Democratic governors admonish Noem for shooting her dog by posing with their pets

A group of Democratic governors mocked Gov. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) on social media after a passage from her upcoming book entered the spotlight over a story about killing her family dog.

In the story, Noem describes getting frustrated with the nearly 14-month-old “Cricket,” a wirehaired pointer, during a hunting trip.

The Democrats responded to the news by posting photos of their favorite pets on social media and encouraging others to follow suit.

“Post a picture with your dog that doesn’t involve shooting them and throwing them in a gravel pit,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) posted Friday on social media platform X, with a photo of him feeding his dog. “I’ll start.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined the thread, posting a photo of her hugging her two pups with the same caption as Walz. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy then replied to Whitmer's post with a photo of him laying on the floor with a dog.

The Guardian first reported the now-viral story in Noem's upcoming book titled “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward." Noem, seen as a possible running mate for former President Trump, took the dog to a gravel pit on her property and shot it and wrote that it was “not a pleasant job” but “had to be done.”

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) went after the South Dakota governor for the passage Friday, referring to itself as the “Dogmocratic Party” in a statement.

“As DNC’s canine companions, we’ve heard a lot from our owners about just how extreme and dangerous Donald Trump and his far-right MAGA allies are — but nothing could prepare us for the truly disturbing and horrifying passages Kristi Noem willingly chose to put in her new book,” the statement said.