Noem defends shooting family dog, says was 'extremely dangerous'

South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem on Wednesday again defended shooting her family dog, arguing she it posed a danger to her children. 

“It was a dog that was extremely dangerous,” Noem said during a Fox News interview. “It had come to us from a family who had found her way too aggressive.”

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

She said that the dog had also attacked her previously and had also went after the neighbor's livestock, according to The Hill.

According to Noem's upcoming memoir, she shot and killed the dog for allegedly being "untrainable."

"It was not a pleasant job," she wrote, "but it had to be done."

She also defended her decision this past weekend in a social media post on X, stating, "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."

Noem, considered to be a potential vice presidential pick for former President Donald Trump, has faced backlash over the story.