South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a potential running mate for Donald Trump, is facing criticism for a story she shares in her upcoming book, No Going Back.
In the book, Noem recounts an incident involving her 14-month-old wirehaired pointer, Cricket, whom she was training for pheasant hunting.
According to the excerpts obtained by The Guardian, Noem took Cricket on a hunting trip with older dogs, hoping to calm the wild puppy.
However, Cricket chased the pheasants and later attacked and killed some chickens belonging to a family Noem stopped to talk to on the way home. Cricket also bit the governor during the incident.
Noem apologized to the family, compensated them for the chickens, and helped dispose of the carcasses. She then decided to put Cricket down, leading the dog to a gravel pit and shooting her. Noem also writes about killing a “nasty and mean” male goat that smelled bad and chased her children.
The excerpts have drawn sharp criticism from liberals on social media, with many people posting photos of their own pets in response.
President Biden’s reelection campaign and the Never Trump political group The Lincoln Project have also criticized Noem’s actions.
In response to the backlash, Noem defended herself on social media, stating that tough decisions like this are common on farms and that her family recently had to put down three horses that had been with them for 25 years.
She also urged readers to preorder her book for more “real, honest, and politically incorrect stories.”
Republican strategist Alice Stewart believes that while some Republican voters might appreciate Noem’s story as a testament to her grit, it ultimately creates a distraction for the governor.
Stewart emphasized that mistreating animals is never a good look and that she couldn’t imagine doing something similar or writing about it in a book.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.