Donald Trump's Rumored VP Pick Kristi Noem Defends Killing Her 'Useless' and 'Untrainable' Puppy

Kristi Noem defended her decision to fatally shoot her young dog Cricket after detailing the shocking event in her upcoming book titled No Going Back.

In an excerpt from the tell-all tome, the South Dakota governor — who is rumored to be on a short list of Donald Trump's potential vice president picks — spoke in a consistently derogatory way about the 14-month-old dog she described as "untrainable" and openly admitted to disliking her.

Noem explained she initially got Cricket to work as a bird dog, but noted she had troubles training her. She allegedly attempted to correct her with discipline and shock collars, but Cricket just wasn't becoming the bird dog she'd wanted. She later decided to bring her on a hunt in hopes that her other hounds would teach her how to act.

However, Cricket ended up "chasing all those birds and having the time of her life."

Noem confessed, "I hated that dog."

The situation took an upsetting twist when Cricket attacked several of her family's chickens. As Noem attempted to intervene, she said the adolescent dog tried to bite her.

It was then, the politician decided that she needed to put her down. Noem described leading the dog down to a gravel pit and shooting her.

According to the RSPCA, dogs can come out of puppyhood at different stages, but generally fully reach adulthood between 1.5 years and 2 years old. During these stages, dogs can undergo "dramatic hormonal changes" as they grow. Cricket was just over one year when the story took place.

The RSPCA also noted that one should never attempt to physically break up a fight between two dogs (advice which can also extend to other animals) as it can result in an accidental biting incident.

"I can understand why some people are upset about a 20 year old story of Cricket, one of the working dogs at our ranch," Noem wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, after facing waves of backlash from both Democrats and Republicans.

"What I learned from my years of public service ... is people are looking for leaders who are authentic, willing to learn from the past, and don’t shy away from tough challenges," she continued. "The fact is, South Dakota law states that dogs who attack and kill livestock can be put down. Given that Cricket had shown aggressive behavior toward people by biting them, I decided what I did. "

"Whether running the ranch or in politics, I have never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else to handle," she added. "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," she concluded.

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Her response didn't sit well with critics who flooded the comments section with remarks slamming the 52-year-old's lack of empathy.

"One cool thing about not killing a pet, is that you don’t have to explain that time when you killed a pet," one user sarcastically quipped, and another replied, "Bulls---. You f------ murdered that poor dog because you said it was 'useless and untrainable.'"

A third person pointed out, "It sounds like out of at least three options 1) train the dog; 2) drive any distance to a shelter; or 3) shoot it on the spot, you literally took the easiest one."