Kristi Noem isn’t going to be winning over the dog lovers
The Guardian’s article describes a section of Noem’s book, set for release next month, in which she recounted shooting her dog after deciding it was “less than worthless” and “untrainable.”
In her account, Noem grabbed her gun and led the dog, named Cricket, to a gravel pit.
“It was not a pleasant job, but it had to be done. And after it was over, I realized another unpleasant job needed to be done,” Noem wrote.
She then went on to kill a family goat, which she called “nasty and mean.” Noem also led the goat to a gravel pit, where she said her first shot wounded but did not kill the animal. She got another shell for her gun and killed the goat, according to the book. …
Noem was lambasted Friday on social media; some said they were “horrified,” while others posted pictures of their dogs.
Although I’m fond of dogs, my first thought was about something I learned when I first moved to New England over a half century ago: the fact that back then, outside of cities, many people considered their dogs working animals and if they weren’t up to snuff they were shot. I’ve heard many stories from people in my generation about that sort of thing happening to them as a child: a parent taking the animal somewhere out of sight and killing it because it was worthless for work.
Now I see that Noem herself gave the same explanation:
“We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm,” she said in a post to X …
Nevertheless, it’s not something that’s going to endear her to most voters today, to say the least.
The White House took the opportunity to post photos of the president “walking with the family dog Commander, who has had various biting incidents.” Apparently Commander is a serious serial biter who probably should be put down, so this is quite the contrast.
In addition, Noem is – or was – considered a contender to be named as Trump’s VP, and so this certainly seems a counterproductive revelation on her part. What’s more, Trump isn’t keen on dogs, although I doubt anyone is using that as the deciding factor in whether or not to vote for him. But Noem may now be out of contention.
The background to all of this is that plenty of untrainable (or untrained) dogs or just surplus dogs are euthanizeed all the time in the US, it’s just that people outsource the coup de grace now. Here are some animal shelter statistics.
A family friend recently had her family dog put down. He was wonderful with the family but aggressive with outsiders, despite training and much effort, and they decided the risk of keeping him was too high. They outsourced the killing to their vet. Noem merely did the job herself. Biden should either have invested the time and energy into training his dogs, or he should have had them euthanized after it became clear they were dangerous to staff.
My first heartbreak occurred when my dad took Sooty Boy (my first dog) down to the creek behind my grandmother’s house on the farm and murdered him in cold blood – ‘SNIFF‘.
Hated visiting granny after that. We had just arrived for a yearly visit, and Sooty Boy bolted for the chickens and killed one – Ditto on the ‘SNIFF‘…
I read this earlier today and wondered why she would put that in a book and then it dawned on me that the story might be known by a number of people in her state and having the story in the book might let her get in front of what might be a deal breaker. Putting a dog down is usually a difficult situation but a lot of us have had to use the vet to send a dog on its way.
When my son was three years old we had an old dog who was getting cranky and one day the dog snapped at my son and cut a little slice on his arm. The next morning the dog was at the vets to get put down. Dogs have incredible power in their jaws and teeth that are designed to do what canine carnivores do,
they bring down game and devour it when they live in the wild.
Part of the responsibility of starting a dog from a puppy is socializing the dog so that it feels secure and does not bite people, even dogs that are trained for protection and combat are trained to be under control. I have owned a number of dogs including one real fine German Shepherd years ago and he was huge and he was never a threat to anyone. Most of my dogs have been Brittanys raised, trained and used for hunting and some field trials and they were secure, wonderful dogs who enjoyed pointing and retrieving birds for me, not bothered by gunfire and great hunting companions.
My favorite dog, a male Brittany named Happy, was incredible on dove, quail and pheasants and when a dog like Happy ages on out that is a most sad day and it is like losing a family member. So I understand the feelings some people have for dogs and at the same time I understand the good reasons that occur for dogs to be put down and the circumstances in Noem’s case make perfect sense however the additional info about the gravel pit and feelings about shooting the dog might have been best left out. It would have been enough to say that a troublesome dog that the family owned got loose and killed a lot of the neighbor’s chickens and the family had to have the dog put down and that was too bad.
Back to the dog in the White House, Commander, that was a complete disaster, bringing and untrained, insecure mess of a dog into a busy environment and allowing it to continue to hang around and bit a lot of people is one more sign of the poor judgment of the Biden family.
A dog that attacks livestock MUST be put down. Most of the stories I’m reading mention it chasing away the pheasants but not killing the chickens. This is deliberate.
OTOH, I’m pleased this came out now rather than October.
When I was a kid in the 1970s, our part German Shepherd dog, ” Smokey”, who was very protective of me, got loose and attacked the neighbor’s sheep. I still remember my dad going out the door with the rifle.
My dad said something along the lines of ” Once they start killing , they will not stop.” I didn’t understand it at the time, but having been on the other end, I do.
Of course now days, if you don’t outsource it to a vet, you may get charged with animal cruelty.
My last six dogs including the current terrorists (Jack Russell mixes who hat every non human animal) have been rescues. I’m not sure how many rural rescue shelters there are in SD.
The first dog we had was part Vizsla and part Kuvasz. The latter is not a good breed for suburbia. First he bit me, then he bit mom. So he “was sent to a farm in upstate NY” as we little kids were told.
Not being there at the time I’m not going to judge Kristi.
I did have to put my last two dogs, one because her dementia got too bad, and the other because he was probably 17, fluid sac around the heart and too many other health issues. God awful, but necessary.
If Noem had brought the dog to a vet to be put down, it would not raise any eyebrows.
If she herself had administered a lethal injection to her dog, it most likely would not have been seen as objectionable .
But she used a GUN;
and that’s really what is problematic for many folks.
I suspect that farmers and avid hunters / outdoors-men do not have a problem with what Noem did.
I guess one could say that Noem is capable of making tough decisions. She probably really hated doing what she did.
Then again, she probably knew that writing that incident in her book would disqualify her as a VP candidate. Maybe that was her plan all along.
You know John, I had the same thought. Maybe she just wants to be left alone and stay in South Dakota
She may be remembering Sarah and what the press did to her. Trump would not stand idly by and not go after the press, but the damage would be done.
Trump is back on my Temp list, after being able to keep silent during Johnson’s aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. With help from MSM he was able to destroy the Top 2 GOP presidential candidates, so getting a VP (with a great future) wasn’t going to be easy after that.
Then again, if Trump wins, then it’s gonna be all about him anyway – except for the mistakes, of course. So let’s look at possible choices involving inexperience, but definitely groomable presidential material, with the possibility of providing the GOP w/ a strong candidate in 2028.
Noem just destroyed her chances, IMHO. I didn’t care for her anyway. Let’s add some color to the Trump ticket!
Sen. Marco Rubio has plenty of experience – which is probably a negative in a Trump admin. And a tad too light in color.
Sen. Tim Scott – has experience, but that probably doesn’t hurt a gentleman like him. I’ve always liked him, and think he could even get along with Trump.
Rep. Byron Donalds – marijuana possession charges dropped in 1997, and a 2000 bad check charge that was “sealed and expunged”. Criminal tendencies are OK w/ me, but not sure about GOP.
Woman? I don’t believe Haley wants anything to do w/ Trump, but she has it all, IMHO. Reps. Elise Stefanik – I don’t really know anything about her, and she looks like a dud compared to Haley.
OK – I like Sen. Tim Scott as the VP choice on a Trump ticket…
UPDATE: Sarah Palin?
My husband grew up on a small farm and hunting and trapping helped make ends meet. His dad shot the dogs that didn’t work. My husband never had a pet dog until he was in his forties. He still has a hard time “getting” what out is a “pet” dog is for.
We’ve got two. I worry about the one — she’s a big dog and doesn’t like people showing up at our house. She’s getting really old now and doesn’t hear them so much. But I still worry about her biting someone.
Our younger dog is a rescue who was badly treated. He’s really come out of his shell, but every one in awhile I worry that he’ll bite someone or something.
So far, both leave the elderly cat alone.
It’s funny that my last dog was a lab that was bred for retrieving. The breeder bred to sell dogs for hunting but kept two waiting lists: the more expensive one for people looking for a champion retriever for hunting and if the puppies didn’t work out, there was the second list of people like me just looking for a companion dog.
A hunter had a deposit on her, but rejected her because her temperament for hunting was bad. (It really was!) So I got her. She was a big goofball and was too ADD to retrieve. Fifty years ago, my father-in-law would’ve shot a dog like her.
It’s interesting to me that Noem is writing a book! Or has written, I should say. I would have thought it a tad early in her life to be doing so.
I appreciate the dog stories here. I have none myself to speak of.
I hate this post.
Shooting dogs that won’t work is obscene.
Why not shoot people who won’t work.
Period.
She was smart enough not to lockdown but not smart enough not to phrase this properly theyve let cujo roam around the white house and other environs for three years
Weve seen how a worthless mountebank can be put in the naval observatory with seemingly no consequences against her great injury to the body politic
My Weimaraner knows Canada geese are not allowed in the yard, that is the upland portion. She will run them off. They are allowed on the shore and in the water and there she leaves them alone. She also knows Brown headed cowbirds are not wanted and chases them away as well. I see one I call “cowbird” and she races off to repel it.
Free advice to politicians, never, ever tell a story that can be construed as you mistreating dogs. Also, for some reason I can’t explain, I doubt the veracity her story.
“I hate this post.
Shooting dogs that won’t work is obscene.
Why not shoot people who won’t work.
Period.”
It wasn’t shot for not working, it was shot for killing livestock.
She claims it was for killing livestock. At this point I don’t believe her without corroboration.
As others here have said (specifically Jon Baker), in my formative years on a family farm, it was commonly accepted and known amongst all farmers that if a dog killed a chicken (or other livestock), it had to be put down, because they’d do it again. The livestock was a food (and sometimes income) source for the family.
The dog’s job (and they were/are considered working animals, not pets) was to be a protector of the family, and that includes their food and income sources. If it was no longer doing its job, it had to go and be replaced.
After reading not just the headlines, but the actual content of Noem’s story, I fully understand and agree with what she did and in fact think more highly of her for having done it and written about. Those who think food comes from the local grocery store need to understand reality.
I don’t know about untrainable goats but I do know a bit about dogs. With the caveat *based on what I read* in mind, I am appalled that Noem shot this young dog instead of re-homing her or taking her to a shelter.
I accept Noem’s description that the dog was not going to be trainable as a hunting dog, but the only description of viciousness was that the dog attempted to bite Noem one time. But the attempted bite happened when the dog was in the middle of attacking chickens and Noem, enraged and embarrassed, stopped her. This is a dog bred to have a certain amount of prey drive, doing what her instincts told her to do in killing the chickens, defending her kill against an enraged woman. All I could think about was how our sweet Standard Poodle/Wheaton Terrier mix, who has turned out to have a strong vermin-prey drive from the terrier side, is unstoppable when he finds a hapless groundhog in our yard—grabbing and shaking until the poor thing’s neck snaps. If there were six groundhogs in the yard at a time, I’m pretty sure our dog wouldn’t stop until they were all dead.
I don’t see Noem as being good national election material after this revelation. It might be a frivolous reason to reject her, in balance, but it’s too viscerally off-putting to overcome.
She took an untrained dog on a hunt? That’s not too bright.
Her story doesn’t ring true for me. I think she hated the dog because SHE, Kristi, couldn’t train her and the chicken attack is a made up excuse to kill the dog. So until the chicken attack is corroborated, I don’t believe her. But importantly it was stupid to share this. Now she will have to defend it for no benefit. All downside and no upside.
It astounds me that some can’t understand that all dogs aren’t your dog.
Planned Poochhood (PP)
Jeez, om. 😉 Dogs are man’s best friend – there’s been a ‘multi-millennia long history of close relations, loyalty, friendship, and companionship with humans.‘ Any politician talking about murdering one in cold blood (like my dad did to Sooty Boy) isn’t wanting to be Trump’s VP or they are just political morons.
Karmi:
She was responsible for her dog as your father was responsible for Sooty Boy.
Is she now a canine sociopath cruising the dirt roads of rural South Dakota killing all dogs that she could?
Something about the exception not making the rule might be considered.
Emotional manipulation, Karmi?
om
I dunno – she’s the one who murdered that dog in cold blood, and then bragged about it in a book – ask her.
Sooty Boy was my dog…maybe dad felt he was responsible for him thru his responsibility for me. I would’ve let Sooty Boy kill all granny’s durn chickens – heck, granny just wrung their necks anyway…
After much pondering…
Being the VP for Trump is probably a death sentence for most politicians (with some exceptions – like Tim Scott).
Kristi Noem, not wanting to upset the Trump MAGA radical mob, possibly was looking for a way out in case Trump picked her for his VP.
Let’s face it, murdering your own dog in cold blood isn’t going to gain you a lot of National Voters…
If you cant carry south dakota well i am a little struck how tone deaf she was
She was sensible when almost everyone succumbed to the lockdowns she was even branded a grandma killer (that is a crimson irony)
I don’t think Noem was wrong for putting the dog down when it had indicated a desire to kill a lot of chickens, at times a dog will do that and at that time it is a dangerous animal, just my opinion. Having said that I don’t think it was wise to share the information with other people and consider doing that something to feel good about having done the right thing.
The comments above on this event that have been shared on this conservative blog site are an indication of how different people feel about the demise of the dog. Every person is entitled to their opinion and the negative reaction here is an indicator of the reaction that can be expected, many times over by the general population and exponential times over by the left side of the nation. Noem is most likely over and done because some folks view dogs as smaller people wearing nice hair with puppy dog eyes and in the best case of putting dogs down it is a sad event for an older, on its last legs, sick friend and it is a sad trip to the vet to send the dog on its way to chase bunnies in the pretty fields somewhere up in the sky.
I do understand how some people have a very soft heart for animals and they don’t shoot them and eat them the way I have done most all of my life. I also think dogs, of all of the animals in the world, are special and they probably go to heaven if they have been good, or something. My eyes get misty remembering my old dog friends who have moved on so I respect those who find the method of ending the life of Noem’s dog as being wrong.
You need to stop fixating on the dog. There is something off here.
Or NPA voters? Electoral College, rural vs urban vs voters guided by feelz.
Say someone who based on feelz doubts the veracity of that “stupid woman.”
Domestic animals, especially pets are very dependent on the care of their human owners. I look at that dependence as a bond. When we take on a pet, we’re making a pledge to provide food, shelter, and medical care for all their lives. And when the time comes, we hire a vet to “put them to sleep.” They intuit that and pay us back with loyal companionship.
Yes, many owners use their dogs for hunting or herding – a practical use – but they still feel affection for them.
On a ranch, Noem’s home turf, a dog that begins eating chickens or other livestock must be put down. The choice is to do it yourself or have a vet do it. Doing it yourself saves time and money. So, her decision was a practical one. Most people, who don’t live on farms or ranches, would find this repugnant.
For ranchers and farmers, it’s just the way thigs are. They have to put down cattle, horses, sheep, hogs, chickens, etc. all the time. It’s part of their way of life. They can’t afford to get too attached to an animal or be squeamish about the fact that animals have a useful life, after which they must be dispatched.
My grandparents had a farm near Greeley, Colorado. I remember their practical approach to managing their animals. They were both devout Christians, and always said a prayer when they were getting ready to put an animal down. They recognized that the animal was a part of their life and tried to dispatch them as quickly and mercifully as possible.
Today 95% of the population know little or nothing about farm and ranch life. All they know is that food magically appears in the grocery stores. And even though we’re murdering one another at a high rate these days, most people could not bring themselves to shoot or kill a domestic animal, especially a pet. And that’s where we are. Noem is neither a villain nor a saint. She’s just a rancher who got into politics.
IrishOtter49 on April 27, 2024 at 6:34 pm said:
…
Why not shoot people who won’t work.
…
You say that like it was a bad thing. 🙂
Others have said that in the last century on a very large scale. It is generally considered to have been a bad thing.
Shoot them if they don’t work, shoot them if they don’t obey, shoot them if, for whatever reason. Soon it just becomes, shoot them.
Is the objection to putting the dog down because she didn’t use a vet vs. shooting the dog herself?
Is the objection that she didn’t try and find a home for the dog?
My in-laws had a dairy farm, and I saw a number of cows “put down” from an incurable illness or injury. They never used a vet– in fact when a vet was called in for a illness, it was only for their best producers. They were well equipped to handle most situations themselves. A vet is expensive and because of the distances, sometimes couldn’t help in time.
Without knowing the dog personally, I’ll trust that was the proper decision in that situation. It actually improves my view of her ability to make tough decisions.
I “put down” a pet one time– using a rifle and after that used the vet. Either way, it’s not easy.
New ad from Democratic party on new Trump/Noem ticket:
Vote Biden/Harris and save America’s Beloved Pets! This message approved by Joe Biden
UPDATE: 🙂 Before November, Trump and MAGA mob are going to figure out a way to give Biden 4-more years, and set up Harris for 8-more years after that…Jeez
Karmi, take a deep breath. Now is the time to get negative news out there.
I’m skeptical of Noem for VP, for other reasons. If Trump is leaning toward a woman for political reasons, the Gov. of Arkansas would be a good choice as well as Stefanik.
As to your list, you might as well scratch Rubio off the list– he was a co-sponsor of the legislation that makes it makes it impossible for a president (think Trump) from withdrawing from NATO without congressional approval.
Good to know that MAGA voters are a “mob” to the ever so insightful NPA.
plus hes another florida resident, marco has been fairly dissapointing for the kid from West Miami to make good,
it seems with the dems you can plug in a lawn elf, and the people say fine, then they throw her in with the Cigar Store Indians,
honestly what color is the sky on most people’s world, is is it a deep purple, mobs are rampaging through every major city, the people who wanted lock down the country and jail the unvaccinated, say its totes fine when terrorists sympathizers, roam the streets,
Brian E – sounds like you’ve seen that Democrat ad on Republicans shooting their Pets also. 😉
I listed Sen. Tim Scott as my VP choice on a Trump ticket in that list. Rubio probably wants nothing to do w/ Trump—who could blame him.
Yeah, I like Sarah Huckabee Sanders also, but Trump might best go with a black American…
hes perfectly fine, but for the progs ‘Scott is not black’ neither was Carson, or Cain or Thomas, besidest the Palmetto State is one he would automatically own,
The Dems are on it already. They’re running this with a “Vore for Trump/Noem or we’ll shoot this dog” caption.
https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.kMlvaoJeYmtw1nstl_ECfgHaE8?w=262&h=180&c=7&r=0&o=5&dpr=2.2&pid=1.7
I’ve thought all along that Trump would choose Tim Scott.
Per Wm. Schneider, your single best guess is that your VP candidate will net you 2% of the vote in his home state. Unless your VP candidate is from a contested jurisdiction, not much point in choosing him for electoral advantage. Schneider has also noted that VP candidates can cost you if they generate distractions, as did Thos. Eagleton and Geraldine Ferraro. You pick someone who can take over if necessary, who is generally in your corner on policy. Sarah Huckabee Sanders might fill the bill. Gov. Noem might fill the bill.
Little mention of the goat, but they can be pets as well, though a mean goat would be a danger. I would have sold it. Many cultures like goat meat. Our adopted son’s best friend was a Kenyan schoolmate. The family would slaughter a goat a couple times a year and have a big feast for the Kenyan’s in the area. His friend, Steven, went on to become a doctor– now working in an emergency room on the coast. Steven’s dad had a PHD in biology, so they weren’t what you might think of the typical immigrant family. And by slaughter I mean kill and butcher it in their garage.
We had a couple of pygmy goats when our kids were little and they were cute and obstinate. Not quite to the pet status. There’s a reason they have hard heads.
Maybe Noem was angling for VP, knowing that
Trump doesn’t like dogs? 🙂
Seriously, her alleged blatant affair with Corey Lewandowski should disqualify her from being an 81-year old’s heartbeat away from the most powerful job in the world. https://nypost.com/2023/09/15/kristi-noem-corey-lewandowski-affair-shakes-up-trump-running-mate-stakes/
Also, maybe it shouldn’t matter, but I find her personally rather unattractive, a bit witch-like. Something about her seems off.
She turned you into a newt. When will you get better?
Dogs are carnivores. They’ve been domesticated through ten thousand generations. But show the sweetest pup a baby rabbit and watch out.
And some dogs just snap. Relatives had a small dog, part dachshund, part something else. Had an attitude problem the trainer said was impossible. Never leave the dog around an infant.
Dogs are nice and sometimes I wonder if we deserve them. But when they give evidence of being really difficult and even dangerous, the best thing for everybody is to put them down.
Some folks I know have two dogs. Sort of didn’t get along but….okay. One went after the other. The latter is going to have immense vet bills. The former can’t be taken anywhere, let near people, especially kids. He’s, among other things, a massive liability lawsuit waiting to happen, not to mention whatever injuries might be inflicted on his next totally unexpected victim. The owners are uncertain about putting him down. As if his future behavior can be guaranteed.
There are lots worse ways to go than an overdose of some barbiturate… But a shot in the brain isn’t bad, either. Dead before you know it.
I don’t see the problem, except in the political sphere.
Hillary Clinton says ‘don’t vote for anyone you wouldn’t trust with your dog‘ – better hope Trump avoids Noem as VP…
Yeah, this is gonna stick forever, so Kristi will have to stay local, which is OK for shots at Federal Senate & House
There is nothing wrong with putting a bad dog down, even with a gun.
Noem did what needed to be done.
Erronius