South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem defends decision to kill dog

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is facing backlash after revealing in a book that she shot and killed her 14-month-old dog. Semafor politics reporter Shelby Talcott and CBS News political director Fin Gómez join with analysis.

[antonybaptiste]

Fun Fact: Most sociopath's start with small animals, JS.

[jamesneuzil]

I'm a rancher. I think she's got a cold heart..
I've had to do some tuff things with animals..
But there's a right and a wrong..
This was wrong there were other options she chose not to.

[fionasmith-bzox]

I’m republican and I liked noem but now I can’t stand her. and I think she exaggerated the dog going after humans just so she could justify killing it

[SteveCarras]

Gov.Noem, as another responsible dog owner, I have to say you are probaly toast.

[deborahmulcahy]

There is NO excuse. Find it a that ever cross her mind?

[reecom]

What psycho shoots their own puppy and then brags about it in a book!

[reecom]

Kristi Noem has no shame killing her puppy and writing about it. Makes you wonder what she left out of her book?

[warrinbang]

"A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel." Proverbs 12:10

[candacerushing]

Look at her choice of words— “I shot it in the face.” That isn’t someone who reluctantly euthanized an animal, that’s someone who gleefully ended a 14-month old puppy out of rage. I feel sorry for her kids, who undoubtedly loved the puppy— a family pet.

[lynnevanvorce]

There’s absolutely no explanation that she can give that will change the horror of what she did.

[iamjackscompletelackofsurp]

Following the law my foot! She was following her compulsion to be angry and cruel and took it out on her pup. All she had to do was take it to the pound. It was a young dog. Definitely would have been adopted.

[titusrider]

This is a very disturbing story. Her own words: she was training Cricket to be a bird dog! So now the young, 14 month pup is running around excited because he's getting the concept of chasing birds. So when he gets it, albeit the wrong type of bird, she decides to shoot him in the face 🤯 With numerous humane options available, she chooses to execute that beautiful dog just to make it convenient for her. This is so disgusting, I hope our countries authorities and animal rights organizations can bring justice and imprison her for this.

[kyli]

14 months, the dog was just a puppy. That is an unbelievable lack of a conscience.

[karl-niclasburner]

No defense for what she did. Too lazy to train the dog, too Irresponsible to secure the dog and too cruel to consider other options.

[jean]

Her action is not defenseable! The dog should have been rehomed with a family full of love n kindness.

[veras]

Noem should resign and be charged with animal abuse

[jamiethomas]

No matter WHAT her reason was for that, Kristi Noem is GOING TO HELHEIM FOR THIS!

[cr]

Watched pro dog trainers and all basically said she was ignorant of dogs and was violently wrong. Sad.

[blc]

Most likely, Noem was vetted for possible VP and this puppy killing and goat killing was discovered (someone in that construction crew was interviewed). She was told to get ahead of it because this was witnessed and it would come out in the press that she acted out in rage and dragged a puppy to her killing pit and shot it. She tried to spin this with this book. I don't believe the puppy's behavior had anything to do with it. This was her, out of control (with a gun) and taking her rage out on a puppy.

[snarkleton]

She shot the puppy in the face within a gravel pit. She has no conscience ... Trump may not give her a cabinet post now