Kimberly Guilfoyle has launched a puppy-themed children’s book in an apparent dig at South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who was criticized for shooting her puppy.
Guilfoyle went to had shot. her property.
Guilfoyle shared a photo of herself holding the children’s book and said 10 percent of profits from the book will go to a charity for “abused and abandoned dogs and cats.”
People were quick to draw the connection between Guilfoyle’s new book and Noem, with one Twitter user saying, “Does this end with the puppy in a gravel pit?” and another adds: ‘Dedicate it to Cricket.’
Noem’s confession caused a huge backlash and she was forced to defend herself. On Sunday, she said she “understands why some people are angry about a 20-year-old story about Cricket.”
Kimberly Guilfoyle went to X to promote her new book ‘The Princess and her pup’
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has defended the shooting of her puppy after her confession sparked a huge backlash
The Republican continued: “The fact is that South Dakota law provides that dogs that attack and kill livestock can be put down. Since Cricket had shown aggressive behavior towards humans by biting them, I decided what I did. Whether running the ranch or working in politics, I have never handed over my responsibilities to anyone else. Even though it is difficult and painful.
“I followed the law and was a responsible parent, dog owner and neighbor. As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy. But often the easy way is not the right way.’
But people weren’t convinced, and comments ridiculing Noem poured in following Guilfoyle’s book announcement.
One person said: ‘Is that a remake of ‘The Governor Shot Her Pup’?’
Another said: ‘I hope it’s better than Noem’s book ‘the cricket and the gravel pit’
Guilfoyle, a former Fox News reporter, is dating Donald Trump Jr.
Noem claimed she included the story in her book to show that she was willing to do something “hard, messy and ugly” if she had to.
The Republican writes that she took Cricket hunting with older dogs in hopes of calming the wild puppy. Instead, Cricket chased the pheasants while “having the time of her life.”
As former President Donald Trump ponders who should be his vice president, Noem has written a new book, No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward, which will be released May 7.
On the way home from the hunting trip, Noem writes that when Cricket stopped to talk to a family, she got out of her truck and attacked and killed some of the family’s chickens, then bit the governor.
Noem apologized profusely, wrote the distraught family a check for the deceased chickens and helped them dispose of the carcasses, she wrote. She wrote that Cricket “was the picture of joy” as it all unfolded.
“I hated that dog,” writes Noem, who calls her “untrainable.”
“At that moment,” she says, “I realized I had to put her to sleep.”
Noem then remembers leading Cricket to a gravel pit and shooting her dead.
That wasn’t all. Noem writes that her family also owned a “nasty and mean” male goat who smelled bad and liked to chase her children, so she decided to go ahead and kill the goat as well.
She writes that the goat survived the first shot, so she went back to the truck, got another grenade, then shot it again, killing it.
Shortly afterwards, a school bus dropped off Noem’s children. Her daughter asked, “Hey, where’s Cricket?” Noem writes.
The excerpts, first published by The Guardian, were immediately criticized on social media platforms, where many posted photos of their own pets. President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign resurfaced the story on social media, alongside a photo of Noem with Trump.
A Facebook photo shows South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem holding a gun. In her upcoming book, she writes about Cricket, a 14-month-old wirehaired pointer, who shot Noem in the gravel pit on her family property just before her children came home from school.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is photographed with another dog she owned, Hazel
The Lincoln Project, a conservative group that opposes Trump, posted a video it called a “public service announcement” showing poorly behaved dogs and explaining that “shooting your dog in the face is not an option.”
“You kill old dogs, hurt dogs, and sick dogs humanely, not by shooting them and throwing them in a gravel pit,” wrote Rick Wilson of the Lincoln Project on this proves that it is cruelty.’
Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Wals also blasted Noem over the story, sharing a photo with his dog and writing, “Post a photo with your dog without shooting him and throwing him in a gravel pit. I’ll start.’
Meanwhile, Paws for Animal Rescue, a pet adoption service in South Dakota, released a statement saying no dog is untrainable.
The group said on Facebook: “PAWS Animal Rescue will not express our opinion on this specific situation. We do want to make a statement about ‘untrainable dogs’.
‘We haven’t come across one yet. In all our years in animal control and the thousands of animals that have come through our doors, we have never met a dog so untrainable that it deserved to be shot.”
They added: ‘Is euthanasia sometimes necessary? In certain situations, yes. When an animal is so sick that its quality of life is inhumane, humane euthanasia may be the solution.
‘If an animal has been so badly damaged by people or circumstances that it has demons that it cannot overcome, sometimes maybe it can. With a 14-month-old puppy (which was almost certainly bought from a breeder at 8 weeks and has had every opportunity to learn the correct behavior), absolutely not.’
Noem previously used social media to defend himself.
“We love animals, but on a farm these kinds of difficult decisions happen all the time,” she said on X.
‘Unfortunately, a few weeks ago we had to put down three horses that had been in our family for 25 years.’
Noem claimed she included the story in her book to show that she was willing to do something “hard, messy and ugly” if she had to.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks with North Dakota Governor Kristi Noem during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 16, 2024
She urged readers to pre-order her book if they want “more real, honest and politically incorrect stories that the media will crave.”
Republican strategist Alice Stewart said that while some Republican voters may appreciate the story “as a testament to her daring,” it ultimately creates a distraction for Noem.
“It’s never a good thing when people think you’re abusing animals,” Stewart said. “I have a dog that I love as a child and I can’t imagine thinking about doing that, I can’t imagine doing that, and I can’t imagine writing about it in a book and tell the whole world about it.’
This isn’t the first time Noem has attracted national attention.
In 2019, she stood behind the state’s anti-meth campaign, even though it became the subject of some mockery with the slogan “Meth.” We are working on it.’ Noem said the campaign got people talking about the methamphetamine epidemic and helped some get treatment.