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Woman attacked by hammer wielding thugs illegally hunting in fields near Doncaster
Trump VP Contender Kristi Noem Faces Backlash After Admitting to Killing Her Dog
5 MINUTE READ
https://time.com/6971773/kristi-noem-memoir-dog-kill-children-net-worth
APRIL 27, 2024 11:03 AM EDT
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a Republican and reported contender for Donald Trump’s Vice President pick in the 2024 election, has received pushback after admitting to killing her dog in her new memoir.
After obtaining a copy of No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward ahead of its publication next month, the Guardian reported that Noem wrote she shot dead Cricket, a 14-month-old dog she had intended to train for hunting pheasant, after the canine ruined a hunt, killed another family’s chickens, and moved to bite her.
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Noem said Cricket had an “aggressive personality” and was “untrainable,” per the Guardian’s report. Noem took Cricket on a pheasant hunt with older dogs to try to teach the canine, but Cricket went “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life.”
She said she called Cricket, then used an electronic collar to try to control the dog. On the way home, Cricket escaped Noem’s truck and killed the chickens of a local family, who Noem compensated. The dog then “whipped around to bite me,” the politician wrote.
After that, Noem said, “I realized I had to put her down.” She led Cricket to a gravel pit and shot and killed the dog.
Noem also killed a male goat that she said was “nasty and mean,” smelled “disgusting, musky, rancid,” and “loved to chase” her children, knocking them down and ruining their clothes. She also killed the goat in the gravel pit, although it reportedly took two shots.
Noem said she told the story about Cricket to show that in politics and life, she was willing to do what was “difficult, messy, and ugly” if it was necessary.
The backlash from Democrats and conservatives alike has been swift. Rick Wilson, who co-founded the anti-Trump PAC The Lincoln Project, criticized on X, formerly Twitter, that Noem “killed a puppy because she was lazy at training bird dogs, not because it was a bad dog.” The Lincoln Project released an ad that said when tough moments come with pets, “shooting your dog in the face is not an option.”
Noem responded to the backlash on Friday in a post on X: “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 concluded, with a link to her book.
With interest in Noem at an all-time high, here’s what you need to know about the U.S. politician.
Who is Kristi Noem?
Noem is the 33rd—and first female—governor of South Dakota, whose motto is “Under God, the People Rule.”
The 52-year-old was born in Watertown, S.D. She’s spoken about how she took on more responsibilities on her family’s farm after her father died in a farming accident. She attended Mount Marty College and Northern State University. She later graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from South Dakota State University in 2011, according to VoteSmart.
Noem is a rancher, farmer, small business owner, and published author, according to her official biography. She joined the South Dakota House of Representatives in 2007, where she served as assistant majority leader, and then the U.S. House of Representatives in 2011. She was elected as governor in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.
Kristi Noem’s husband, children, and grandchildren
Noem is married to Bryon. His First Gentleman biography says he grew up on a farm near Bryant, S.D., graduated from Northern State University with a degree in business and finance, has operated an insurance agency, and coached basketball. The couple went to high school together and have jointly run a farm and ranch, opened an ice cream shop, and helped manage a family restaurant, according to their biographies.
They have three children—Kassidy, Kennedy, and Booker. Kassidy Peters is married and has two children, according to her X profile. Peters was a real estate appraiser, but turned in her license and dissolved her business in 2021, according to a letter she wrote. A report approved by South Dakota lawmakers in 2022 found that Peters got preferential treatment in her application to get the license, the Associated Press reported.
Her husband, Kyle Peters, is in local politics and was elected to the City Council of Watertown, S.D. last year. He previously worked for his mother-in-law in the Governor’s Office of Economic Development from 2019 to 2021, according to his LinkedIn and news reports.
Kennedy Frick is also married and works as an account executive for an oil and gas consulting firm, according to her LinkedIn. Frick worked for her mother in the Governor’s office from Jan. 2019 to Aug. 2020, when she left to get her masters in business administration, according to her LinkedIn and news reports.
Booker is currently listed on the website of Collision Ministries, a Christian student organization, as the Watertown Area Director. His biography says he previously attended a Christian training school in Hawaii and worked in a ministry in San Francisco.
What is Kristi Noem’s net worth?
Noem’s precise net worth is unknown. OpenSecrets estimated her net worth at $2.3 million in 2017. ExactNetWorth.com pegged it at around $4.5 million in 2021.
CALLS FOR CHANGE MOUNT AFTER WYOMING MAN TORTURES WOLF
CALLS FOR CHANGE MOUNT AFTER WYOMING MAN TORTURES WOLF
Wyoming wolf torture case a ‘trigger’ for new Endangered Species Act lawsuit
Groups call to ban predator killings with snowmobiles after Wyoming wolf torture
- Isabel Hicks Chronicle Staff Writer
- Apr 26, 2024
- https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/environment/groups-call-to-ban-predator-killings-with-snowmobiles-after-wyoming-wolf-torture/article_993c8452-03e6-11ef-ae4a-f73fb8b27587.html
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A wolf from the Wapiti Lake pack is silhouetted by a nearby hot spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., on Jan. 24, 2018.
- Jacob W. Frank / National Park Service
TOP: A wolf is seen in the snow near Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone. ABOVE: A gray wolf is seen in this file photo.
- Jim Peaco / NPS
A wolf is seen in Yellowstone National Park.
- Jacob W. Frank/NPS
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More than 60 conservation groups sent letters to the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management this week, asking the agencies to immediately ban the use of snowmobiles to injure or kill wildlife on federal lands they manage.
The letters, sent April 23, come in the wake of a Wyoming man who made headlines for running over a female yearling wolf with his snowmobile, severely injuring the animal. The man duct-taped the wolf’s mouth shut and let his hunting dogs attack her, then paraded her around a local bar. He later brought the wolf home, torturing and ultimately killing it.
Since gray wolves lost Endangered Species Act protections in Wyoming in 2011, killing a wolf at any time without a tag has been largely legal in the state. Hunting with snowmobiles and attack dogs are practices that Wyoming and Idaho authorizes for wolves and other predators, which pose economic threats to livestock.
The 42-year-old man, Cody Roberts of Daniel, Wyoming, was convicted of a misdemeanor after media reports published photos, videos and witness statements of the wolf’s torture, generating national outrage. The penalty for Roberts was a $250 fine for “possession of a live wolf,” not the way it died.
“This obscene cruelty to wolves and other wildlife is legal under state law, so federal officials need to step in and stop it,” said Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, a signatory on the letters. “It’s disgusting that Wyoming and Idaho allow coyotes and wolves to be chased, bludgeoned and run over by snowmobiles.”
The letters were signed by scores of groups involved in Montana wildlife work, including Trap Free Montana, the Montana Wilderness Education School, Protect Our Wildlife, WildEarth Guardians, and the Western Watersheds Project.
“While we do not know where Roberts ran down the wolf, we do know that such abhorrent treatment of these ecologically important animals has no place on our federal lands. We are unaware of any federal law that would have prohibited his actions on (federal) lands. That is unacceptable,” the letter language said.
“The USFS (and BLM) must act because Wyoming and Idaho will not.”
The letter also noted a Wyoming state lawmaker proposed legislation in 2019 to ban the use of snowmobiles to injure predators, but the bill did not receive a hearing.
As of Friday, neither the Forest Service or BLM has responded publicly to the letters.
Public pressure pushed Wyoming officials to condemn Roberts’ actions, with Wyoming Game and Fish, the state wildlife commissioner and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon issuing statements saying the incident did not represent Wyoming values.
“The actions and behaviors of the individual involved in this case are not reflective of Wyoming’s values,” said Game and Fish Director Brian Nesvik. “This incident casts a shadow over our state’s proven track record in successfully and responsibly managing our gray wolf population.”
In Wyoming, 85% of the state is a designated “predator zone,” where wolves and other wildlife designated as predators — coyotes, jackrabbits, porcupines, raccoons, red fox, skunks and stray cats — can be killed without limit, at any time of the year, by any means, with no license requirement.
Across the West, ranchers will often seek lethal removal of predators that are causing economic harm by killing livestock.
The Wyoming, Idaho and Montana laws have inspired yet another lawsuit from conservation groups over gray wolves.
In February, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service denied a proposal to re-list gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains under the Endangered Species Act. Two coalitions of conservation and animal rights groups sued over the decision in early April, arguing the government didn’t adequately consider how state laws are harming wolf populations.
Still other groups — including the Gallatin Wildlife Association and Footloose Montana — announced their intent to also sue the agency on Tuesday.
“States have proven they cannot be trusted to sustain the wolf species,” Jessica Karjala, executive director of Footloose Montana, said in a press release. “Wyoming is turning a blind eye to the heinous acts of Cody Roberts. The delisting of wolves has led to the failure of state wildlife agencies to protect wolves.”
Court upholds decision to temporarily shorten wolf trapping season to protect grizzlies
Kristi Noem describes killing dog after bad hunting trip in new book
Social media disturbed by Gov. Noem’s story about shooting her 14 month-old-dog: ‘Not normal’
‘We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm,’ Noem said on X in response to the backlash.
Published April 27, 2024 11:48am EDT
Gov. Kristi Noem pressed on decision against 2024 candidacy: ‘Why run if you can’t win?’
Fox News’ Lawrence Jones sat down with South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem at the Sturgis motorcycle rally to discuss her take on the 2024 race and various issues plaguing Biden’s presidency.
Social media users expressed shock and disapproval after a story of Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., putting down her own dog because she was deemed “untrainable” went viral on X this week.
British outlet The Guardian published a report on the story Friday, which is an excerpt from her new memoir “No Going Back,” which is set to be released on May 7.
According to the report, Noem wrote 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.”
KRISTI NOEM SHARES VISION FOR AMERICA IN NEW BOOK AMID SPECULATION ABOUT RUNNING AS TRUMP’S VP
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is being 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)
Noem explained to the outlet 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.
About the killing, Noem’s book reportedly added, “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.”
Additionally, Noem’s memoir recounted taking a family goat to the gravel pit where it suffered the same fate as Cricket. Noem justified the killing saying the goat was “nasty and mean.”
Taking to the social media platform X, Noem specifically replied to the Guardian story.
“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,” the governor admitted.
She also added a plug for her book, stating, “If you want more real, honest, and politically incorrect stories that’ll have the media gasping, preorder ‘No Going Back.’”
TRUMP REVEALS VP SHORTLIST INCLUDES DESANTIS, SCOTT, RAMASWAMY, NOEM, DONALDS, GABBARD
“This book has got some stories that reflect that of people that the readers will know, but it’ll also give a lot of examples of things and action plans that they can take to really move the needle on resetting our country back on its foundation,” Noem told Fox News Digital about her upcoming book in February. (Kristi Noem, Getty Images)
Noem’s post received nearly six million views in only a day, and courted a wave of horrified reactions on the social media platform, even from among her conservative fans.
Perplexed at why she shared the story, independent journalist Tim Pool asked, “did she just intentionally end her career?”
Conservative influencer duo The Hodge Twins remarked, “Telling everybody you shot your young dog and promoting your book at the same time? wtf, this is wild.”
Popular pro-Trump account “Catturd” seemed to take the story personally, posting, “Omg – now my blood is boiling. Remember, I’m a country boy who lives on a ranch . There’s a huge difference between putting an old horse down who is suffering, than shooting a 18 month dog for being untrainable. But then to plug your book at the end.”
“Seriously, is it just me? [I’m[sic] have no words,” he added.
New York Post columnist Miranda Devine commented, “No. Not normal. Shameful.”
“Florida’s Voice News” CEO Brendon Leslie let Noem have it, writing, “Kristi Noem should be criminally charged for animal abuse – this is vile and disgusting. It’s one thing to put a dog down that is sick – it’s totally unacceptable to put a puppy down because it wasn’t a good hunting dog. Put it up for adoption!”
Independent reporter “Publius” made a pun out of the anecdote, posting, “@KristiNoem just SHOT her political career in the head at point blank range. Absolute Psycho. And of course Trump is considering her for VP!”
Exposing the Big Game 