Kristi Noem, Trump’s Vice Presidential Candidate, Defends Shooting Her Dog – NPR

Kristi Noem, Donald Trump’s vice presidential candidate, has defended herself after her story claiming she killed a dog on her farm drew condemnation from Democrats and animal rights groups.

In his forthcoming memoir, the South Dakota governor describes killing an “untrainable” family dog ​​after a hunting trip. The Guardianwho said he had obtained a copy of the book, No Turning Back: The Truth About What’s Wrong in Politics and How We Move America Forward.

Noem said “Cricket,” a 14-month-old wirehaired pointer, was a female with an “aggressive personality,” according to The Guardian.

During a pheasant hunting trip, the dog became “crazy with excitement” and then attacked another family’s chickens. And when she went to catch Cricket, Noem said, the dog bit her.

“I hated that dog,” Noem wrote in the excerpt. The dog was “dangerous to anyone it came into contact with” and “less than worthless” as a hunting dog.

“I realized I had to put her down,” she wrote. The newspaper did not say when Noem said the incident occurred.

According to The GuardianNoem said she included the grisly story to demonstrate her willingness in politics to do what needs to be done, even if it’s “difficult and complicated and ugly.”

Animal welfare organizations criticized Noem for killing the dog.

Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, said, “There is no rational, plausible excuse for Noem to kill a young dog for normal puppy behavior.”

“Raising and caring for a dog requires patience and kindness,” he said in a statement. “Tens of millions of Americans who know and love dogs must wonder about a person who expresses hatred toward a young dog and kills her.”

Colleen O’Brien, senior vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), called out the governor for “letting this rambunctious puppy loose on some chickens, then punishing him by deciding to blast him.” personally the brain rather than trying to train it.” or find a more responsible guardian.

Democrats also criticized Noem, while holding her up as an example of how “extreme and dangerous” Trump and his allies are.

In a statement shared with The hillThe Democratic National Committee said: “If you want elected officials who don’t brag about brutally killing their pets as part of their self-promotional book tour, then listen to our owners – and vote Democrat. “

On Friday, Noem defended her decision to put the dog down.

“We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm,” she wrote. in an article on X. “Unfortunately, a few weeks ago we had to put down 3 horses that had been in our family for 25 years.”