Several Democratic governors ripped into Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., after an excerpt of her upcoming book detailing how she once killed her 14-month-old dog went viral on social media this week.
Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., Gov. Gretchen Whiter, D-Minn., and other blue state governors shared pictures of themselves with their own dogs to mock the Republican leader after The Guardian published a preview of her new book that recounted her killing her dog because it was “untrainable.”
Noem confirmed on social media that she shot and killed the dog and characterized the decision as a “tough” one that comes with farm life.
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Blue state governors mocked Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., after a story of her killing her dog in her upcoming memoir went viral on social media. (1. Stephen Maturen / Stringer 2. Tom Williams / Contributor 3. John Nacion / Contributor)
According to The Guardian’s report, Noem wrote in her book “No Going Back” that she took her 14-month-old female dog “Cricket” to a “gravel pit” near her farm and shot it dead because it was “less than worthless” and “untrainable.”
Noem reportedly described in her work how the dog had ruined a pheasant hunt, going “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life.”
The governor also noted that Cricket went AWOL and ate several of the chickens on her farm.
“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’s book reportedly added about putting Cricket down.
Noem replied to The Guardian’s story on X, writing, “We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm. Sadly, we just had to put down 3 horses a few weeks ago that had been in our family for 25 years.”
“If you want more real, honest, and politically INcorrect stories that’ll have the media gasping, preorder ‘No Going Back,’ she added.
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South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been criticized for an excerpt from her upcoming book that details how she killed one of her hunting dogs for being “untrainable.” (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The governor’s explanation did not stave off the tide of criticism that followed the story going viral, including criticism coming from her fellow lawmakers.
Gov. Walz posted an image of himself on Friday evening feeding his dog, adding the snarky caption, “Post a picture with your dog that doesn’t involve shooting them and throwing them in a gravel pit. I’ll start.”
Several other blue state governors replied to his thread. Gov. Whitmer shared a photo of herself posing with her two pet dogs.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill., contributed a photo of his dog standing in between the U.S. and Illinois state flags.
Gov. Tim Murphy, D-N.J., joined in as well, adding a picture of him lying on the floor next to his pet dog.
Even the DNC got in on the Noem bashing.
In a statement shared with The Hill, the organization – referring to itself in this instance as the “Dogmocratic Party” – said, “As DNC’s canine companions, we’ve heard a lot from our owners about just how extreme and dangerous Donald Trump and his far-right MAGA allies are — but nothing could prepare us for the truly disturbing and horrifying passages Kristi Noem willingly chose to put in her new book.”
Fox News Digital reached out to a Noem representative for comment.
Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.
