Kristi Noem, the current governor of South Dakota, recently became the subject of public attention and controversy. This stemmed from an account in her memoir, "No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward"
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The incident involved her 14-month-old female wirehaired pointer named Cricket. Noem wrote that she tried to train Cricket for pheasant hunting, but the dog was "untrainable", "dangerous to anyone she came in contact with," and "less than worthless" as a hunting dog. After Cricket ruined a hunting trip, killed a neighbor's chickens, and bit Noem, the governor decided to euthanize the dog, taking her to a gravel pit and shooting her. According to excerpts, Noem described disliking the dog and viewed the killing as a tough but necessary decision, arguing that it reflects her willingness to make difficult choices.
