Kristi Noem underestimated the public outcry over dog killing, echoing past politicians’ pet mishaps
Governor Kristi Noem faced backlash after recounting in her book the shooting of her dog, Cricket, following a chicken incident, leading to public outcry and political fallout, potentially impacting her 2024 prospects with Donald Trump. Critics condemned her actions as violation of animal welfare norms and questioned her candidacy viability due to the controversy. Governor Kristi Noem received criticism for sharing the story of euthanizing her dog, Cricket, in her book. This led to public outrage and potential political consequences for her 2024 ambitions with Donald Trump. Critics denounced her actions as a breach of animal welfare standards, raising doubts about her candidacy viability amid the controversy.
Gov. Kristi Noem‘s (R-SD) anecdote about killing her dog, a story told in her most recent book, didn’t just lead to public outrage — it’s likely to harm her chances of joining former President Donald Trump‘s 2024 ticket.
The South Dakota governor doubled down on justifying the killing of 14-month-old puppy Cricket, whom she “hated,” over the weekend after significant backlash.
According to excerpts from her book No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward, after Cricket attacked a local family’s chickens during a pheasant hunting trip, Noem led the dog to a gravel pit and shot it.
The story led to widespread condemnation from Democrats, Republicans, and animal rights groups.
“Opposition to animal cruelty and the treatment of dogs as family members are universal values in our nation regardless of political persuasion or party,” Wayne Pacelle, the president of Animal Wellness Action, told the Washington Examiner. “And she violated the norms of our society when it comes to the care of our dogs.”
Pacelle also echoed a sentiment that several others have suspected since the story of the puppy killing broke.
“When you’re really making fine judgments about what a person brings to the ticket, you know she doesn’t come from a big state. She doesn’t come from a swing state. So what value would she bring when she comes with this baggage?” Pacelle said.
Colleen O’Brien, the senior vice president of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said many people 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 could provide her with a proper home.”
“It’s very sad. It’s a sad story. That’s all I have for you. It’s sad,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing on Monday about Cricket.
The negative attention, in addition to Noem’s past instances of promoting questionable products to the public, could also dissuade Trump from selecting Noem as his running mate.
“I can’t believe she thought it was a good idea to tell that story,” said Ford O’Connell, a Florida-based GOP strategist. “It looks like she canceled herself.”
Cricket wasn’t the only animal Noem killed. In her book, Noem also killed a male goat in a similar fashion to Cricket’s death. She later posted that her family also put down three horses in recent weeks.
“We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm,” Noem wrote on X on Friday.
However, her attempts to do damage control don’t appear likely to satisfy an appalled public.
“I can understand why some people are upset about a 20 year old story of Cricket, one of the working dogs at our ranch, in my upcoming book — No Going Back,” Noem posted on X, two days after her first post. “The book is filled with many honest stories of my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions, and lessons learned.”
I can understand why some people are upset about a 20 year old story of Cricket, one of the working dogs at our ranch, in my upcoming book — No Going Back. The book is filled with many honest stories of my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions, and lessons…
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) April 28, 2024
As the proverbial saying goes, dogs “are man’s best friend,” and the public doesn’t take kindly to politicians who don’t respect the adage.
A majority of the country (62%) are pet owners, and the overwhelming majority (97%) view their pet(s) as part of the family, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey.
Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney learned a hard lesson about pet treatment long before Noem.
During the 2012 election, Romney faced condemnation for strapping his dog, Seamus, an Irish setter, to the roof of his car in 1983 as he drove 12 hours from Massachusetts to Canada.
Former President Barack Obama’s campaign knocked Romney over the incident, as did fellow GOP presidential primary candidate Newt Gingrich.
“That got a negative reaction because it reinforced the notion that he was a little bit stiff,” Pacelle said, reflecting on the Romney incident and comparing it to Noem. “While it put the dog at some risk, it did not result in any harm. Here is a 14 (month) healthy puppy who was shot and thrown into a gravel pit. It doesn’t get more extreme than that.”
Former President Donald Trump is the first leader of the nation not to have a dog since former President James Polk. He was criticized for this during the 2020 election against President Joe Biden, who had two German shepherds — one of whom, Champ, has since died.
Commander and Major, Biden’s current dogs, have had multiple biting incidents with Secret Service and White House staffers. But they have not been put down, likely due to the negative public perception. Major, however, was sent away due to the biting problems.
Former President George H.W. Bush derisively boasted that his dog was more informed than his Democratic presidential rivals during the 1992 race.
“They criticize our country and say we are less than Germany and slightly better than Sri Lanka. My dog Millie knows more about foreign affairs than these two bozos,” Bush taunted Bill Clinton and his running mate Al Gore.
Bush lost to Clinton, but Millie, an English springer spaniel, would go on to “write” a book in 1990 titled Millie’s Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush.
Going back even further, former President Lyndon B. Johnson was criticized by animal rights activists for grabbing his beagles by the ears in April 1964.
Johnson showed off his two beagles, Him and Her, to the guests who were with him at the time by picking up his pets by the ears. The former president was excoriated by the Humane Society of Texas, commentators, and ordinary people.
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Although it is unlikely Trump will decide on a running mate in the coming weeks, he has summoned several contenders, including Noem, to a donor retreat this coming weekend.
But with the book-related backlash, Noem may have cast herself out as vice presidential material. The Trump campaign did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
A source close to Trump, however, told Semafor that “Governor Noem just keeps proving over and over that she’s a lightweight.”
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