Politicians and dog experts vilify South Dakota governor after she writes about killing her dog

Politicians and dog experts alike are vilifying South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem after she wrote in a new book about killing a rambunctious puppy, with the response raising questions about whether she is still a viable potential running mate for the suspected Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Experts who work with hunting dogs like Noem’s say she should have trained (not killed) the pup, or found other options if the dog got out of control.

Noem has tried to reframe the story from two decades ago as an example of her willingness to make tough decisions. She wrote on social media that the 14-month-old wire-haired pointer named Cricket was exhibiting aggressive behavior by biting.

“As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy,” she said of X. “But often the easy way isn’t the right way.”

Still, Democrats and even some conservatives have been critical.

“This story is not getting through. It is not part of rural life or ranching to shoot dogs,” conservative commentator Tomi Lahrenco wrote online.

Several posters described Noem as Cruella de Vil, the villain from the Disney classic “101 Dalmatians.” A meme shows a series of dogs offering horrified looks.

“I’m not sure what she did was more stupid: the fact that she killed the dog, or the fact that she was stupid enough to publish it in a book,” says Joan Payton of the German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America. The club itself described the breed as ‘high energy’ and said Noem was too impatient and that the use of a shock collar for training had failed.

But South Dakota Democratic Senate Minority Leader Reynold Nesiba said the revelation was more calculated than stupid. He said the story has been circulating among lawmakers for years that Noem killed a dog in a “fit of rage” and that there were witnesses. He speculated that it would come out now because Noem is being vetted as a vice presidential candidate.

“She knew this was a political vulnerability, and she had to get it out there before it came up anywhere else,” he said. “Why else would she write about it?”

In her forthcoming book “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward,” which The Guardian obtained a pre-release copy of, Noem writes that she took Cricket on a bird hunting trip with older dogs in the hope to calm the wild puppy. Instead, Cricket chased the pheasants, attacked a family’s chickens during a stop on the way home and then “turned around to bite me,” she wrote.

Noem’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about whether the dog actually bit her or merely tried to, or whether Noem needed to seek medical attention. The book’s publisher refused to provide AP with an advance copy of the book.

Then, Noem wrote, she led Cricket to a gravel pit and killed her. She said she also shot a goat the family owned, saying it was vicious and liked to chase her children.

Reactions to the story were swift: “Post a photo with your dog without shooting him and throwing him in a gravel pit. Let me start,” Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz posted on X. The post included a photo of him feeding ice cream from a spoon to his Labrador mix named Scout.

President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign included a photo of the president strolling across the White House lawn with one of his three German Shepherds. Two of Biden’s dogs, Major and Commander, were removed after aggressive behavior, including toward White House and Secret Service personnel. The eldest, Champ, died.

Democrat Hillary Clinton reposted a 2021 comment warning, “Don’t vote for someone you wouldn’t trust with your dog.” She added on Monday: “It’s still true.”

Payton, a delegate to the American Kennel Club who lives in Bakersfield, California, said the situation was a mess from start to finish.

“That was a puppy that had no experience, obviously no training,” she said. “If you know even a little bit about a bird dog, you wouldn’t take a fourteen-month-old child out with trained adult dogs and expect him to perform. It doesn’t work that way.”

The club itself said puppies learn best by hunting one-on-one with their owners, not with other dogs.

When problems arose, she should have called the breeder, Payton said, or contacted rescue organizations that find new homes for the breed.

Among these groups is the National German Wirehaired Pointer Rescue, which called on Noem in a Facebook post to take responsibility for her “horrific decision” and inform the public that there are more humane solutions.

“Sporting breeds are bred for birding and hunting instincts, but it takes training and effort to have a working field dog,” the group’s Board of Directors wrote in the post.

Payton described Cricket as nothing more than “a baby,” saying the breed does not reach physical maturity until 2 years old and is not fully trained until 3 to 5 years old.

“This was a person who, until now, I thought was a pretty good lady,” she said. “She was someone I would have voted for. But I think she may have shot herself in the foot.”