The story of Noem shooting and killing her 14-month-old puppy has taken a toll on the potential VP pick’s public image.

By Kelly Garrity

04/28/2024 03:07 PM EDT

Updated: 04/28/2024 03:28 PM EDT

Amid waves of backlash from both sides of the aisle, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Sunday defended her decision to shoot and kill her 14-month-old puppy named Cricket years ago.

“I can understand why some people are upset about a 20 year old story of Cricket, one of the working dogs at our ranch, in my upcoming book — No Going Back,” Noem wrote on TruthSocial.

“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,” she added.

Noem, until recently widely viewed as a top contender to share the Republican ticket with former President Donald Trump, laid out the decision to kill the pup in her forthcoming memoir “No Going Back,” in a startling anecdote first picked up on by The Guardian. The book is set to be released May 7; publicity for it says “this book is packed with surprising stories and practical lessons.”

In the book, Noem says she tried to focus the wirehaired pointer’s “aggressive personality” into hunting. But things didn’t go as planned — Cricket went “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life,” and later attacked a neighbor’s chickens. So Noem led the dog to a gravel pit and shot it.

After the story stirred a firestorm on social media and questions about her viability as VP pick, Noem tried to paint the story as one of the necessary — albeit darker — sides of farm life.

“Whether running the ranch or in politics, I have never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else to handle. Even if it’s hard and painful. I followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor,” Noem said in the social media statement Sunday.

“As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy. But often the easy way isn’t the right way.”