South Dakota governor, a potential Trump running mate, writes in new book about killing her dog

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem – a potential running mate for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump – is once again receiving attention. This time it’s about a new book in which she writes about killing an unruly dog, and also a smelly goat.

The Guardian has obtained a copy of Noem’s forthcoming book, ‘No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward.’ In it, she tells the story of the ill-fated Cricket, a 14-month-old wirehaired pointer she was training for pheasant hunting.

She writes, according to the Guardian, that the story was recorded to show her willingness to do something “difficult, messy and ugly” if she has to. But backlash quickly emerged against the Republican governor, who just a month ago drew attention and criticism for posting an infomercial-style video about cosmetic dental procedures she underwent out of state.

In her book, Noem 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.”

On the way home from the hunting trip, Noem writes that she stopped to talk to a family. Cricket got out of Noem’s 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. Cricket “was the picture of joy”, as it all happened.

“I hated that dog,” writes Noem, who calls her “untrainable.”

“At that moment,” Noem writes, “I realized I had to put her to sleep.” She led Cricket to a gravel pit and killed her.

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. She decided to go ahead and kill the goat too. She writes that the goat survived the first shot, so she went back to the truck, grabbed 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 clips immediately drew criticism 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.

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 the cruelty is the point.”

Noem used social media to defend himself.

“We love animals, but difficult decisions like this happen all the time on a farm,” 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.”

She urged readers to pre-order her book if they want “more real, honest and politically INcorrect stories that will leave the media gasping.”

Republican strategist Alice Stewart said that while some Republican voters may appreciate the story “as a testament to her mettle,” 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.”

This isn’t the first time Noem has attracted national attention.

In 2019, she stood behind the state’s anti-meth campaign, even as it became the subject of ridicule 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.

Last month, Noem posted a nearly five-minute video on “I love my new family at Smile Texas!” she wrote.

South Dakota law prohibits gifts of more than $100 from lobbyists to government officials and their immediate families. A misdemeanor is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and/or a $2,000 fine. The attorney general’s office has declined to answer questions about whether the gift ban applies to people who are not registered lobbyists.