Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) discussed her love for dogs while also defending a story about shooting a 14-month-old dog named Cricket, which she described as “dangerous.”
The anecdote of Noem’s killing of Cricket in her book No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward has sparked outrage. Noem, speaking on CBS Mornings on Monday, responded to the mounting criticism.
“I wanted people to know the truth, and that’s why I put that in this book. You know, this was a dog that — I was its second chance. It had come to me from a family that had found her to be way too aggressive. I was a dog trainer, raised dogs,” Noem said.
When asked by the anchors if she continues to love dogs, after shooting Cricket, she said that she does.
“Oh, I love dogs,” Noem said. “Yeah, I have a dear dog named Foster right now that goes everywhere with me.”
She also defended her actions against Cricket as being “humane,” arguing the method was lawful and that Cricket was an adult working dog.
“The purpose of telling the story was so that people would know I don’t pass my responsibilities on to anybody else. It was extremely hard for me, and that’s clear when you read the story, that it was it was difficult decision for me,” Noem said. “But when you have an animal that you, as a mom, you have to decide: Do I choose the safety of my children over an aggressive animal that attacks people? I chose as a mom for my children.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Noem’s book releases on Tuesday and has made headlines for alleged errors found in copies of the book — including a claim that she met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Center Street, the publisher behind Noem’s book, said on Sunday that it would be removing the part about Kim in reprints of the print version and “as technically possible on the audio and ebook editions.”
The South Dakota governor is considered one of the top contenders to be former President Donald Trump’s running mate in November.
