South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Wednesday reiterated her defense of shooting and killing her family’s dog, which she reportedly details in a forthcoming book.
Noem, who is considered to be a potential running mate for former President Donald Trump, said in a Fox News interview that the dog was “extremely dangerous.”
“It had come to us from a family who had found her way too aggressive,” Noem said, adding that the dog “massacred” neighbor’s livestock the day of the killing.
Noem said that her dog, who was 14 months old, was a “working dog” and “not a puppy.”
“At the time, I had small children, a lot of small kiddos that worked around our business and people, and I wanted to make sure that they were safe,” Noem told Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
The South Dakota governor said that she included the anecdote in her book “because this book is filled with tough, challenging decisions that I’ve had to make throughout my life.”
The Guardian first reported Noem’s account of shooting her dog after obtaining a copy of the book set to publish next week. The story described an instance when the dog, Cricket, killed a family’s chickens. In her book, Noem reportedly described the dog as “less than worthless” and “untrainable.”
When Noem decided to kill her dog, she grabbed her gun and led the dog to a gravel pit, according to the report.
Noem received sharp criticism after The Guardian’s article, but she has defended her actions multiple times.
On Sunday, Noem reiterated that her decision “wasn’t easy. But often the easy way isn’t the right way.”
After The Guardian’s story, a string of politicians posted pictures of their dogs with the caption “Post a picture with your dog that doesn’t involve shooting them and throwing them in a gravel pit.”
