Unbeknownst until now, Kristi Noem’s previous publishing team actually saved her from the PR gravel pit two years ago, when they convinced her to leave the disturbing dog murder story on the cutting room floor of her first book. According to Politico’s Michael Schaffer, Noem had the story in a draft of her first book, 2022’s Not My First Rodeo: Lessons From the Heartland, but it was ultimately cut after her team at Hachette’s Twelve imprint warned her that “puppy killer” was not going be a good look. Then as now, Noem thought the story of her shooting Cricket, a poorly behaved 14-month-old German wirehaired pointer, would be a resonant anecdote showing her toughness and refusal to bend to “political correctness.” Unfortunately, her decision two years ago to leave the metaphorical shotgun in the closet didn’t stop Noem from resurrecting the poor bird dog only to shoot her all over again in the pages of her upcoming memoir, No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward—likely burying her chances to be Donald Trump’s running mate along with the poor pup.