First, South Dakota Governor Kristi L. Noem revealed the heartbreaking decision to euthanize her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, in her upcoming book, "No Going Back."
In the aftermath, she took to social media over several days to discuss the event. Her posts ranged from promoting her book to explaining her actions and, ultimately, attempting to deflect blame onto the media. During an appearance on Sean Hannity's Fox News show, Hannity, perplexed, asked, "Is there a difference in how you put a dog down? I'm not really sure."
In summary, Noem's continued discussion of her dog's euthanasia has puzzled many observers.
Tommy Vietor, co-host of "Pod Save America" and a former Obama administration official, remarked, "As the saying goes, if you find yourself in a hole, stop murdering your puppy — and stop digging."
The controversy began with The Guardian publishing excerpts from her memoir. The book portrays Cricket as "a trained assassin" with an "aggressive personality." Noem writes that after Cricket attacked a local family's chickens, she felt compelled to euthanize her.
Noem also recounts another incident where, emboldened by euthanizing Cricket, she decided to euthanize a "nasty and mean" family goat. The goat, however, jumped as Noem shot it, necessitating her to return to her truck for another shell. The scene concludes with Noem's children getting off the school bus, with her daughter asking, "Hey, where's Cricket?"
Despite the recent controversy, which has added to what some close to Trump privately considered her political baggage, Noem has persisted in telling her story about the untrainable dog.
The morbid fascination with the number of animals Noem has discussed euthanizing — three horses, a goat, a dog — extends beyond the so-called liberal media. A bipartisan group of lawmakers formed the Congressional Dog Lovers Caucus in response to the news.
Even Trump's allies have been left puzzled, with some questioning why Noem would include such details in her book. Dana Loesch, a radio personality, commented, "Why... would you write about this in a book and flex on it? That doesn't look tough. It looks stupid."
Noem's repeated retelling of the events has also led to criticism, including claims that her story has changed to portray her more favorably. However, a person close to Noem denied this, pointing to a line in her book where she describes Cricket as "untrainable and, after trying to bite me, dangerous to anyone she came in contact with."
Despite the ongoing controversy, Noem is continuing to promote her book, which is set to be released soon. She is scheduled to appear on CBS's "Face the Nation" to discuss the controversies surrounding her memoir.