In a startling revelation from her upcoming memoir, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem disclosed that she had fatally shot her wirehaired pointer puppy and a family goat.
The confession has significantly affected her odds for becoming former President Donald Trump’s running mate, as reflected in the latest figures from the online betting market Polymarket.
Previously holding a 10% probability of securing the vice-presidential nomination alongside Mr. Trump, Mrs. Noem has seen her odds take a sharp downturn to just 4%, as reported by Newsweek. The disclosure has provoked widespread controversy and discussion among critics and supporters, prompting a response from Mrs. Noem‘s team.
As the scandal exploded, Mrs. Noem took to social media to offer an explanation.
“I can understand why some people are upset about a 20 year old story of Cricket, one of the working dogs at our ranch, in my upcoming book — No Going Back. The book is filled with many honest stories of my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions, and lessons learned,” the Republican wrote in a social media post that was published Sunday on X.
“The fact is, South Dakota law states that dogs who attack and kill livestock can be put down. Given that Cricket had shown aggressive behavior toward people by biting them, I decided what I did,” Mrs. Noem said.
The governor said the 14-month-old Cricket ruined a pheasant hunt when she went “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life.”
Putting the dog down was “not a pleasant job, but it had to be done,” Mrs. Noem said. “And after it was over, I realized another unpleasant job needed to be done,” she added, referring to killing a “nasty and mean” goat at the same gravel pit.
Later, she posted more of her explanation — and hawked her new book. “We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm. Sadly, we just had to put down 3 horses a few weeks ago that had been in our family for 25 years,” she posted on X.
“If you want more real, honest, and politically INcorrect stories that’ll have the media gasping, preorder “No Going Back,” she wrote.
• Staff can be reached at 202-636-3000.
