Target: Kristi Noem, Governor of South Dakota
Goal: Take responsibility for reportedly fatal shooting of puppy.
When South Dakota governor Kristi Noem released a new memoir, it was not descriptions of her political career that drew the most attention. Instead, critics—and animal rights advocates—have zeroed in on a passage in which Noem describes killing her pet puppy roughly two decades ago. The dog, a wirehair pointer named Cricket, was only 14 months old when Noem claims she “put her down” by shooting her.
In the book, Noem describes Cricket as “untrainable” and “worthless as a hunting dog.” She also says of the puppy: “I hated that dog.” Noem defended the reported shooting by claiming that Cricket had “disrupted” a pheasant hunt and had also attacked chickens on a farm.
Critics condemned the callous way Noem described the incident and categorized her actions against a puppy that was still in her developmental stages as horrifying overreach. For example, Noem described the hunt that helped solidify her decision to allegedly shoot the puppy in the following terms: “she went out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life.” These actions sound like typical behavior for a young dog…a dog that was apparently too young to even be trained for hunting purposes.
On the same day that Noem shot Cricket and disposed of her in a gravel pit, she reports that she also shot to death a goat under her care. And, according to Noem’s own account, this goat likely suffered. It was shot once, and when Noem left to retrieve more bullets, the goat was shot again. Animal welfare activists, and even many hunters, have placed the blame for the reported Cricket shooting on Noem for failing to train her dog properly and then making the animal pay the ultimate price for it. Recent South Dakota law even suggests Noem may have committed an offense.
Despite the protests and the outcry, Noem continues to defend her actions and use this horrible account to score political points. Sign the petition below to demand a public apology from this unapologetic politician.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Governor Noem,
America’s preeminent animal welfare organization condemned you for “letting this rambunctious puppy loose on chickens and then punishing her by deciding to personally blow her brains out rather than attempting to train her or find a more responsible guardian who could provide her with a proper home.” They went on to say, “Noem obviously fails to understand the vital political concepts of education, cooperation, compromise, and compassion.”
Lest you dismiss these criticisms of your puppy shooting as the agenda of “woke” or “extremist” leaders and political opponents, the outcry from a wide spectrum of Americans on social media has been far greater (as #PuppyKiller demonstrates). Hunters, and your own political allies, have weighed in on your seemingly disturbing actions. As a politician and, more importantly, as a human being, you must recognize the gravity of your alleged actions against another living being.
Please reflect on your behavior, demonstrate genuine remorse via a public apology, and show through your actions that you care about all living beings by helping strengthen South Dakota’s animal welfare laws.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Office of the Governor
Kristi Noem is a monster. Being a governor does not warrant her the rights to murder her 2 innocent pets in cold blood…she just committed 2 felonies for ending their lives prematurely! Instead of raising awareness & stop Animal Abuse, she is doing the exact opposite. How is she a good leader? She should be removed from her office and banned from owning pets permanently! How can someone commit such heinous crimes and not serve jail time? A public apology is never gona stop her from doing what she believes is right in future…inhumanity.
She is a SICK BITCH!!
I expect more from a woman. This woman is a mental case. She is two-faced saying what is popular for her ambitions but not truthful. She has a poor excuse for shooting her own dog of 18 months. Will she do the same to her kids? Animals are the first to suffer then comes children. I am not a fan of this woman, her views, or her wishes to end the lives of those she finds not worthy of living.
Such people are dangerous for animals and people as well. SHAME ON HER!
If she couldn’t handle the PUPPY she should have given it to someone who could, it doesn’t matter if this happened 20 years ago or 20 days… a murder is a murder, she is a poor excuse for a human and in turn has no business trying to run a government…
She’s NOTHING but a heartless, brain-dead piece of human garbage and to think she’s a governor…the mind boggles at the mind-set of ‘those in charge’
This person has stated openly that she not only killed/murdered this pet who could have been an awesome dog in another home, but she kills animals whomever does not fit her needs….a goat she first of all did not take care of properly – then shot it, and three horses she decided had worn their time out….she doesn’t care what it is…..it gets killed her way! Note the NRA signs behind her!
Noem is a violent psychopathic b*tch. I hope she gets animal crutely charges piled on her a$$.
Any public apology from this evil woman would be hollow, meaningless, because she is rotten to the core and cannot be changed from the cruel and brutal person she is. This woman has absolutely no compassion or empathy for other living beings, so how on earth is she likely to make a good politician anyway? She is obviously a greedy and nasty person, so do not cote for her!
This person is totally unfit for having animals, ever. She has absolutely no empathy whatsoever for any living being.
Don’t forget how she handled the Covid pandemic. It was a debacle in her state. She kept everything open, and over a million South Dakotans died. She lied about the number of deaths from Covid in her state. She downplayed the amount of deaths. She should never be able to have any animals. She shouldn’t be allowed to be in a position of power either. This person is deplorable.