Republican South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem wrote in her soon-to-be released memoir, No Going Back, that she fatally shot her 14-month-old family dog, Cricket, which she described as “untrainable.”
Democrats and Republicans alike have voiced outrage over Noem’s admission. Conservative journalist Miranda Devine of The New York Post and Fox News wrote: “We’ve finally found an issue that unites the country — Trump’s potential VP pick shooting her dog.”
Rep. Dusty Johnson defended fellow SD Republican Kristi Noem after she wrote in her book that she shot and killed her 14-month-old dog.
“Life is a little different in rural America,” he told me.
“I would tell you that people are going to handle those situations differently. I…
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 30, 2024
U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD) defended Noem. He told CNN: “Life is a little different in rural America. I would tell you that people are going to handle those situations differently. I know Kristi. And clearly she handled that, I think, with as much humanity for the animal as was needed.”
Johnson added, “I will tell you, there are lots of people in rural America, who if an animal’s got to be put down, they would do that themselves. I know most people would go to the vet, but I would tell you that Kristi Noem was not the first or the one thousandth, you know, farmer or rancher that’s put down an animal themselves.”
Americans who were raised on farms are also voicing outrage on X including one Navy veteran who wrote: “I grew up on a farm. Putting down a farm animal that is in pain is one thing. Shooting a pet? No.”
Note: Rep. Johnson, who took over Noem’s seat in the House in 2019 when she became governor, is running for re-election and will not face a primary challenger.
Johnson will face the Democratic candidate Sheryl Johnson, a retired businesswoman who “voted Republican for over 30 years, but realized the party’s values no longer aligned with hers and switched.”