Warning: This story contains mentions of puppy murder. Please proceed with caution.
It’s the news everyone has been talking about: “Kristi Noem is a puppy killer.” Usually, these types of statements are either decontextualized or hyperbolic. But in this case, there is really no better way to encapsulate it – unless we also took the poor Noem family goat into this unfortunate equation.
What is also shocking, is that Governor Noem herself volunteered this information in her latest upcoming book No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward, which comes out May 7. Clearly, the South Dakota Governor must think that the way to move things forward is to pick up one’s firearms and start shooting whenever one cannot think of a better solution to one’s “problems.”
That is what she did with Cricket, her 14-month-old wirehair pointer puppy. It seems that dogs are only worth something to Noem if they can help her kill other animals. Cricket committed the awful crime of being too excited and ostensibly “untrainable” for the Republican politician’s tastes. She even called her “the picture of pure joy,” no less. Therefore, and perfectly reasonable for any remotely compassionate human being, she took the puppy to a gravel pit and shot her. She would later be asked by her young daughter: “Where’s Cricket?” (per The Guardian)
Of course, as much as some people have become horrified by this story Noem somehow felt it was something to be proud of and worth putting out there, others have elected, as is the Internet’s undying tendency, to make memes.
“Be a very good boy, or else…”
People have, as expected, used this opportunity to make political memes about the situation. As much as these are generalizations, not actual reflections of how everyone who votes one way thinks, they are nevertheless enough to try to have a laugh at what is essentially a very grim story.
Kristi Noem summed up her horror story, saying: “I guess if I were a better politician, I wouldn’t tell the story here.” Which may have been a little euphemistic of her.
In fact, and likely contrary to what she intended, she has brought about a stream of dog love demonstrations by other Republican politicians, potentially seeking to take Noem’s place as former President Donald Trump‘s future running mate. This included the likes of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who, as per The Guardian’s report, has recently received Trump’s “full and enthusiastic support.” Perhaps the former President is all the more enthusiastic after understanding, as a consequence of the public uproar, that not even (most) Republicans like when people callously shoot their pets. Especially, when all they were guilty of was the excitement natural to a puppy.
Rest in Peace Cricket – plus Kristi Noem’s chances of still being Donald Trump’s running mate for the upcoming election.