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.

  • @BonesOfTheMoon
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    23 days ago

    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
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      623 days ago

      deleted by creator

      • TheRealKuni
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        822 days ago

        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
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          322 days ago

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

      • @BonesOfTheMoon
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        623 days ago

        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
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          222 days ago

          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.