Kristi Noem’s puppy-killing scandal resurfaces as Internet questions her empathy amid Texas flood crisis

KERR COUNTY, TEXAS: As catastrophic floods continue to devastate Texas, killing more than 100 people, including 27 children and counselors from an all-girls Christian camp, scrutiny has intensified around Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s public response.

While Noem has praised Donald Trump for federal relief efforts, critics on social media and beyond are calling out what they see as her performative compassion in the face of widespread tragedy.

Kristi Noem’s emotional remarks clash with brutal anecdote from her memoir 

Kristi Noem, who visited affected areas over the weekend, described her gratitude for lives spared during a cabinet meeting, saying, “I'm extremely grateful for God's hand in that whole situation because hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people were saved.”

But instead of reassurance, her remarks have reignited public outrage over a disturbing anecdote from her 2024 memoir, one that many say undermines her claims of empathy.

In 'No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward', Noem recounts an unsettling incident in which she shot her own 14-month-old dog, Cricket.

The puppy had disrupted a pheasant hunt and later attacked a neighbor’s chickens. Noem wrote that after Cricket bit her and wreaked havoc on the property, she decided to shoot the dog herself.

“At that moment, I knew what I had to do,” Kristi Noem wrote. “It was not a pleasant job, but it had to be done.” 

Kristi Noem faces renewed backlash over dog incident amid flood crisis in Texas

The resurfacing of this story has fueled widespread criticism online, especially in light of Kristi Noem’s emotional statements on the Texas disaster. “The only thing I think of when I see that lunatic Noem is her shooting her pup in the face and leaving him in the gravel pit,” one user wrote on X. 

“Kristi Noem is gleeful that she has the money that would've saved lives in Texas…could we expect anything else from a woman that shot a puppy, because she was too stupid to be able to train it?” another said.

Another commented, “The handling of the #TexasFloods was a disaster. Puppy killer Kristi Noem flew in for a few minutes and thinks everything was fine? Idiots, all of them.”

Social media platforms have become flooded with posts questioning Noem’s sincerity and emotional authenticity. One wrote, “Kristi Noem is a piece of crap. She could care less about all the children that died, remember she shot and killed her own puppy. The only thing Kristi Noem cares about is if her hair and makeup look good for her news conference.”

“I don't believe a word from Kristi Noem, the puppy killer,” another X user wrote.

A person wrote, “Kristi "Puppy Killer" Noem is a liar. She is as cruel as Trump. Why isn't Trump making his own statement? Oh. He's playing golf.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.