PETA Slams Governor Kristi Noem over Killing Pet due to Poor Hunting Skills

Animal rights organization PETA has strongly criticized South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R-SD) after she shared a story about killing her 14-month-old dog “Cricket” due to poor hunting skills in her book, ‘No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward’. PETA Senior Director Colleen O’Brien said that most Americans love their dogs but consider Noem a psychotic loony for letting Cricket loose on chickens after a hunting trip before deciding to personally shoot her rather than trying training or finding an alternative home. According to O’Brien, the governor appears “not [to] understand essential political values of education, cooperation, compromise and compassion.” When talking about why she took her own dog for elimination and describing its subsequent brutal fate following shooting on a gravel pit as well as killing one of their goats named ‘nasty and mean,’ Noem revealed that after her daughter inquired regarding the whereabouts of Cricket upon arriving home, “Kennedy looked around confused” before asking: “Hey, where’s Cricket?” The governor admitted she would have been a better politician if not for sharing this story. In response to criticism over her actions, Noem posted on X that tough decisions like these happen all the time in farms and revealed they had recently put down three horses aged 25 years as well after being part of their family for such an extended period. She further used the post to promote her book while stating she loves animals but sometimes hard choices have to be made when it comes to farming practices, “if you want more real, honest and politically INcorrect stories that’ll make media gasp…” Noem is a potential running mate of former President Donald Trump. Her office reportedly refused The Washington Examiner request for further comments with staff pointing to the statement issued by O’Brien instead.