
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has received a lot of very negative coverage in the press. It had nothing to do with politics – or the prospect of her becoming President Trump’s running mate (which may no longer be an option).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">What has caused the wave of bad press is the fact that she – to put it bluntly &#8212; shot her dog. ; She obviously did not consider it a terrible thing to do &#8212; considering all the facts &#8212; since she described it in detail in her upcoming book.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">(I have to admit – even as a person whose kids have had cats, dogs, mating gerbils [and that means lots of gerbils], snakes, turtles, one of those things that looks like a miniature dinosaur, and even a rescued injured seagull it is repugnant to my nature to kill any animal. ; I do not even hunt. (Unfortunately, in an unguarded moment, one of the dogs killed the seagull. ; But I digress.)</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">According to Noem, the dog in question was a bad and dangerous dog – a biter and a killer. ; She got the dog from a family who were themselves more than a little concerned about the canine’s aggressive behavior.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Noem gave training a good try, but the dog remained vicious. (Perhaps a bit like President Biden’s dog, Commander, who was last reported to be in solitary confinement after biting 24 White House staffers and Secret Service agents. Biden was smart enough not to shoot Commander.)</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Out of concern for her children, neighbors and the mail person, Noem decided that the dog had committed one canine capital crime too many.  ;And this is where their story gets interesting.  ;She did what a lot of animal owners have done in the past – especially country and farm folk and especially with dangerous pets. ; They take the situation into their own hands. ; Well actually, they take a gun in their own hands and do what has to be done &#8230; personally. ; That is where you can feel the collective cringe of dog owners across America.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The thought – the imagery – of a person actually shooting their own dog for any reason is repugnant to the soul of most dog owners. ; There is a bit of hypocrisy among many of them, however. ; Scores of dog owners have “put down” their precious pets – a euphemistic term for having someone else kill them. ; They do it because the dog is sick, old or vicious.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Had Noem taken her dog to the local veterinarian, there would have not been a problem. ; It would not even have made the local news in some remote town in South Dakota.  ;But she actually handled the matter herself.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Most animal owners approve of killing their pets – as long as they do not have to do it themselves. ; What has made the Noem story so horrific is that she DID do it herself. ; There is nothing illegal or particularly wrong with what she did given the circumstances. ; ; ; It is about the optics and the political spin-ability of the subject. ; And perhaps Noem should have understood that before she reached for a gun instead of the local veterinarian’s phone number.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Whether right or wrong, the story is part of Noem’s political legacy – it will dog her forever.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, there ‘tis.</p>

South Dakota Governor Noem dogged by the media
