At a Glance
- Jurisdiction
- South Dakota
- Date
- 2024-04-27
- Status
- Resolved
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem faced mounting political and public backlash in late April 2024 after disclosures from her forthcoming memoir revealed she personally shot and killed her 14-month-old wirehaired pointer, Cricket, on the family ranch. NPR reported that Noem described the episode as a difficult but necessary decision involving an animal she deemed "untrainable" and a danger to those around her [1]. The account appeared in Noem's book, "No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward," obtained by multiple outlets ahead of its release [2].
According to NPR, Cricket had attacked a neighboring family's chickens and bitten Noem before Noem made the decision to end the dog's life [1]. In the book excerpt, Noem wrote that she had attempted to manage Cricket's behavior using an electronic collar, but ultimately led the dog to a gravel pit on the property and shot her following the chicken attack [2]. Noem offered a legal rationale for the act. "The fact is, South Dakota law states that dogs who attack and kill livestock can be put down," she said, adding that Cricket's bite directed at Noem herself further justified the decision [2]. The memoir also disclosed that Noem shot and killed a billy goat on the same day, describing the animal as "nasty and mean" and noting that it chased her children and frightened them [2].
The disclosures drew swift condemnation. According to NPR, animal rights advocates and Democrats decried the conduct as inhumane [1]. Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich stated publicly that Noem "killing the dog and then writing about it ended any possibility of her being picked as VP" [3]. The controversy carried direct political consequences for a governor who had been prominently positioned as a potential national running mate. Noem had been widely promoted as a contender for former President Donald Trump's 2024 running mate slot, with Trump himself confirming she was on his shortlist as of February 2024 [4]. Multiple Republicans with knowledge of Trump's deliberations told CNN that Noem had already fallen off that shortlist before the dog controversy broke, and that the episode confirmed to skeptics in Trump's orbit that she should not be in consideration [5].
Noem declined to retreat from the account. She acknowledged on social media that she understood why some people found the story upsetting, but framed the memoir broadly as a collection of "honest stories" reflecting good days, bad days, and hard decisions [2]. When asked whether the episode cost her a shot at the vice presidency, Noem declined to answer directly, characterizing Cricket as "a vicious animal" and the killing as an act of parental protection [3]. The book rollout was further complicated by a separate factual error: the memoir contained a passage claiming Noem had met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which her spokesperson later acknowledged was inaccurate and would be removed from future editions [3].
References
[1] NPR. (2024, April 27). Trump VP contender Kristi Noem responds to backlash over story about killing her dog. https://www.npr.org/2024/04/27/1247666219/kristi-noem-dog-controversy-trump-vp
[2] ABC News. (2024, April 29). Kristi Noem defends controversial decision to shoot dog: 'Understand why some people are upset.' https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/new-book-kristi-noem-writes-shooting-dog/story?id=109695091
[3] Newsweek. (2024, May 6). Kristi Noem's chances for Trump VP role unraveling. https://www.newsweek.com/kristi-noem-trump-vice-president-kill-dog-book-1897521
[4] CNN. (2024, April 26). Noem defends book excerpt where she describes killing dog and goat. https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/26/politics/kristi-noem-south-dakota-book-killing-dog
[5] CNN. (2024, May 3). Kristi Noem's book rollout has put the governor in an unwanted spotlight. But she had already fallen off Trump's VP shortlist. https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/03/politics/kristi-noem-book-trump-vp-shortlist