Noem’s Controversial Dog Killing Sparks Backlash, Threatens 2024 Bid

Governor Kristi Noem’s (R-SD) anecdote about killing her dog Cricket has caused widespread condemnation, potentially harming her chances of joining former President Donald Trump’s 2024 ticket. In excerpts from her book ‘No Going Back’, she revealed that after the puppy attacked a local family’s chickens during a hunting trip in South Dakota, Noem led Cricket to a gravel pit and shot it. This story has been met with outrage across political divides, including by animal rights groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, stated that “opposition to animal cruelty is universal” and called Noem’s actions a violation of society’s norms. Ford O’Connell, Florida-based GOP strategist, suggested the story may have ‘canceled her’. In addition, Cricket was not the only pet Noem killed; she also put down three horses in recent weeks, while during hunting trips 20 years ago, she shot a male goat. Her attempts to do damage control by claiming that “tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm” did little to placate critics who consider pets part of their families (according to Pew Research Center data). The negative attention and previous instances where Noem promoted questionable products could also dissuade Trump from selecting her as his running mate. During former President George HW Bush’s 1992 campaign, he famously claimed that “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” – Bill Clinton and Al Gore. In contrast to Bush’s popularity with his pets (including English springer spaniel ‘Millie’, who wrote a book in 1990), former President Donald Trump is the first leader of the nation since James Polk without one while occupying White House offices. When competing against Biden during the 2020 election, this was criticized heavily by opponents (Biden currently has two German shepherds). However, Major – one of his dogs – had to be removed due to frequent biting incidents involving Secret Service agents and White House staffers; both dogs have been involved in multiple such episodes.