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“The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg reacted angrily at South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem over a segment in her forthcoming book where she claimed she shot and killed a 14-month-old dog she said had turned “aggressive” toward livestock.
According to her forthcoming book, “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward,” Noem detailed the decision to shoot Cricket, her 14-month-old wirehair pointer, citing concerns about its purportedly aggressive demeanor and unsuitability as a hunting dog. Additionally, she recounted shooting and killing a family goat after it chased down her children.
“Give it back, bitch! Give it back!” Goldberg shouted. “Why are you gonna kill it? But she said it killed her neighbor’s chickens…she defended herself, though. She said it’s tough decisions like this that happen on farms all the time and that she followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor.”
“Nah,” co-host Sunny Hostin responded.
“Which part was the parenting part?” co-host Sara Haines asked.
During the discussion, co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin attributed the dog’s behavior to Noem’s alleged inadequate training, recounting her own experience where she took responsibility for her dog’s actions, which resulted in the death of a chicken. Griffin went on to suggest that a poorly behaved dog should be rehomed to a shelter specializing in high-risk pets.
“I want justice for Cricket, it’s terrible,” Griffin said.
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Hostin insinuated that Noem’s actions of killing animals might indicate sociopathic tendencies. Co-host Ana Navarro called Noem “Governor Cruella,” drawing a comparison to the infamous dog skin hunter Cruella de Vil from Dodie Smith’s 1956 novel, “The Hundred and One Dalmatians.”
Noem defended her decision to kill Cricket due to South Dakota’s law allowing for owners to put down dogs who “attack and kill livestock,” according to The Guardian. The dog, adopted to hunt pheasants, allegedly killed a family’s chickens by “grabb[ing] one chicken at a time, crunching it to death with one bite, then dropping it to attack another.”
“Whether running the ranch or in politics, I have never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else to handle,” Noem said. “Even if it’s hard and painful. I followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor. As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy. But often the easy way isn’t the right way.”
Up to now, Noem had been considered one of former President Donald Trump’s top considerations for running mate, but a report on Tuesday appeared to nix that.
“Noem has ‘no shot’ at being Donald Trump’s running mate after revealing in a forthcoming book that she shot and killed her puppy, sources close to the 45th president” told the New York Post.
“She was already unlikely to be picked as VP but had a shot,” the person said of Noem. “After this, it’s just impossible.”
The source who spoke to The Post highlighted that 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney is still remembered for placing his dog in a crate atop the family’s station wagon for a trip from Boston to Canada in 1983.
“Trump isn’t a dog person necessarily,” the person said, “but I think he understands that you can’t choose a puppy killer as your pick, for blatantly obvious reasons.”
Another source told The Post that Trump “likes Kristi a lot” but was “disappointed when hearing the ‘dog’ story.”
“It certainly has not enhanced her chances, but no decision has been made concerning any of the VP candidates,” this source added.
A separate report this week noted that former GOP presidential candidate and current North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has moved up on Trump’s list of VP considerations.
