South Dakota governor Kristi Noem defends shooting ‘aggressive’ puppy on her family’s farm [Video]

By Germania Rodriguez Poleo For Dailymail.Com and Associated Press 08:12 EDT 29 Apr 2024, updated 10:28 EDT 29 Apr 2024

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has defended shooting her puppy after her confession sparked massive backlash.

Noem, a potential running mate for Donald Trump, caused a storm after she revealed she shot the puppy, a 14-month-old named Cricket, in her upcoming book, No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward.

Responding to the backlash on Sunday, Noem said she ‘can understand why some people are upset about a 20 year old story of Cricket.’

The Republican continued: ‘The book is filled with many honest stories of my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions, and lessons learned. What I learned from my years of public service, especially leading South Dakota through COVID, is people are looking for leaders who are authentic, willing to learn from the past, and don’t shy away from tough challenges. 

‘My …