Politicians and dog experts are criticizing South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem after she wrote in a new book about killing a rambunctious puppy.

Politicians and dog experts are criticizing South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem after she wrote in a new book about killing a rambunctious puppy. The story — and the vilification she received on social media — has some wondering whether she’s still a viable potential running mate for presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Experts who work with hunting dogs like Noem’s said she should have trained — not killed — the pup, or found other options if the dog was out of control.

Noem has tried to reframe the story from two decades ago as an example of her willingness to make tough decisions. She wrote on social media that the 14-month-old wirehaired pointer named Cricket had shown aggressive behavior by biting.

“As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy,” she said on X. “But often the easy way isn’t the right way.”

Still, Democrats and even some conservatives have been critical.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    7·
    5 months ago

    That wasn’t exactly why, according to the article. This was, apparently, the shittiest attempt at damage control I’ve ever seen.

    But South Dakota Democratic Senate Minority Leader Reynold Nesiba considered the disclosure more calculated than stupid. He said the story has circulated for years among lawmakers that Noem killed a dog in a “fit of anger” and that there were witnesses. He speculated that it was coming out now because Noem is being vetted as a candidate for vice president.

    “She knew that this was a political vulnerability, and she needed to put it out there, before it came up in some other venue,” he said. “Why else would she write about it?”

    She also writes about shooting a goat the family owned because it was mean to her kids.

    She has basically no chance of being Trump’s VP now, but this is the level of quality he’s looking for in a candidate.

    • NovaPrime@lemmy.ml
      3·
      5 months ago

      She basically has no chance of being Trump’s VP now…

      Disagreed. This cements her as the front runner. She’s had the cosmetic surgery to give her that far-right plastic bimbo look, she’s cruel to animals and brags about it (Trump famously hates animals and pets), she’s a woman and someone who wont upstage him in the spotlight, she kisses his ass religiously, and she’s generating controversy to take away heat from whatever insane shit he’s doing this week. She’s the lock in. You think Trump gives a shit about traditional “electability?” It’s been clear since he started campaigning the second time that any and all guard rails that may have been there the first time around are gone. His entire platform is just cult of personality. There is no policy. He doesn’t care which traditional voter block she can attract/rebuff. She’ll be there to look pretty, back up everything he says, and not upstage him. Nothing else matters for him.

      • wjrii@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        5 months ago

        Nah, while he’ll be sympathetic, Trump has a crude grasp of the notion that his base likes dogs, same as his crude grasp of the notion that they like the Bible. He’ll move down the list and give her a political appointment if he wins.

        • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world
          1·
          5 months ago

          His base likes dogs and also likes killing dogs.

          I grew up in the south. I have heard countless stories about killlng dogs who don’t perform well on a hunt. This is how conservatives brag about how little empathy they have, because they see empathy as weakness. They use these stories to show that they are happy to kill anything for any reason. This kind of story is so common here that happily killing animals seems fundamental to being a conservative.

          I assure you, his base is in no way offended by her story of killing a puppy.