South Dakota governor, a potential Trump running mate, writes in new book about killing her dog

The Guardian obtained a copy of Noem’s soon-to-be released book, “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward.” In it, she tells the story of the ill-fated Cricket, a 14-month-old wirehaired pointer she was training for pheasant hunting.

On the way home from the hunting trip, Noem writes that she stopped to talk to a family. Cricket got out of Noem’s truck and attacked and killed some of the family’s chickens, then bit the governor.

“At that moment,” Noem writes, “I realized I had to put her down.” She led Cricket to a gravel pit and killed her.

She writes, according to the Guardian, that the tale was included to show her willingness to do anything “difficult, messy and ugly” if it has to be done. But backlash was swift against the Republican governor, who just a month ago drew attention and criticism for posting an infomercial-like video about cosmetic dental surgery she received out-of-state.

some_guy,

“I hated that dog,” Noem writes, deeming her “untrainable.”

Sounds sane to me. Hating animals is cool.

ThePowerOfGeek,

Yup. And definitely not a big red flag of being a psychopath. No no!

whereisk,

Nooo, almost none of the known serial killers started without murdering animals.

FlyingSquid,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

I have a pretty close to untrainable dog (she basically flunked out of obedience training) because she’s incredibly stubborn and I still love her with all of my heart.

some_guy,

That’s the right answer. My kitties keep eating the flowers my partner brought home. We don’t get mad at them. They’re cats!

FlyingSquid,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

My dog once brought in half a rabbit through the dog door in the middle of the night and there was blood everywhere. We never found the other half of the rabbit.

Strangely enough, I didn’t lead her into a gravel pit and shoot her, I just told her she was a bad dog.

BonesOfTheMoon,

Not at all psychopathic.

some_guy,

If I need to deploy the /s for you to know that I’m being absurd I can’t help you.

BonesOfTheMoon,

No I’m being facetious amigo.

theotherverion,

How can you kill your own dog.

girlfreddy,
@girlfreddy@lemmy.ca avatar

There are reasons. Being so-called “untrainable” isn’t one of them.

theotherverion,

Agreed, I mean if a dog is dying and suffering, then I accept euthanasia but when a young healthy dog is killed just because you can’t handle it, you are a cunt.

meco03211,

I’m thinking of the old adage on how she lacks the warmth and depth to be a cunt.

FlyingSquid,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Easy- her dog was a hunting tool, not a pet, so she got rid of it when she didn’t like it. She is incapable of feeling affection for anything but herself and she already made that very clear before putting out the book.

OccamsRazer,

Is it better to have someone else do it? Easier for sure, but is it actually better from an ethical standpoint?

Crackhappy,
@Crackhappy@lemmy.world avatar

I killed my dog. I adopted him at 6 years old at the shelter. He was incredibly abused, malnourished and pitiable. That’s not why I adopted him. Honestly, I didn’t adopt him. He adopted me. My kids and I had spent all day at the shelter looking for a dog to adopt, and hadn’t found any dog that fit with us. The last dog that we were going to see that day was a terribly skinny black chihuahua who was absolutely terrified of all people. The shelter staff told us that he would immediately curl up in the farthest possible corner and that we shouldn’t approach him, as he would bite. So the kids and I of course accepted that and settled together on the stone bench in the visiting room. They brought the dog in, who was visibly shaking and terrified. They let him off his leash and left the room. I knew there was nothing we could do to make him comfortable so we started talking about some school stuff and generally just ignoring him.

Suddenly I felt a weight on my lap. I looked down, and this tiny shaking dog was on my lap just looking up at me. I slowly approached him with my hand and he let me pet him. He licked my hand and just looked at me with those trusting eyes.

I didn’t adopt that dog, he adopted me.

Fast forward 10 years, and he was spry as fuck at 16 years old. We moved states and he loved where we moved. We went hiking, we went to teh beach, we saw waterfalls, we saw all sorts of things. He would leap for joy all the time, he knew I loved him, and I knew he loved me.

One day in spring last year, he stopped eating. He stopped pooping and just… shut down. I could not get him to eat or drink or anything. I took him to the vet and the prognosis was that they could maybe prolong his life for a few months, but it would be intrusive and frankly, from the description, absolutely awful for him.

I thought about having the vet put him to “sleep” but I didn’t like that either. He didn’t deserve to be injected with strange drugs in a strange place by strangers. I chose to take him home, give him a rather large dose of xanax and smother him with my hand while telling him what an amazing boy he was.

I killed my dog, and I don’t regret it. He knew how much I loved him from the first time he saw me to the last time.

Kecessa,

Fucking hell mate 😭

vaultdweller013,

My grandmother tried to OD our dog of over 15 years, problem was the old bastard wouldnt die and the drugs extended his life by a couple months. Eventually his musculature atrophied too much and she took him to the vet, he died in her hands blind, deaf, and happy.

Crackhappy,
@Crackhappy@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah I tried to OD him on Xanax with about 10x the dose that I would take. He was entirely insensate and his breathing was very slow and I just couldn’t let him continue further. It took about a minute with my hand gently over his muzzle to smother him.

I am well aware that a lot of people will consider what I did as an inhumane thing. I reply by saying. Do you think that taking your best friend the person who trusts you more than anyone you have ever known, to a brightly lit strange place where they stick them with needles is more humane? I think not.

vaultdweller013,

I dont think theres a good way of putting things out of their misery. Even with my bloodlust its entirely focused on people. I dont think there is a yes or no answer to such things.

Crackhappy,
@Crackhappy@lemmy.world avatar

I agree. There is no good way. I chose the way where he was comfortable at the home he knew with the people he loved. I absolutely 100% ride or die loved that dog. He was my bestest boy. I made a choice, and I stand by it.

Edit: If I had a choice about the way I was going to die, this is the way I would choose. Surrounded by family, everyone telling me I did a good job and it’s time to go, then I slip into unconsciousness and then I’m gone. Hell yeah.

FlyingSquid, (edited )
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

I’m really sorry for your loss. The worst thing about pets is that we usually outlive them. I’ve had to lose two dogs now, both thankfully making it to 14. I rescued them when they didn’t have a loving home and gave one to them. When I did take them to the vet and had them put down, it was incredibly difficult and heartbreaking but one had issues like yours and the other just gave up on life and was ready to go. I miss both of them terribly, but you and I did it because we loved them. She did it because she’s incapable of love.

Edit: Also, what the fuck is wrong with the six people (so far) who have downvoted you for telling a heartfelt story about losing a dog you loved? Shame on all six of you.

Callmesuperman,

I think it’s the smothering that’s bringing in the downvotes. A shot to the back of the head would have been more humane.

OccamsRazer,

Yes, maybe in a nearby gravel pit.

FlyingSquid,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Oh shit, I just re-read it. I think I misread ‘smothering’ as ‘stroking’ and thought he just let the dog die of a Xanax OD. I wouldn’t call that the most sensible way to euthanize a dog, but I doubt it would have been too terrible as a way to go out. But to smother it as well? Never mind, shame on OP.

Crackhappy,
@Crackhappy@lemmy.world avatar

He was entirely insensate, and was effectively sedated. I don’t own a gun, and gently smothering him was the only thing I could think to do without causing pain. I’m sorry you feel that way.

FlyingSquid,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

You don’t know that you didn’t cause him any pain just because he appeared to be sedated enough.

Crackhappy,
@Crackhappy@lemmy.world avatar

deleted_by_moderator

    •
    breadsmasher,
    @breadsmasher@lemmy.world avatar

    Absolute psychopathic behaviour.

    “Ooo cant let the vets put sCaRy ChEmiCaLs into my literally dying dog. ill just SMOTHER HIM TO DEATH. Thats a much better way to go.”

    edit. Also, “strange chemicals” and then gives his dog xanax. Dude. Really. You swapped chemical A for chemical B. Crazy mental gymnastics.

    werefreeatlast,

    Fully grown Dog abortion is A-OK!

    So how deep is this gravel pit? I assume she had to wack the dog with a 2x4 or a framing hammer? Or maybe she tied him up and ran him over… that’s a very hard decision. There are harder ways. Like a small hatchet with a dull edge…you know like the French realty, lots of bone crackling and a big bloody mess? No thanks!

    No thanks a lot! I’m vegan. We believe in reducing and eliminating animal torture.

    Sarmyth,

    The quoted text from the article says she was coming back from training the dog for pheasant hunting. Seems a safe bet she shot it.

    werefreeatlast,

    Oh I missed that part. Yup that’s most logical.

    ikidd,
    @ikidd@lemmy.world avatar

    Oh? Are you a vegan? Really?

    How interesting.

    headset,

    You sure like to fantasize about killing animals though

    inclementimmigrant,

    I grew up in the country, raised chickens with my folks, so I get that farm dogs are different than indoor pets, I’ve had to put down a few dogs in my day due to old yeller situations but I’ve never put a dog down for being a shitty dog trainer, something that Republicans seem to really love bragging about.

    profdc9,

    The point is to show she can intentionally and decisively be cruel and mean, especially to an animal under her custody. This is seen as a desirable character trait to Trump’s followers.

    kent_eh,

    The point is to show she can intentionally and decisively be cruel and mean, especially to an animal under her custody.

    Combine that with Trump labeling groups he doesn’t like as a bunch of animals and it gets even scarier to think that they might join forces.

    logos,

    She tells it like it is. Unfortunately, because of people like her, she’s not totally wrong.

    meep_launcher,

    I mean SS troops had to kill the dog that they raised as a puppy through their entire training to prove their dedication to Hitler.

    mostNONheinous,

    Is there a source for this? Not disagreeing, I e just never heard this before.

    hessenjunge,

    That’s because it never happened. If it had you’d definitely have heard about it.

    vaultdweller013,

    By that logic Ea-Nasir didnt sell high quality copper until the rediscovery of his tablets. Obscurity doesnt equal it didnt happen.

    hessenjunge, (edited )

    You’re comparing apples to Nazis.

    ELI5 for the intellectually challenged downvoting this:

    Apple: Ea-nāṣir - one random dude c. 1750 BCE.

    Nazis: The OG Nazis 1933 - 1945 that murdered millions of people.

    The comparison is incredibly stupid. You might just as well liken a speck of dust to a planet.

    Burn_The_Right, (edited )

    Some of us have heard about it.

    https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/03/evil-in-the-making/#:~:text=DE%20SWAAN%3A%20For%20example%2C%20they,was%20necessary%20for%20the%20Volk.

    (Link from a few comments above)

    hessenjunge, (edited )

    Initial answer when the comment had nos source: Source: Trust me bro.

    The linked interview has one(!) offhand comment by Abram de Swaan about the alleged practise. The interview is in part to promote his book “The Killing Compartments: The Mentality of Mass Murder.” which of course features Nazi Germany quite a bit. So I went ahead and downloaded said book. The words ‘dog’, ‘puppy’ ,or ‘pet’ are mentioned zero times in the entirety of the book.

    Trying to find the book and more sources for the allegation I came up with nothing else.

    While “SS-Troops” (idiotic generalisation in this case) like the SS-Totenkopfverbände did many fucked up thinks and would be fucked up enough to feature the alleged dog killings in their training - there is so far no proof whatsoever.

    If this were the case it would be in every other movie about WW2. It’s in Kingsmen FFS, where the good guys do this as part of their training.

    Sorry, I have to call BS on this one.

    Burn_The_Right,

    Source: Harvard.edu

    https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/03/evil-in-the-making/#:~:text=DE%20SWAAN%3A%20For%20example%2C%20they,was%20necessary%20for%20the%20Volk.

    hessenjunge, (edited )

    The linked interview has one(!) offhand comment by Abram de Swaan about the alleged practise. The interview is in part to promote his book “The Killing Compartments: The Mentality of Mass Murder.” which of course features Nazi Germany quite a bit. So I went ahead and downloaded said book. The words ‘dog’, ‘puppy’ ,or ‘pet’ are mentioned zero times in the entirety of the book.

    Trying to find the book and more sources for the allegation I came up with nothing else.

    While “SS-Troops” (idiotic generalisation in this case) like the SS-Totenkopfverbände did many fucked up thinks and would be fucked up enough to feature the alleged dog killings in their training - there is so far no proof whatsoever.

    If this were the case it would be in every other movie about WW2. It’s in Kingsmen FFS, where the good guys do this as part of their training.

    Sorry, I have to call BS on this one.

    meep_launcher,

    news.harvard.edu/gazette/…/evil-in-the-making/#:~….

    hessenjunge, (edited )

    The linked interview has one(!) offhand comment by Abram de Swaan about the alleged practise. The interview is in part to promote his book “The Killing Compartments: The Mentality of Mass Murder.” which of course features Nazi Germany quite a bit. So I went ahead and downloaded said book. The words ‘dog’, ‘puppy’ ,or ‘pet’ are mentioned zero times in the entirety of the book.

    Trying to find the book and more sources for the allegation I came up with nothing else.

    While “SS-Troops” (idiotic generalisation in this case) like the SS-Totenkopfverbände did many fucked up thinks and would be fucked up enough to feature the alleged dog killings in their training - there is so far no proof whatsoever.

    If this were the case it would be in every other movie about WW2. It’s in Kingsmen FFS, where the good guys do this as part of their training.

    Sorry, I have to call BS on this one.

    TheRealKuni,

    I think you’re thinking of Game of Thrones and the Unsullied. 😂

    (In all seriousness I know this is an urban legend told about many different military organizations around the world. I don’t know if there’s any truth to it.)

    meep_launcher,

    No it’s real

    news.harvard.edu/gazette/…/evil-in-the-making/#:~….

    hessenjunge, (edited )

    The linked interview has one(!) offhand comment by Abram de Swaan about the alleged practise. The interview is in part to promote his book “The Killing Compartments: The Mentality of Mass Murder.” which of course features Nazi Germany quite a bit. So I went ahead and downloaded said book. The words ‘dog’, ‘puppy’ ,or ‘pet’ are mentioned zero times in the entirety of the book.

    Trying to find the book and more sources for the allegation I came up with nothing else.

    While “SS-Troops” (idiotic generalisation in this case) like the SS-Totenkopfverbände did many fucked up thinks and would be fucked up enough to feature the alleged dog killings in their training - there is so far no proof whatsoever.

    If this were the case it would be in every other movie about WW2. It’s in Kingsmen FFS, where the good guys do this as part of their training.

    Sorry, I have to call BS on this one.

    mojo_raisin,

    Anyone who willingly wears a badge or military uniform would kill their mother given the order. These symbols are identification showing us exactly who is preventing societal progress.

    rusticus,

    This. Dogs do aggressive things when they are stressed. Maybe the dog acted out due to all the beatings from the governor.

    Duamerthrax, (edited )

    What the fuck is it with republican politicians and bragging about terrible dog ownership?

    kyle,

    People attacked him for his character, that he couldn’t be president for this. And I agree, those in high office must be held to the highest standard.

    But my god, where are we now??

    ickplant,
    @ickplant@lemmy.world avatar

    Cause they think of dogs as property, like furniture. I remember Romney told that story thinking it was funny. They will scream about “tHe UnBoRn” while showing cruelty to living beings.

    Duamerthrax,

    God, you can tell he grew up in a cult cause he never realized how he sounded to other people. The “Binders full of women” comment and him accusing a bakery owner of giving him 7-11 cookies were so fucking weird.

    bradorsomething,

    It’s a shame, because she was white and attractive, so she met the republican criteria for a female candidate. Unfortunately she forgot the secret criteria of being quiet and repeating what the man says.

    phoneymouse,

    Psychopath

    Burn_The_Right,

    Conservative

    Gimpydude,

    https://lemmynsfw.com/pictrs/image/e8cb41b9-3b22-4811-97c4-f1ba73782b62.gif

    TheJims,

    No wonder trump and his robotic army of uncle fuckers love her so much.

    whoisearth,
    @whoisearth@lemmy.ca avatar

    If it ain’t:

    • White
    • Loves whites and sees them as persecuted
    • Male
    • Loves men and sees them as persecuted
    • Straight
    • Loves straight people and sees them as persecuted

    Well then fuck them.

    tearsintherain, (edited )
    @tearsintherain@leminal.space avatar

    This will never age well. Begin precipitous political decline.

    bradorsomething,

    No decline here… we just take her to the gravel pit.

    whoisearth,
    @whoisearth@lemmy.ca avatar

    Begin? It started decades ago. Fuck we are nearing a century lol

    BonesOfTheMoon, (edited )

    I had a coworker years ago who was rather obnoxious and I sort of had to tiptoe around her moods. Another staff member dropped by the office and was talking about how she had to take her beloved cat into the vet as it had some injury or illness, I don’t recall what, just office chitchat kind of thing and the cat ended up fine. Moody Woman announced that she had a cat years ago that got into paint thinner or something that had injured it and it was running around screaming, and she said “I didn’t have money for a vet, so I took it out back and chopped its head off with a shovel”.

    And then when we stared at her in absolute horror, she said in a flippant way, “Don’t look at me like that, I couldn’t listen to that noise”.

    Like it was just no big deal. I had to share an office with her for months after that, and I just avoided speaking to her as much as possible. How could you possibly do that?

    ETA: I also worked with nurses who would steal insulin from the med cart and euthanize barn cats with it. That is according to my vet friend not a humane way to euthanize an animal.

    seth,

    deleted_by_author

    •
    BonesOfTheMoon,

    The right thing to do absolutely. I foster dogs for a rescue and some of them have come to me because the owner had a change in life circumstances. That happens, like one owner had to go into affordable housing and couldn’t take the dog, was devastated by it. Said dog is sitting looking at me with eyes of love as I type, five years after I adopted him. So it can end happily but you have to make an effort.

    seth,

    It’s very sad when people have to give up their pets because they can’t take care of them for reasons out of their control. I would be gutted if I didn’t have mine.

    TheRealKuni,

    We got our current dog because his previous owners of nearly eight years adopted a new puppy, and their old dog didn’t like the puppy. So they rehomed their old dog, rather than the puppy.

    This dog is the chillest dog ever. Vets love him, groomers love him, we love him. He doesn’t do well with other dogs because they never trained him to.

    I think it’s kind of terrible that they chose the puppy, but at the same time I’m so grateful they did because we love our little guy.

    seth,

    That’s bittersweet, but good that the dog gets to live with people who prioritize his well-being.

    Omgboom,

    She killed her dog because she didn’t know how to train her dog

    girlfreddy,
    @girlfreddy@lemmy.ca avatar

    Tbh not many people out there know how to train dogs (or cats for that matter).

    FlyingSquid,
    @FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

    In general, they don’t kill their dogs over their failure.

    girlfreddy,
    @girlfreddy@lemmy.ca avatar

    True, but they often send them back to where they adopted them from … when shelters are often overflowing.

    FlyingSquid,
    @FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

    Giving the dog another chance to be adopted is a hell of a lot better than having it follow you to a gravel pit and then killing it.

    suction,

    So what’s your point, genius? That we shouldn’t view her how she deserves to be viewed, I.e. a horrible person who shouldn’t be near any kind of grown up profession?

    girlfreddy,
    @girlfreddy@lemmy.ca avatar

    Straw man argument.

    SaltySalamander,

    Not only a straw man, he also presented an ad hominem.

    suction,

    I mean yeah if I saw her or one of the other MAGAts dying in a ditch after a car accident, I’d pump my fist and continue on my merry way. Just being honest here.

    ickplant,
    @ickplant@lemmy.world avatar

    Better give the dog a chance. It’s a purebred, she would get adopted.

    FiniteBanjo,

    Not really a distinction worth making when surrendering or adopting out a dog is just a pipeline to Euthanization anyways. This dog bit a human being, killed small animals for sport, it’s far too late to salvage.

    FlyingSquid,
    @FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

    There are plenty of no kill shelters. This county’s shelter is no kill.

    FiniteBanjo,

    And no kill shelters are selective and in high demand.

    FlyingSquid,
    @FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

    The one here is not selective. It serves a county of 100,000 people. The surrounding counties also have no-kill shelters.

    disguy_ovahea,

    Not true. She trained it to chase pheasants all day before it attacked the chickens. It did exactly what she trained it to do.

    KillingTimeItself,

    damn, wonder what she does to people who marginally slight her in office.

    Sam_Bass,

    Sounds like the perfect sidekick for a petulant forked tongue fake tanned false god

    FiniteBanjo,

    I want to chime in that she did the responsible thing, here. Don’t let that emotional animal part of your brain think “how dare she harm the puppers” when she clearly couldn’t control, contain, or responsibly own this animal. Putting it in the pound would have solved nothing. She did the right thing and I have no idea why we’re even discussing it.

    Every single action leading up to that point, though, that was on her.

    AWistfulNihilist,

    Naw, just give the dog to a rescue, even a no kill shelter would have been fine, that’s likely a pure breed GWP (German wirehair pointer). There aren’t GWPs just running around loose on the streets, not hard to re-home.

    Just an fyi on no-kill shelters, they are no-kill because they are incredibly selective on animals they take in, they are specifically looking for adoptable animals, this would be one they would take on a heartbeat. Hunting dogs killing chickens is an INCREDIBLY common problem.

    FiniteBanjo,

    Shelters overflow with these animals in the USA. I doubt that they would accept this animal at a no-kill, it bit a person. I think the choice she made at the end minimized harm and suffering for the dog and others.

    AWistfulNihilist,

    They would! Poorly trained hunting dogs nipping or biting while in prey-drive is also incredibly common. I have seen this exact story play it with a Brittany Spaniel, rescue and no kills would take this 2 year old, put it in a very brief bite quarantine, then train it.

    Like it’s a story that rescues and shelters hear all the time! Especially in heavy hunting areas

    FiniteBanjo,

    I don’t believe a word of what you just said.

    AWistfulNihilist,

    Ok! Thanks!

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • news@lemmy.world
  • GTA5RPClips
  • DreamBathrooms
  • InstantRegret
  • magazineikmin
  • thenastyranch
  • ngwrru68w68
  • Youngstown
  • everett
  • slotface
  • rosin
  • ethstaker
  • Durango
  • kavyap
  • cubers
  • provamag3
  • modclub
  • mdbf
  • khanakhh
  • vwfavf
  • osvaldo12
  • cisconetworking
  • tester
  • Leos
  • tacticalgear
  • anitta
  • normalnudes
  • megavids
  • JUstTest
  • All magazines
    •