Noem says she shot ‘extremely dangerous’ dog to protect her children

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), who has been under the microscope this week over an anecdote about her dog’s murder, defended her actions Wednesday, saying she shot the “dangerous” pup to protect your children.

“He was an extremely dangerous dog,” Noem said Wednesday in “Hannity” from Fox News. “She came to us from a family who found her very aggressive.”

“We were his second chance. And she was – the day she was sacrificed was a day she massacred the cattle that were part of our neighbors,” she continued. “She attacked me. And it was a difficult decision.”

Noem added that she had to choose between “keeping my young children and others safe, or a dangerous animal, and I chose the safety of my children.”

She faced heavy scrutiny over the anecdote in her upcoming book, which was discovered by The Guardian after the outlet received an advance copy. In light of the reports, Democratic governors took to social media to mock Noem, posting photos with their dogs along with the caption: “Post a photo with your dog that doesn’t involve shooting them and throwing them in a gravel pit.”

According to the excerpt from the book, the state’s Mount Rushmore governor took the dog — a 14-month-old wirehaired pointer named Cricket — to a gravel pit on his property and shot him, writing that it was “not a pleasant job,” but “it had to be done.”

Noem, who was once seen as a leading contender to be former President Trump’s running mate in November, has likely doomed her chances of securing the vice presidential spot. The anecdote, combined with other controversies, left many Republicans scratching their heads and doubting their chances.

His anecdote drew parallels to a political episode from Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-Utah) 2012 presidential campaign, when he faced backlash over a story about him tying his dog to the roof of his car on a family road trip.

The senator rejected the comparison earlier this week, saying “I didn’t eat my dog. I didn’t shoot my dog. I loved my dog ​​and my dog ​​loved me.”

Noem has also doubled down on her decision in recent days.

“I can understand why some people are upset about the story of 20-year-old Cricket, one of our ranch’s working dogs, in my next book – No Going Back,” she wrote on Sunday. on social platform. “The book is filled with many honest stories from my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions and lessons learned.”