JD Vance Accidentally Takes A Swipe At Kristi Noem's Most Notorious Scandal
The shady side of Kristi Noem came to the forefront when she wrote about shooting a dog in her memoir "No Going Back." Before her book was released in May 2024, excerpts of Noem's memoir made headlines, as she had written about the time she shot and killed a 14-month-old dog named Cricket on her family ranch. According to Noem, the dog had to be put down because she was "dangerous to anyone she came in contact with." Predictably, this led to a cavalcade of backlash from the public, which continued well after the book was published.
Vance: "If you can actually cause suffering to an innocent animal, you're probably the kind of person who doesn't worry about suffering in people... If you mistreat dogs, that's a 100% sign that you're gonna be a really terrible person."
Kristi Noem famously shot her own dog. pic.twitter.com/XvSIQMHKyz
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) October 29, 2025
Perhaps he was blissfully unaware of Noem's puppy-killing scandal, as JD Vance took a strong stance against people who harm animals. While appearing on the "Pod Force One" podcast on October 29, Vance spoke about how well-trained his German Shepherd is and how the dog has earned praise from secret service agents. The vice president mentioned how Joe Biden's dogs were allegedly ill-behaved and would bite the agents because they were not well-trained. Vance also revealed that he only believes in using humane methods to discipline his pooch. "And that's been my experience. If you mistreat dogs, that's almost a hundred percent sign that you're going to be a really terrible person," the VP said. Vance continued to demonize those who hurt animals. "Like every serial killer ever has actually been really bad to animals," he added, specifically mentioning Jeffrey Dahmer.
Clips of the interview were shared online, and multiple people pointed out that Vance was unwittingly bashing the Secretary of Homeland Security. "Are you listening @Sec_Noem [frog emoji]..... RIP cricket the dog," one X user wrote. This came not long after Noem's controversy was featured on an episode of "South Park."
What Donald Trump said about the dog shooting scandal
In August, "South Park" roasted Kristi Neom for her extensive plastic surgery, and also for having openly admitted to killing a family dog. One scene showed the cartoon version of Noem standing guard outside a home with members of ICE. Krypto, the lovable doggo from "Superman," was seen flying near the home with a cape on. Noem spotted the flying furry K-9 and opened fire, killing poor Krypto. When clips of the scene were posted to X, many of her detractors popped up in the replies to remind people of the Cricket controversy. "She killed her untrained puppy for being an untrained puppy," one user commented.
Previously, the former governor of South Dakota had addressed the shooting incident herself in a lengthy post on X in April 2024. "I can understand why some people are upset about a 20 year old story of Cricket, one of the working dogs at our ranch," Noem wrote. She went on to justify the shooting as a show of personal resolve, which was a strong trait for an elected (or appointed) official. "Even if it's hard and painful. I followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor," she added. It should be mentioned that Noem's revealing memoir came out while she was still a possible candidate to be Donald Trump's vice presidential running mate.
The following month, Trump was asked about the backlash surrounding Noem. "She had a rough couple of days, I will say that," he told Spectrum News 1 in May 2024, while falling well short of defending Noem's actions. Trump did, however, add that he liked her "a lot." Of course, Trump didn't like her enough to tap her as VP.