Kristi Noem defends dog slaying: ‘I chose the safety of my children’

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is doubling down on her decision to shoot and kill her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, 20 years ago, saying that she shot the “dangerous” dog in order to protect her children.

“We were her second chance,” Noem said Wednesday evening on Fox News’ “Hannity.” “The day she was put down was a day that she massacred livestock that were part of our neighbors. She attacked me. And it was a hard decision.”

Noem said she had to choose between “keeping my small children and other people safe, or a dangerous animal, and I chose the safety of my children.”

The governor, who has been floated as a top contender for former President Donald Trump’s running mate, has faced condemnation from both sides of the aisle for nearly a week after The Guardian reported that Noem writes in her upcoming book that she “hated” the “aggressive” dog, who she says ruined a pheasant hunt and attacked her neighbor’s chickens. She has defended her decision before, saying earlier this week that “South Dakota law states that dogs who attack and kill livestock can be put down.”

Noem blamed the backlash on “fake news” which left out “some or most of the facts” of the story and “put the worst spin on it.”

“I hope people really do buy this book and they find out the truth of the story because the truth of the story is that this was a working dog and it was not a puppy,” Noem said in the interview. “It was a dog that was extremely dangerous.”