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

(30 Apr 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Orlando, Florida - 15 November 2022
1. STILL of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Oxon Hill, Maryland - 23 February 2024
2. STILL of Noem speaking during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2024

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Unknown Location - 26 July 2021
3. Noem touring US-Mexico border

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Orlando, Florida - 15 November 2022
4. STILL of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaking

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Oxon Hill, Maryland - 23 February 2024
5. STILL of Noem speaking during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2024

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Des Moines, Iowa - 16 July 2021
6. STILL of Noem speaking

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Pierre, South Dakota - 10 January 2024
7. STILL of Noem attending an event

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Washington - 20 November 2018
8. STILL of Noem waving in the Rose Garden of the White House

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Berlin - 25 February 2020
9. Hilary Clinton speaking

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Vandalia, Ohio - 16 March 2024
10. STILL of Noem speaking prior to remarks from republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Sioux Falls, Dakota - 7 September 2018
11. STILL of Trump and Noem

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Vandalia, Ohio - 16 March 2024
12. STILL of Noem speaking prior to remarks from republican presidential candidate and Trump at a campaign rally

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Pierre, South Dakota - 8 January 2019
13. STILL of Noem giving her first State of the State address
STORYLINE:
VOICE-OVER SCRIPT:

POLITICIANS AND DOG EXPERTS ARE CRITICIZING SOUTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR KRISTI NOEM AFTER SHE WROTE ABOUT KILLING A PUPPY IN HER NEW BOOK.

THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER OBTAINED A COPY OF NOEM’S SOON-TO-BE RELEASED BOOK.

SHE TELLS THE STORY ABOUT AN INCIDENT WHERE HER DOG ATTACKED AND KILLED A FAMILY'S CHICKENS, AND THEN BIT THE GOVERNOR.

SHE THEN DEEMED THE DOG - CRICKET - UNTRAINABLE, LED HER TO A GRAVEL PIT AND KILLED HER.

ACCORDING TO THE GUARDIAN, SHE WRITES THAT THE STORY WAS INCLUDED TO SHOW HER WILLINGNESS TO DO ANYTHING “DIFFICULT, MESSY AND UGLY” IF IT HAS TO BE DONE.

BUT BACKLASH HAS BEEN SWIFT AGAINST THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR, WITH CRITICS SAYING NOEM SHOULD HAVE TRAINED, NOT KILLED, THE PUP, OR FOUND OTHER OPTIONS.

DEMOCRAT HILLARY CLINTON REPOSTED A 2021 COMMENT IN WHICH SHE WARNED, “DON’T VOTE FOR ANYONE YOU WOULDN’T TRUST WITH YOUR DOG.”

THE STORY HAS RAISED QUESTIONS ON WHETHER SHE’S A VIABLE RUNNING MATE FOR PRESUMPTIVE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DONALD TRUMP.

HOWEVER, ONE SOUTH DAKOTA LAWMAKER SPECULATES THAT NOEM WROTE ABOUT THE STORY NOW TO PRE-EMPT ITS REVELATION BY OTHERS AS HER BACK STORY COMES UNDER GREATER SCRUTINY.

===========================================================

[jillionairess]

Cricket’s first family gave her away because she was tough to train. They didn’t shoot her.

[kathyrama]

If I done something this horrible, I would be smart enough not to tell it, and she needs to stop defending it. Some crap cannot be cleaned up, it leaves a stain that lasts longer than a persons lifetime.

[ts]

She vilified herself. The really insane thing is that she doesn't see it.

[nonsibi]

Absolutely! And I've been in her situation with both the hunting dog and the goat. The difference is that my wife and I, seeing what an untrained pointer does with exuberance, know that the situation requires RESPONSIBLE dog owners to field train it. We did that, twice, and we and our sons have loving memories of hunting pheasant with our happy pointer who was a happy member of our family to his last breath when he was too old and weak to see and eat. We also helped raise goats, knowing that the big bluff & very musky Billy goat seemed to love pushing back with its horns. One knows not to expect a bull to behave like a cow, too! The children knew not to engage it in a shoving match. It's about practicing compassionate responsibility.

[msj]

"Hey, where's Cricket?"

[MarkDavid-givw]

It wasnt her last rodeo at the gravel pit

[ronaldcole]

So quiet after her admission, you could hear a cricket.

[jeffaulik]

The new and improved Sarah Palin for 2024.

[casienwhey]

Why she would discuss something like that publicly is astonishing. A lot of people in this country love dogs.

[lfuxdmg]

Because South Dakota has always been a beacon of light illuminating the path to America's future.

[zerimar]

Call it dumb as much as you like...but you can judge a person based on how they treat animals. No good-hearted person could ever do something like that. It's just zero empathy for life. No apology can change that, unfortunately.

[jeffandersen]

dear AP, if someone shoots a puppy, not sure a dog expert is required to help assess the situation

[joannamitchell]

Really, heartless! A puppy! Did she ever hear of Training!??? This is a state "leader"!😢

[joelrudzinski]

BS. Where Kristi Neom Lives in South Dakota is the area where I just started living. The nearest animal control is over 500 Miles away and this is RANCH COUNTRY where Ranch owners have to make tough decisions every day about Livestock and Animals of all types on the Ranch. This Dog was out of control and killing Chickens and going after other livestock. This cannot be allowed to happen and this Pup Kristi had would have been a danger to ranch hands and Children visiting, as it had decided to be the ALPHA and do exactly what the Dog wanted to do. This is a Dangerous situation when you live so far from everything and Help. Thought Australian's would understand this. But, I can see this is a city point of view that some are talking about and its a Hundred miles off the mark or rather ignorance. I train and rescue Dogs for Service work and if I thought what Governor Neom had done was a travesty, then I would be screaming about it. But, its tough to get the REAL STORY when the Fake News gets involved.

[karenwaddell]

I liked her lips better before the pouty lip fillers. More natural, less dutu girlfriend look.

[xxllbb]

Mummy where is Cricket ? " THE TRUTH "
“ Of all the creatures that walk the face of the earth,
Dogs have chosen us, And us alone, to share their lives with.
May we prove worthy of such a gift.”
~~~ Anonymous ~~~

[here_we_go_again]

I do not think that the press got the full story of why the dog was put down. Also, people who live on farms and ranches often,
because of the realities of farming and ranching, often do not view animals the same way that city and suburban folk view their pets.

*Kristi Noem has stated that the dog was not a "pup". That it was an older dog with a habit of attacking the livestock on her family's ranch.*

Given Hillary Clinton's reputation for telling her version of "the truth" (that differs from the version held by others who witnessed the
same events) and her dissing of women involved in politics; I would not pay much attention to anything that Hillary (or Bill) Clinton
have to say about this situation.

[verlongates]

You REALLY don't have to be a 'dog expert' to KNOW that (assuming Noem's own version is even a little bit accurate) this was WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. And, as if killing the puppy without any real justification wasn't bad enough, it was STUPID, STUPID, STUPID to think people would admire her for putting it into the book. Wouldn't it be hilarious if it were to turn out that "Cricketgate" was all made up by Noem to impress Trump, and that none of this actually happened. I would LOVE to hear how her (now grownup) children viewed and/or remembered this incident.

[baba]

All MAGA women have the same look… crazy

[Soccermom]

Grow up people. Gov Knoem grew up on a ranch. This dog had a purpose and it wasn’t to bite the owners.