Analysis: The Impact of Kristi Noem's Controversial Statement on Dog Owners

Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, hosts the daily program "The Dean Obeidallah Show" on SiriusXM radio. You can follow him on Threads. The opinions shared in this commentary are his own and you can read more opinion pieces on CNN.

The famous line, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog," is often attributed to late President Harry Truman. However, if you do decide to get a dog, it might be best to keep it away from GOP South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. In her new book, she reportedly boasts about shooting her 14-month-old puppy named Cricket because she believed the dog was "untrainable."

Dean Obeidallah

Dean Obeidallah

Noem, a potential pick for former President Donald Trump's vice presidential candidate, shares in her book that she took her energetic wirehaired pointer puppy to a gravel pit and shot him. The pup was lively and a bit of a handful.

How did this cruel and horrifying act come to light? Noem did not face a surprise question from an investigative reporter or get exposed on social media. Instead, as reported by The Guardian, the South Dakota governor disclosed the incident herself in her book "No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward." The Guardian revealed that it obtained a copy of the book before its scheduled release next month.

Unsurprisingly, the news of Noem shooting the dog sparked outrage in the media and online. Despite criticism from both liberals and conservatives, she stood by her decision, stating on social media, "We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm."

Noem then took advantage of the controversy to promote her book, encouraging readers to preorder "No Going Back" for more candid and politically incorrect stories. She even included a link for easy ordering.

I personally found the part in "No Going Back" where Noem talks about killing Cricket to be disturbing. I believe that many people, whether they own a dog or not, would share the same sentiment among the estimated 65 million households with dogs.

In a 2023 Pew poll, it was discovered that 97% of pet owners consider their pets to be family members. However, Governor Noem had a different view of her dog, Cricket. In her book, she expressed strong negative feelings towards Cricket, even going as far as saying she "hated" the energetic puppy. Noem felt that the pup was worthless after she disrupted a pheasant hunting trip by chasing after birds with great excitement.

Later on, Cricket managed to escape from Noem's car, leading to a series of unfortunate events. The dog ended up killing a local farmer's chickens and even bit Noem when she tried to control him. This incident was the final straw for Noem, as she realized that she had no choice but to euthanize Cricket. In an excerpt published in The Guardian, she wrote, "At that moment, I realized I had to put her down." Shortly after, Noem took Cricket to a gravel pit to carry out the difficult decision.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem takes the stage to introduce former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a South Dakota Republican party rally in Rapid City, South Dakota in September 2023.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem speaks on the stage ahead on the day she introduces former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to speak at a South Dakota Republican party rally in Rapid City, South Dakota, in September 2023.

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters/File

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South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem defended a book excerpt where she talks about killing a dog and a goat. Noem shared that her daughter, Kennedy, came home from school and asked about the dog, Cricket. Noem did not mention her response to her daughter in the excerpt, but she proudly stated that the act of killing Cricket and a goat on the same day showed her willingness to tackle tough and unpleasant tasks in life, and possibly in politics too.

Noem may have included the story of shooting Cricket in her book because she had heard that Trump did not like pets that many people love. Trump's ex-wife Ivana mentioned in her book "Raising Trump" that "Donald was not a dog fan." She talked about how Trump didn't get along with her poodle, Chappy, who would bark at him whenever he came near. Some studies even suggest that dogs can sense a person's character, so maybe Chappy had a good reason to bark!

Trump's dislike for pets might be why he became the first president in 120 years to not have a pet dog in the White House. It has been a tradition for presidents to own dogs since George Washington, who had two American foxhounds. Throughout history, most presidents from different political parties have been dog owners, like Abraham Lincoln with his mutt Fido, and Barack Obama with his Portuguese water dogs, Sunny and Bo. Even President Joe Biden has a pet dog named Commander, although he hasn't always been on his best behavior. Despite reportedly biting many Secret Service agents, no one has suggested any extreme punishment for the dog.

Trump was one of the few who did not own a dog, even mentioning at a 2019 rally that having a pet in the White House would seem insincere. It is possible that Noem, aware of Trump's dislike for dogs, thought that sharing the story of shooting Cricket could give her an advantage as the GOP's potential presidential candidate selects his running mate.

On the other hand, it is also possible that she believed recounting the story would make her more appealing to a certain type of heartless Republican, proving her toughness. However, this strategy may have backfired, and Noem herself may be realizing this. In a recent article on X, Noem seemed to adopt a more compassionate tone when discussing the decision to euthanize her dog.

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Noem wrote that she can see why some people might be upset about a story in her upcoming book, "No Going Back," involving Cricket, one of the working dogs at their ranch. The book contains a collection of honest stories from her life, including both good and bad days, challenges, difficult decisions, and valuable lessons learned.

"The truth is, according to South Dakota law, dogs that attack and kill livestock can be euthanized," she explained. "Since Cricket had previously displayed aggressive behavior by biting people, I made the decision that I did."

Let's see if this explanation helps to calm the public outrage. It's important to remember that people from all political beliefs are rightfully appalled by any cruelty towards animals, even if they may not always show the same level of respect and kindness towards other humans.

Editor's P/S:

Governor Noem's