WASHINGTON (April 29, 2024)—South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem continues to dismiss accusations of cruelty in the wake of The Guardian’s report that her upcoming memoir includes passages telling how she ended the lives of her family’s 14-month-old puppy and a goat on their farm. Humane Society Legislative Fund president Sara Amundson responded to Governor Noem’s comments with the following statement:
“Governor Kristi Noem has missed the point. The Republican base is filled with animal lovers who are horrified at her conduct. By doubling down on her actions, she has regrettably and inexplicably put herself in the position of trying to justify the unjustifiable. Noem has characterized these anecdotes as a sign of her willingness to take on tough tasks, but she clearly confused doing the hard thing with doing the wrong thing. There were a dozen different ways she could have handled a rambunctious puppy. We’ve seen candidates for office and elected officials over the years adopt and pose with dogs as part of burnishing their credentials and advancing their political careers. Governor Noem’s the first to take the horrifying step of killing her family puppy and later bragging about it in pursuit of those goals.”
Media contact:
Kate Sarna, 202-836-1265, ksarna@hslf.org
