The Guardian obtained a copy of Noem’s soon-to-be released book, “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward.” In it, she tells the story of the ill-fated Cricket, a 14-month-old wirehaired pointer she was training for pheasant hunting.

On the way home from the hunting trip, Noem writes that she stopped to talk to a family. Cricket got out of Noem’s truck and attacked and killed some of the family’s chickens, then bit the governor.

“At that moment,” Noem writes, “I realized I had to put her down.” She led Cricket to a gravel pit and killed her.

She writes, according to the Guardian, that the tale was included to show her willingness to do anything “difficult, messy and ugly” if it has to be done. But backlash was swift against the Republican governor, who just a month ago drew attention and criticism for posting an infomercial-like video about cosmetic dental surgery she received out-of-state.

  • @some_guy
    link
    10823 days ago

    “I hated that dog,” Noem writes, deeming her “untrainable.”

    Sounds sane to me. Hating animals is cool.

    • Flying Squid
      link
      fedilink
      18
      edit-2
      23 days ago

      I have a pretty close to untrainable dog (she basically flunked out of obedience training) because she’s incredibly stubborn and I still love her with all of my heart.

      • @some_guy
        link
        220 days ago

        That’s the right answer. My kitties keep eating the flowers my partner brought home. We don’t get mad at them. They’re cats!

        • Flying Squid
          link
          fedilink
          120 days ago

          My dog once brought in half a rabbit through the dog door in the middle of the night and there was blood everywhere. We never found the other half of the rabbit.

          Strangely enough, I didn’t lead her into a gravel pit and shoot her, I just told her she was a bad dog.