Kimberly Guilfoyle launches puppy book as gov slammed for shooting dog (2024)

Kimberly Guilfoyle has launched a puppy-themed children's book in an apparent dig at South Dakota governor Kristi Noem who was slammed for shooting her puppy.

Guilfoyle took to X to advertise her new book 'The Princess and her pup' a week afterNoem, a potential running mate for Donald Trump,revealed she shot her 'untrainable' 14-month-old puppy, Cricket, in a gravel pit on her property.

Sharing a photo of herself holding the children's book, Guilfoyle said 10 percent of the profits from the book will go towards a charity for 'abused and abandoned dogs and cats.'

People were quick to make the connection between Guilfoyle's new book and Noem, with one Twitter user saying, 'does this end with the pup in a gravel pit?' and another adding 'dedicate it to Cricket.'

Noem's confession sparked a huge backlash and she was forced to defend herself, saying on Sunday she 'can understand why some people are upset about a 20 year old story of Cricket.'

The Republican continued: '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. 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. As I explained in the book, it wasn't easy. But often the easy way isn't the right way.'

But people were unconvinced and comments poking fun at Noem rolled in under Guilfoyle's book announcement.

One person said: 'Is that a remake of 'The Governor Shot Her Pup'?'

Another added: 'Hope it's better than Noem's book 'the cricket and the gravel pit''

Guilfoyle, who is a former Fox News reporter, is dating Donald Trump Jr.

Noem claimed she included the tale in her bookto show her willingness to do anything 'difficult, messy and ugly' if it has to be done.

The Republican writes that she took Cricket on a hunting trip with older dogs in hopes of calming down the wild puppy. Instead, Cricket chased the pheasants while 'having the time of her life.'

On the way home from the hunting trip, Noem writes that when she stopped to talk to a family, Cricket got out of her truck and attacked and killed some of the family's chickens, and then bit the governor.

Noem apologized profusely, wrote the distraught family a check for the deceased chickens, and helped them dispose of the carcasses, she writes. She wrote that Cricket 'was the picture of joy' as all that unfolded.

'I hated that dog,' Noem writes, deeming her 'untrainable.'

'At that moment,' she says, 'I realized I had to put her down.'

Noem then recalls leading Cricket to a gravel pit and shooting her dead.

That wasn't all. Noem writes that her family also owned a 'nasty and mean' male goat that smelled bad and liked to chase her kids, so she decided to go ahead and kill the goat, too.

She writes that the goat survived the first shot, so she went back to the truck, got another shell, then shot him again, killing him.

Soon thereafter, a school bus dropped off Noem's children. Her daughter asked, 'Hey, where's Cricket?' Noem writes.

The excerpts, first published by The Guardian, drew immediate criticism on social media platforms, where many posted photos of their own pets. President Joe Biden's reelection campaign surfaced the story on social media alongside a photo of Noem with Trump.

The Lincoln Project, a conservative group that opposes Trump, posted a video that it called a 'public service announcement,' showing badly behaved dogs and explaining that 'shooting your dog in the face is not an option.'

'You down old dogs, hurt dogs, and sick dogs humanely, not by shooting them and tossing them in a gravel pit,' Rick Wilson of the Lincoln Project wrote on X. 'Unsporting and deliberately cruel ... but she wrote this to prove the cruelty is the point.'

Minnesota's democratic governor Tim Wals also slammed Noem over the tale, sharing a picture with his dog and writing: 'Post a picture with your dog that doesn't involve shooting them and throwing them in a gravel pit. I'll start.'

Meanwhile Paws for Animal Rescue, a pets adoption service in South Dakota, issued a statement saying no dog is untrainable.

The group said on Facebook: 'PAWS Animal Rescue will not voice our opinion on this specific situation. We would however, like to make a statement on 'untrainable dogs.

'We haven't met one yet. In all our years in animal rescue and the thousands of animals that have come through our door, we have yet to meet a dog that was so untrainable it deserved to be shot to death.'

They added: 'Is euthanasia sometimes necessary? In certain situations, yes. When an animal is so sick that it's quality of life is inhumane, then humane euthanasia may be the answer.

'When an animal has been so badly damaged by people or circ*mstances that it has demons it cannot overcome, sometimes maybe then too. When a 14-month-old puppy (who was almost certainly bought from a breeder at 8 weeks and had every opportunity to be taught the right way to behave), absolutely not.'

Noem previously took to social media to defend herself.

'We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm,' she said on X.

'Sadly, we just had to put down 3 horses a few weeks ago that had been in our family for 25 years.'

She urged readers to preorder her book if they want 'more real, honest, and politically incorrect stories that'll have the media gasping.'

Republican strategist Alice Stewart said that while some Republican voters might appreciate the story 'as a testament to her grit,' it ultimately creates a distraction for Noem.

'It's never a good look when people think you're mistreating animals,' Stewart said. 'I have a dog I love like a child and I can't imagine thinking about doing that, I can't imagine doing that, and I can't imagine writing about it in a book and telling all the world.'

It's not the first time Noem has grabbed national attention.

In 2019, she stood behind the state's anti-meth campaign even as it became the subject of some mockery for the tagline 'Meth. We're on it.' Noem said the campaign got people talking about the methamphetamine epidemic and helped lead some to treatment.