Kristi Noem, Possible Running Mate for Donald Trump, Stands by Controversial Decision to Shoot ‘Dangerous’ Puppy

A possible running mate for Donald Trump in the US election has been defending her decision to shoot her family’s puppy, claiming the animal was deemed “extremely dangerous”.

Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, explained on Fox News that the 14-month-old wirehair pointer named Cricket was considered a “working dog” rather than a puppy.

She recounted that the female dog had been received from a family who found her too aggressive, and had reportedly attacked a neighbor’s livestock on the day she was put down approximately 20 years ago.

The Republican governor emphasized, “At that time, I had young children, many small kids around our business and individuals, and I wanted to ensure their safety.”

Ms. Noem, who is being evaluated as the Republican nominee for vice president in this year’s US election, reiterated that the dog posed a significant risk.

The revelation of Ms. Noem’s action of killing the wirehair pointer was initially disclosed by The Guardian last week following the release of her book, “No Going Back: The Truth On What’s Wrong With Politics And How We Move America Forward,” set to be published this month.

Since then, she has defended her decision multiple times.

The mother-of-three wrote in her book that she had taken Cricket on a bird hunting expedition with experienced dogs to try and calm her down.

Despite her efforts, she claimed the dog attacked a family’s chickens and turned on her, prompting her to lead the dog to a gravel pit and put it down.

Critics have condemned Ms. Noem for not training the dog as experts who work with hunting dogs suggested she could have done instead of resorting to lethal means.

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Democratic Minnesota governor Tim Walz shared on X: “Share a photo with your dog that doesn’t involve shooting or disposing of them in a gravel pit. I’ll go first.”

The post included an image of him feeding ice cream to his Labrador mix named Scout.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign showcased a picture of the US leader walking on the White House lawn with one of his three German Shepherds.

Mr. Biden’s dogs who have reportedly bitten staff members have either been rehomed or removed from the president’s residence in Washington.

Ms. Noem aims to portray her decision as an example of her readiness to make tough choices.

She expressed on social media platform X that the choice to euthanize the dog “wasn’t easy, but often the easy way isn’t the right way”.

Reynold Nesiba, the South Dakota Democratic Senate minority leader, believes that Ms. Noem’s decision to disclose the incident in her book is strategic, suggesting that there has been a longstanding rumor among politicians that the governor had killed her dog in a moment of anger.

“She knew that this could be a political weakness, and she felt the need to address it upfront, before it could be used against her,” stated Mr. Nesiba.

“Why else would she include it in her book?”