South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem's recent revelation that she shot her 14-month-old puppy, Cricket, has drawn criticism from humane communities and dog lovers across the country.
In her memoir due out in May, the Republican — who was former President Donald Trump's vice presidential candidate in 2024 — described shooting and killing an "untrainable" dog on her farm.
Humane societies recognize that while there are scenarios in which certain settings, such as farms, must make the difficult decision to euthanize an animal, there are many other alternatives that could have been exhausted before resorting to this extreme measure.
🔍what did you do?
According to The Guardian, which obtained a copy of Noem's upcoming book "No Turning Back: The Truth About What's Wrong in Politics and How We Move America Forward," Noem told a 20-year-old story about shooting a cricket , a haired pointer, which led to his death. He was supposed to be a hunting dog on the family farm.
Noem admitted that she "hated" the dog, recounting how Cricket tried to bite her and that he was "dangerous to anyone she came in contact with" and "less than valuable... as a dog." hunting".
She also described how the puppy destroyed her pheasant hunt and killed her neighbor's chickens.
The governor recalled how she decided to put the cricket in a gravel pit and kill it after the dog killed a farmer's chickens.
Noem's recollection of the puppy's killing sparked backlash from animal rights groups like PETA, who questioned the politician's judgment.
“Most Americans love their dogs,” Colleen O'Brien, PETA's senior vice president of media relations, said in a statement to Yahoo News. "We think they would consider Governor Noem a psychotic maniac for letting this rambunctious puppy feed on chickens, and then punish her by deciding to blow her brains out personally instead of trying to train her or find a guardian more responsible person who could provide him with appropriate treatment at home Noem clearly failed to understand the biopolitical concepts of education, cooperation, compromise and compassion.
However, Noem emphasized what she called "difficult decisions" that happen "all the time on the farm" in several articles on X.
“Whether I was running the farm or in politics, I never handed off my responsibilities to someone else to manage,” Noem said Sunday on X. “Even though it was difficult and painful, I have followed the law and been a responsible parent, dog owner and neighbor.
⚖️Was it legal?
In her defense, Noem repeatedly said in X's post on Sunday that the killing was covered by state law.
“The fact is that South Dakota law states that dogs that attack and kill livestock can be put down,” Noem wrote.
South Dakota law states that it is legal to kill a dog when it disturbs the animal, which Noem said Cricket has done on several occasions.
The Humane Society of Sioux Falls says that while enforcement of this law is not common in South Dakota, it does happen, especially in rural areas like South Dakota, if the dog fails to serve its purpose , like hunting.
“We see this sometimes, what constitutes humane euthanasia,” James Oppenheimer, executive director of the Humane Society of Sioux Falls, told Yahoo News.
“One way to do that is to shoot him once in the head. What [Noem] chose to do is therefore neither illegal nor inhumane. “However, we don't practice that at the Humane Society here and most animal shelters and shelters don't do it,” Oppenheimer said.
🐾 What else could she have done?
Humane societies say that while some dogs are not good at hunting, 14 months is considered too young to determine that a dog cannot hunt. They also say there are better ways than euthanasia to manage a dog that exhibits aggressive behavior. The best option is to contact a local animal shelter.
“We will try to find another home for the animal and put it up for adoption,” Oppenheimer said. “There are a number of shelters that would have received cricket.”
Most shelters evaluate the dog, Oppenheimer said. If they consider it a dangerous animal, they will not put it up for adoption.
Intensive training is another option available to dog owners.
“We have an animal behaviorist at the Humane Society of Sioux Falls,” he said. "There are different trainers around the state who could have helped Cricket with more extensive training. If he is a shy dog or not a good hunter, we can try to train him to that it becomes a better pet, one that can be adopted or found with another family.
However, Oppenheimer admitted that some dogs are untrainable and can really struggle in a home environment.
“The fact that she owned a dog that had been purchased or used for hunting and was not a good hunter means the environment was not suitable for that dog.” » said Oppenheimer.
A Glacier Lakes Humane Society shelter worker, based in Watertown, South Dakota, offers alternatives to euthanasia when dealing with an aggressive dog.
“There is always an animal control department, the sheriff's department, the police department that can be called to help in any situation where a person is too afraid to handle an animal,” the employee told Yahoo News , who chose to speak anonymously. “The sheriff and police have trained the personnel and tools necessary to deal with aggressive dogs.”
The worker said he would never recommend shooting a dog and that killing a dog should always be done humanely in a veterinary clinic.
🐕 What type of dog breed?
Cricket was a German wirehaired pointer. According to the American Kennel Club, these high-energy dogs are known to be very easy to train and are "more likely to respond to any perceived threat." In general, they are very affectionate dogs and can be used for hunting.
However, Oppenheimer pointed out that just because some breeds are considered "hunting dogs," they may not be the best hunters and would be better suited to a home.
“They are predatory dogs,” Oppenheimer said. "But we discovered that he can be nurtured as much as by nature, and that each animal has its own personality. Obviously, we don't know what this dog's personality is...but someone who doesn't can- be not planning to use it because hunting might adopt this type of dog.