Kristi Noem Attempts To Explain — Again — Why She Killed Her Dog, Saying It Was One of Her ‘Responsibilities’

After attempting to explain away the incident on Friday following a furor, she returned to social media Sunday to give it another shot.

AP/Toby Brusseau
Governor Noem of South Dakota on September 8, 2023, at Rapid City, South Dakota. AP/Toby Brusseau

Governor Noem is trying to explain why she killed her dog after an excerpt from her forthcoming book detailed how she executed the misbehaving animal, leading to outrage online. She says killing the dog was just one of her many “responsibilities” as a rancher.

In her book, which was shared with the Guardian, Ms. Noem explains that 20 years ago, she had a 14-month old wirehair pointer named Cricket who was incapable of behaving. The dog ruined a hunt for Ms. Noem and later killed her neighbor’s chickens. She then took the dog to a gravel pit and shot it. 

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