Kristi Noem Doubles Down on Decision to Kill Family Dog, Adds That She Killed 3 Horses “a Few Weeks Ago”

Days after it was revealed that her new book includes a graphic account of her killing a pet dog (and goat), South Dakota governor Kristi Noem has doubled down on having committed pooch-icide, claiming the story is evidence that she’s an “authentic” leader.

Taking to X following deafening backlash—she was dubbed “evil,” “trash,” and “Jeffrey Dahmer with veneers,” among other things—Noem wrote Sunday that she “can understand why some people are upset about a 20 year old story of Cricket, one of the working dogs at our ranch.” She included the bizarre anecdote, though, because she believes “people are looking for leaders who are authentic, willing to learn from the past, and don’t shy away from tough challenges,” i.e., shooting their own dog. She added, for those wondering if criminal charges might be possible, that “South Dakota law states that dogs who attack and kill livestock can be put down.”

Noem’s weekend comments followed earlier remarks addressing the dog-killing story. On Friday, she said on social media: “We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm. Sadly, we just had to put down 3 horses a few weeks ago that had been in our family for 25 years.” That’s right, she added to her publicly known body count!

As we wrote last week, “while the tales of dog- and goat-killing probably won’t play well with many Americans, as most famously love dogs and regard them as family members, they might actually win her points with the ex-president, who famously hates man’s best friend.” On Monday, Semafor reported that “the median reaction when…checked around Trumpworld was ‘WTF,’ although some noted her chances [of becoming Trump’s running mate] were considered slim already—her take on abortion is to his right, and she filmed an odd infomercial for a Texas dental clinic last month, among other issues.”

On Monday, former White House comms director Kate Bedingfield told CNN: “If you are on day four of explaining your literal puppy murder, you are not winning.”