pet. Cricket also attacked a local family's chickens, and Noem compared it to a 'trained assassin.' 

As mentioned by The Guardian, Noem said Cricket was 'the picture of pure joy' before adding, “I hated that dog." As per Noem, Cricket had proved itself 'untrainable,' 'dangerous to anyone she came in contact with,' and 'less than worthless … as a hunting dog.' “At that moment,” Noem said, “I realised I had to put her down.” “It was not a pleasant job, but it had to be done. And after it was over, I realised another unpleasant job needed to be done.”

Apart from Cricket, Noem also claimed a goat had to be rid of for its 'nasty and mean' behavior, claiming it acted so because it was castrated. She also said the goat was 'disgusting, musky, rancid' and would chase her kids everywhere, thereby ruining their clothes. Although Noem shot it once, the goat avoided death for a short time, and then the second bullet was finally what killed it. For many, it was a dreary tale made even stranger by the fact that workers on site saw all this go down.

Following the disclosure of Noem's behavior, the public gave a speedy and passionate response, with many expressing great surprise and disgust at the actions of the governor. From cruelty accusations to comparison with several infamous figures, the criticism has been relentless. Nevertheless, Noem still stands firm, maintaining her stance that the hardships she faced were unavoidable, given the circumstances of farm living.

“We love animals,” she tweeted, “but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm. Sadly, we just had to put down three horses a few weeks ago that had been in our family for 25 years.” The governor also said her book contained 'more real, honest, and politically incorrect stories that’ll have the media gasping.'