I think I’ve been on the road nearly every day this last week helping my oldest move to Brookings, taking my wife back to Spearfish, running child #4 to the Sioux Falls airport to return to DC, and working on campaign materials. Lots of windshield time to listen to what’s going on in the world, but not a lot of time to write about it. So, the big one in South Dakota related news..
Not sure that there are many people who haven’t heard about the Governor’s new book and the kerfuffle that’s arisen from the passage she wrote about a dog she made the decision to put down after it killed animals and turned to snap at her.
Noem’s book comes out in May. The Guardian obtained a copy and reported how Noem recounts the story of Cricket – a 14-month-old, wire-haired pointer – ruining a pheasant hunt and killing a neighbor’s chickens.
“I hated that dog,” Noem writes, adding that Cricket tried to bite her, proving herself “untrainable”, “dangerous to anyone she came in contact with” and “less than worthless … as a hunting dog”.
“At that moment,” says Noem, “I realized I had to put her down.”
And..
Noem defended her story on Friday, saying it demonstrated the harsh realities of rural life that only recently saw her family put down three horses too.
Farmer shoots dog that killed livestock. Despite all the pearl clutching attached to the reaction from people who are less rural than most South Dakotans, I don’t think it’s exactly a shocking headline in this state.
Whether or not is constitutes cruelty is a discussion we’ve actually had before, and not that terribly long ago, such as back in 2014 when the state’s current animal cruelty law was debated over raising it from a misdemeanor to a felony:
Sen. Larry Rhoden, R-Union Center, gave an example of an act he thinks should be legal but might be interpreted as a felony under the proposal: A neighbor of his killed his own dog with fencing pliers after the animal was caught killing another rancher’s sheep.
“It was humane,” Rhoden said. “The dog was killed instantly. But who interprets that?”
The proposed animal cruelty law includes, among a long list of exceptions, both “any humane killing of an animal” and “any reasonable action … for the destruction or control of an animal known to be dangerous.” Advocates of the bill told Rhoden those clauses would protect that rancher, though Rep. Anne Hajek, R-Sioux Falls, added that she doesn’t “feel really good about what (Rhoden’s neighbor) did.”
Read that here in the Argus Leader.
So, no. Not cruelty under South Dakota law. Not even close, despite the pronouncements of the on-line panels of judgement.
I might view it in a different lens, as in the last decade, I had a dog that exhibited vicious behavior. We treated it under advice of our vet. Training, anxiety meds. Nothing worked. After it had bitten our son for the second or third time, the last being kind of a nasty bite on across his stomach, we were out of solutions. Couldn’t rehome a vicious dog, humane society wouldn’t take it. Even our vet conceded that while they didn’t usually euthanize, they agreed to do so in this instance.
But I’m an urbanite. Had I been on a farm, I would concede that I might have taken a more expedient and hands-on approach, because that’s what those out in the country tend to do with their own animals. Although, unlike the example in legislative testimony, I don’t think I would have used fence pliers.
If a farmer or rancher’s animal is giving birth, they don’t necessarily call the vet. If one is sick, they might treat all sorts of things themselves. If an animal is killing or running down livestock.. well, historically, they also deal with that end of things themselves. It’s not something they’re proud of. It’s just handled.
Is that done less as time marches on? I would say so. Maybe. We could probably reduce the marginal or borderline cases further if our state actually had more veterinarians or a veterinary medicine program (currently 4 years at SDSU, then transfer to Minnesota to finish it) to turn out more of them.
I think we can all agree that we all like our dogs. But having had to make a far more sanitized version of the same decision with a problem animal, I can’t condemn someone living out on a farm for just dealing with it, as they have as long as there have been farmers & ranchers in the state.
As shocking as it may be to those on twitter and social media, sometimes farm stuff and dealing with animals isn’t pretty, but dealing with things directly does happen in South Dakota, and it’s just a fact of life that it happens.
I am a Republican and a conservative. I proudly voted for Noem twice (and both primaries). I think it’s terrible. I’ve spent plenty of time on a farm/ranch. No, people in SD do not just put down dogs everyday. Her reasoning did not at all justify the actions she took. How hard would it have been to give it away or take it into Watertown?
To me, what’s really shocking is the lack of political judgement she showed. This took her out of the VP race, which like it or not, she has been working toward for years. How did nobody read this beforehand? “Puppy killing Republican” is probably the worst thing you can be in politics, and she stepped right into that one. I think all the fame got to her head and she “flew to close to the sun”. Oh well, perhaps she can re-focus on being Gov of SD – which is a pretty good gig!
Anonymous at 9:09…. Excellent analysis. Having lived most of my life on the farm and small towns, I too know there are tough choices that naturally occur as part of rural life. But in Gov. Noem’s case, her choice to kill a high-spirited pet that wouldn’t hunt sounds gratuitous at best, but mostly it’s just cruel and unnecessary. In her account, she’s not sorry for it, only worried about the politics of it. Disgusting.
Why drag Larry into this? He’s just along for the ride.
I don’t like hearing about it any more than anyone either. But it does happen. End of life for a pet – I’m calling in the vet and paying $300 for a home visit. Farmers and ranchers have other means and it isn’t easy on them but a) why wait and b) why pay and c) they keep their pets right there on their land. And I’ve watched a few animals get euthanized in my arms. I’m not sure it’s quite as ‘painless’ as people make it out to be. As Pat stated, farmers and ranchers are essentially vets. Go look in the refrigerator at their house or barn sometime. The bad part about a dog and killing (which I’m shocked I haven’t seen mentioned yet) is once they get a taste of blood, it’s not going to be easily corrected if at all. Most of those dogs get put down. It just doesn’t get advertised…
Culling has begun early. Nicely written Ed💥
You are 1000% correct. Anyone think Pat’s response would be the same if it were Doeden or one of the west river whackadoodles that shot a puppy???
I’m not sure what you think I wrote but as is customary, you are wrong.
Since you are interested in my opinion on it, I will submit my thoughts shortly using my name so you won’t need to guess.
While I rarely agree with you on most of your commentary, Pat, I do agree with you on this one. As a veterinarian, I have treated and humanely euthanized dogs like these. Sometimes the dog is just “misunderstood” because people aren’t speaking it’s language or they are ignorantly overlooking a problem that the animal has, or maybe, the animal wasn’t socialized properly as a puppy or suffered from some traumatic event during a critical development phase. Sometimes, it’s a dog with good instincts, but in the wrong environment. Regardless, some just have abnormal brain chemistry or other issues that make them a hazard to humans and/or other animals in the confines of domestic life. Unfortunately, euthanizing animals is a reality in this life and has to be dealt with, as unpleasant as that may be at the time.
Everything you said is true, but at what point does she not bring the doc into the Vet to have it examined or humanely euthanized. My family has bred dogs like these for nearly 30 years and not restraining the dogs around chickens is asking for something bad to happen. “Hating” the dog also drives home the point this was the wrong type of dog for this type of owner. Wirehairs aren’t labs.
Your an actual vet in SD and your cool with just shooting the dog, when they could rehomed or at end humanly euthanized it….where do you work?
Having an untrainable Wirehair speaks more to the trainers inability to train than the dog.
Right. How did the box or kennel get opened? Hmmm. Was cricket set up?
How did the dog get loose to attack the chickens? She wanted it to hunt and kill birds right?
It seems obvious that she wanted to look tough and get headlines. Wow… did she get headlines.
I grew up on a farm. I witnessed my dad as he put down an injured dog. But the reasoning behind Governor Noem’s shooting of a 14 month old puppy is offensive to the vast majority of people.
We all know that young dogs can be naughty. So, to most people, Noem’s shooting of Cricket appears selfish, heartless and cruel. But then she goes and puts these details in her book?
As a result, all of those pictures of her posing with guns and flamethrowers look less tough… and more crazed.
Elk at 10:21…. You and I agree on an issue! Is it a sign of the Apocalypse?
I love you, Cliff. Now we can agree on two.
Anyone who has spent time around dogs that age — especially not trained well — are not surprised that the dog was excited. It’s still a puppy. The surprise here is that she thought it was relevant to brag about it and put in her book. Not a good decision. I think more problematic is that this sheds light on who she is as a person and how she makes decisions. She wants the audience to see someone willing to make tough decisions. But what the public sees now is a person with a hot temper and a lack of patience and compassion. We hear stories of her unwillingness to listen to anyone and to her tilt to making rash decisions – its one thing when we’re dealing with government policy or personnel — but maybe this incident with her dog really demonstrates how she approaches problem solving. Not good.
If this is what she’s willing to tell us she does what does she do that she doesn’t want to put in a book?
Anonymous at 8:02…. Good question.
This made me furious and sick to my stomach. It was a puppy!! If you don’t know enough to train your own dog AT IT”S CORRECT TRAINING AGE, then take it to someone who knows more. Hiding behind an outdated law doesn’t excuse this. Now we are another story for the nation. Only one person, who responded to a TV interview, called it as it was. The rest danced around this tragedy. She’s despicable.
Noem: i need to show people who I am as a person.
People: yikes
“It’s not something they’re proud of. It’s just handled.”
Here’s where your logic goes off track, Pat. I’m open to most of the rest of the argument, but Noem bragged about it in a book as an anecdote about why she’s a different kind of politician (and by extension worthy of being Trump’s VP).
This both shows the character of Noem and her lack of judgement. Even if she thought it was the right thing to do, not understanding how this would be perceived is baffling.
Her political career is over. Self inflicted mortal wound. Lololololololol.
Dog that lacked training embarrasses owner which causes owner to act aggressive towards it and the dog snaps back. Who could have predicted that? I’ve spoke to many west river ranchers and most all have said she has a screw lose. A dog the equivalent to a 9 year old isn’t behaving. Off to the gravel pit. Noem is a sociopath and pat is a shill. Her political career is over.
Yep! It is as common as if a South Dakota dude’s dog cannot get an ice cold beer out of the fridge and bring it to him sitting in his recliner, couch or out in the yard it gets shot. Time to get another beer dog.
If this were a hypothetical Gov. Billie Sutton admitting to shooting a puppy, Dakota War College would be demanding his resignation.
Anonymous at 1:52. Exactly. And now she’s blaming “fake news”. It’s her own words! If this were anyone from the other side of the political aisle, they sure wouldn’t be calling it “pearl clutching”. It’s a simple case of party over all else, integrity be damned.
Just read the story where she is blaming fake news. However, this is in her own words — not something made up by a news organization. Go read her book she says for the truth. They’ve already printed what she wrote! She can’t spin her way out of this one.
She is past the point of fighting this. “Go read her book” = Buy her book so she can at least make money off of this debacle and enjoy the good life.
She is apparently getting more detailed now – saying she shot the dog to protect her kids and that they got the dog from someone else who couldn’t handle it. IF that is true, why not put it in the book? And IF that is true, why not explain that in your social media response on Sunday? Likely because none of it is true. The story in the book, which some of us have heard going back at least ten years, is the true story. She’s never written or said anything about these new ‘facts’.
Anon 9:09 nailed it.
It was unnecessary to bring it, it reflects poorly on Noem as an owner/trainer, and the acts themselves are presented as being done on impulsive by Nome herself.
It’s an inexcusable unforced error and some are embarrassing themselves trying to both sides it.
At age 77, I’ve had several hunting dogs in my life, one of which was difficult and chased livestock, and while I didn’t have the heart to shoot it, the neighbor did the job humanely. I could have taken it into town and hired the vet to euthanize it. Frankly, the problem with that dog was with the owner. I didn’t spend enough time with the dog, did not have it trained as a hunting dog, did not have the dog engaged in a predictable routine with predictable rewards and outcomes. I was “too busy” at the time. I think the problem with “Cricket” was a very busy owner.
bad optics in the minds eye. that seems to be the common reaction. if you want gritty farm reality then watch heartland docs on HULU. a few prolapsed cows will set you straight on farm life.
Can we call a spade a spade?
We know what this is all about- a person who was elected governor who has less interest in what she can bring to that office versus what that office can bring to her. Unfortunately, we are dealing with a person who is far more interested in future aspirations. The past 6 years have been little more than a Kristi Noem Image Polishing Project morphed into a full-time audition to become a title-holding member of the Trump-MAGA Inner Circle.
This governor has shown far more interest in positions over policies and being seen an heard more than listening. It is about cultivating a fashionable list of enemies and looking for ways to pick fights with those groups. It is about showing up at the Rio Grande instead of seeking solutions at Pine Ridge. It is about writing books to get airtime on the Sunday morning news show circuit where she can throw more political Molotov cocktails from the comfort of a new studio in Pierre or Castlewood.
This whole dog thing was nothing more than a carefully calculated maneuver to show (a) that this governor can jump right in and do the dirty work and (b) can pick a fight and then beat up on detractors by pointing out that all these outside agitators don’t understand life on a ranch, reality in South Dakota, blah, blah, blah. I actually think there is a 1 in 5 chance the story was completely made up just to get all the libs riled up so she can own ’em! (Never let facts and details get in the way of a good rant.)
Instead, this one blew up in her face. it shows a total lack of judgment on the part of the author. It says, “Yes siree, folks, Kristi Noem can solve problems fast. With a gun. Pesky dog? Gone. Smelly goat? Gone. Staff turnover? Chop-chop! Why bother with more work and more creative solutions when there is plenty of ammo in the pick up?” Blasting away problems is not the same as earnestly searching for solutions.
This was a total lapse of judgment punctuated by acts of abject cruelty. Neither are the sorts of characteristics befitting of a leader or office-holder.
Can we call a spade a spade?
Ignoring the question of “should she have shot the dog or not” – the answer is she should have contacted an animal rescue or a shelter, because this seems to have been a training issue where she didn’t do that job, but that’s really beside the point on some level.
Putting this anecdote into a book while looking at a national office, no matter how directly or indirectly, shows a lack of good judgement that disqualifies her. She thought this would be something “Politically Incorrect to Own The Libs!” and pissed off a large portion of everyone. Seriously – the fact that she’s getting dragged through the mud by Republicans and Democrats alike means she doesn’t have the self awareness to stand on the national stage.
This was an unforced error. And her follow up didn’t help.
She shot an uncastrated goat because he stank and was aggressive? And then she detailed how she screwed that up and had to go back to her car to grab more shells?
She shot three horses?
We can argue as to if any of these were necessary or a display of someone who doesn’t understand how to train or work with animals, but what we can’t argue – She hosed herself politically. She missed the first rule of crisis management – when you find yourself in a hole, Stop Digging.
This was bad judgment on her part and the dragging through the mud she’s getting is all her own fault.
Magats will never admit wrongdoing. It’s the #1 trait of narcissists. Strong leaders know their weaknesses and find people to fill those shortcomings. Magats are weak and can’t govern. All hat and no cattle. Or in Noems case, no horses, goats, and now hunting dogs.
This is the 2024 version of the 2010 speeding tickets.
Discourse regarding this kerfuffle with those that hate Governor Kristi Noem is a fool’s errand. The truth is that these haters will oppose anything she says, does or doesn’t do.
Some hate her because she is a female, some because she is a strong female leader and some because she is a strong female Christian leader. Those folks will seize upon anything she does (or doesn’t do) to hurl their hate anew.
“It is usually futile to try to talk facts and analysis to people who are enjoying a sense of moral superiority in their ignorance.”
—Thomas Sowell
So…hand wave it away with excuses and weird justifications? Yeah actually it is pretty similar in that regard.
Wow. I accepted that there will always be those that support Noem, but I did not have “attack everyone troubled by the shooting of a puppy” on my bingo sheet, Ed.
Haters aren’t objective. There are plenty of objective reasons to disapprove of Kristi Noem.
Hate demonstrates a lack of objectivity and tends to override objectivity. For instance, let’s say there was this one dog that was really testing your limits ….
Ed thank you for being an example of not only blind tribalism but continued support of a demagogue.
Trump is selling his $60.00 Bibles will Kristi come out with her own?
Ed💥. Have you considered reverse racism is the problem. Not only is she a woman, wait for it…..she’s white!
Ed will blindly follow his leader. 💥💥💥
Kristi could cut education funding, start a fight with Sioux Falls, and fire a bunch of cops and a lot of people would go ‘meh’. But dogs hit close to home. A large majority of people have dogs and know dogs. They don’t understand or support her quick anger and lack of compassion. Heck even Don Jr. said she’s too based after this.
Ed – 2024 version of the 2010 speeding tickets? Nice one but I don’t think so. A lot of people speed and most people didn’t care about a few tickets. It was a partisan attack during an election year. This is different – this is bipartisan disgust and it’s self-inflicted… and it speaks to her temperament and judgment. Do you not see that?
Raise your hand if you have ever gone over the speed limit or got a speeding ticket.
Raise your hand if you killed a puppy and a goat in the same day in a gravel pit.
Nice try.
given janklow’s fall from grace, i think some concern about the optics of speeding tickets was warranted at the time.
It’s a bit more than “got a speeding ticket” –
Here is the devastating DMV break down of the fast-driving right-leaning lady from South Dakota.
– Warrants issued for her arrest: 2
– Times Noem failed to appear in court: 6
– Total fines paid: Over $2,100.00
– Total violations: 28
How many yes men did this draft of the book go through with no one objecting? So who told her that she should tell this story in a book? Because is her inner circle that psycho?
You know who you are.
There is no one in her circle that is allowed to challenge her. She always gets her way. Either nobody told her this was a bad idea or she didn’t listen. My guess is that it was the first. Frankly I think there were very few who probably even read the draft.
Some people kill their unborn children and many folks support that.
A gun shot or captive bolt to the brain is an accepted humane form of euthanasia.
https://vetmed.iastate.edu/vdpam/about/production-animal-medicine/dairy/dairy-extension/humane-euthanasia/humane-euthanasia/gunshot-or-penetrating-captive-bolt
If you go beyond the right of an animal owner to decide if a animal should or should not be humanely euthanized you give rights to a animal and cause deterioration of human worth.
I have a cat that constantly pukes on the floor… And I really hate that. I recently had some company over, and there it was. A pile of vomit right in the middle of the kitchen floor. Guess my only option is to shoot the cat, and that’s ok – because tough decisions need to be made sometimes. I grew up on a rootin’ tootin’ ranch after all.
Then my kids come home, and look at me and ask – “Dad, where is Mittens?”
Insane.
The choice is yours, do not complain to us.
How dimb do you.uave to be to not pick up on the joke?
Let me spell check that for you smart person. “dumb”and “you have to be”
Dad says: “Mittens ran away and got married.”
No way. She did not just make it all up, did she?
“Through my tenure on the House Armed Services Committee,” she wrote, “I had the chance to travel to many countries to meet with world leaders. I remember when I met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I’d been a children’s pastor, after all).”
But, wait for it… According to The Dakota Scout – IT DID NOT HAPPEN.
OH… MY… GOD.