Kristi Noem Panned Even More After Offering Excuses For Killing Her Dog

The South Dakota governor argued that she "followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor."

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) doubled down after revealing in her new book that she shot dead her own dog, with her latest comments prompting a second wave of backlash.

“I can understand why some people are upset about a 20 year old story of Cricket,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday. “The book is filled with many honest stories of my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions, and lessons learned.”

She argued that, under South Dakota law, 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,” she said. “Whether running the ranch or in politics, I have never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else to handle. Even if it’s hard and painful. I followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor.”

“As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy. But often the easy way isn’t the right way,” she added.