Once considered a top contender for Republican Vice Presidential candidate, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem may have shot herself in the foot by telling her readers in a new book that she once shot her dog for being untrainable. Now, conservative animal lovers are coming out of the woodwork to denounce her fitness for public office. Is it animal cruelty, or is it a cultural difference between pet lovers in the city versus livestock owners out on the ranch?
Initial Outrage
Governor Noem wrote in a new book that twenty years ago, she once killed a young dog who she claimed could not be trained to behave and was aggressive with others. Noem is a rancher in South Dakota, where she says, “The law states that dogs who attack and kill livestock can be put down.”
Expert Criticism
Some have argued that Noem should have put effort into training her dog rather than shooting it. They argue that her actions were extreme and inappropriate. Noem responded to this challenge, stating that she included the story in the first place to show that she was willing to do anything “difficult, messy, and ugly” if it needed to be done, as often is the case at the high levels of political office. This context shows that Noem did not want to shoot her young dog but felt it was necessary at the time.
Noem’s Defense
Noem’s new book, “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward,” focuses on making tough choices and sticking with them. This is the heart of leadership. She shares the story of her dog, Cricket, as an illustration of having to make a tough yet necessary decision in light of her dog’s aggression.
Political Fallout
While Noem points to her rural and ranching lifestyle as a reason and justification for her decision that many other Americans may not relate to by virtue of their different life experience, not all rural conservatives agree, Conservative pundit Tomi Lahren, for one, does not agree that Noem’s actions are in accordance with a typical rural or ranching lifestyle.
Public Perception
There seems to be little more that an otherwise relatively well-liked politician can do to attract anger and rage like a lightning rod than offend pet lovers’ sensibilities. Noem has been made out to be Cruella De Vil online, with memes and condemning posts being widely and quickly disseminated.
Expert Opinion on Noem’s Actions
The head of the German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America condemned Noem, attacking her for being cruel and foolish. The club described German Wirehaired Pointers as requiring consistency and patience in training, charging that Noem was neither consistent nor patient, even though the incident occurred twenty years ago.
Political Strategy
Political opponents questioned why Noem would willingly disclose the story herself and suggested that she wanted to get ahead of the negative press if and when the story emerged during a vetting for the Vice Presidential spot. It is not obvious, however, that this story would have ever been brought to light if Noem had not mentioned it herself.
The Incident Details
In “No Going Back,” Noem details taking her puppy Cricket on a hunting trip and, after a pattern of misbehavior, having to shoot the dog.
Official Responses
While few prominent public figures on the national stage have yet come to Noem’s defense, many politicians have taken to the internet to share their own pet stories in contrast to Noem’s. For example, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz responded with a critical post and told a more positive story relating to his own pets. Walz wrote on X, “Post a picture with your dog that doesn’t involve shooting them and throwing them in a gravel pit.”
Comparison with Presidential Pets
Of course not all animals are well behaved. President Biden’s own pets have had issues with aggressive behavior at the White House but the issues were addressed from a safety standpoint rather than through killing the animal. Still, it is a fair point to contrast family pets with working ranch animals.
Historical Perspective
Michael Knowles, a conservative commentator, suggested that the deed of euthanizing her dog might contravene social norms today, but perhaps not when the event occurred two decades ago. Norms have changed significantly since the 2000s in many areas of daily life.
A Political Dead End
Many like Knowles have also acknowledged that the debate over the event is largely moot at this point because the resultant public perception of Noem will disqualify her from the office of Vice President or higher office in the future.
Training and Handling Advice
Experts on Cricket’s breed of dog note that the puppies need individual and consistent training to be successful hunting dogs. The implication is that Cricket did not receive this care from Noem.
Call for Accountability
While animal rescue groups have called upon Noem to apologize for her decision and work to promote animal welfare, Noem has stood behind her decision as she recounted the experience in her book.
Personal Disappointment
Like many Americans, Joan Payton of the German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America said that her personal opinion of Noem could not be decoupled from her decision to shoot her dog and that it tarnished her perception of Noem. Many now think that Noem will no longer be a top contender for vice president. With Noem potentially out, which female Republican will take her place as a top contender?
