The Kristi Noem Affair:  Canine Killing, Farmyard Ethics, and a Pagan Ethos

By Dr. Jeffery J Ventrella

“I love animals; they’re delicious”^[1]

“Puppy murder”^[2]

“The Bidens’ dog Commander was finally exiled after two dozen biting attacks on Secret Service agents”^[3]

This Dicta promises to be a bit different.  Here’s why:  Today we grab a headline-creating controversy and subject it to a TxC analysis. Though the buzz and clamor will dissipate as our attention spans wane, what can be learned from the recent revelation by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem?  The polarizing pundits have, unsurprisingly, already dug into their trenches.  But we need to ask:  How should Christians think about the Governor and her dog?  

The TxC hermeneutic, based on Paul’s cosmological commentary, addresses total reality, including ethical reality.  This means that TxC’s mission is not simply theoretical or abstract, but actually provides insight into day-to-day life, including how to view the public square:  the good, the bad, and the ugly.  This raises the question:  How should we think Christianly about the Kristi Noem affair?  No, not necessarily her extra-marital fling with political operative Corey Lewandowski; assessing that indiscretion should be simple.^[4]  But what about her dispatching of her hunting dog?  Should she be put in the doghouse?  Let’s get to the gist.

A Governor and Her Dog

Kristi Noem has produced two “autobiographies:” one published in 2022^[5] and a new one published this month in 2024.^[6]  In this latest rendition, the Governor, in an effort to show she’s willing to do “hard things,” relates a two-decade old story.  Her young 14 month old Springer hunting pup evidently botched a pheasant hunt and then chomped the neighbors’ chickens.  What’s a Governor to do?  

She could have continued the dog’s training, perhaps hiring an experienced trainer.  She could have taken the dog to the “dog pound.”  She could have engaged a vet to euthanize it.  Instead, Noem escorted the puppy to a gravel pit and shot-gunned it.  Then she recalled that she also owned an obstreperous and musty-smelling goat, so she hauled that animal to the same pit and similarly dispatched it.^[7]  Then, relating this story, the fur really began to fly, aside from the puppy’s and the goat’s.^[8]  Kate Bedington, the former White House Communications Director called it “puppy murder.”^[9]  Evidently unperturbed by this pushback, the Governor double-downed, claiming that her decision reflected farm life, rural realities, and protected her children.^[10]

The Governor is – or was – a leading GOP Vice-presidential candidate.  Predictably, the opposing party – which firmly embraces aborting humans on demand^[11] – was quick to contrast its purported love of animals, labeling what Noem did as “horrifying”.^[12]  

Where’s a coherent worldview when we need it?  Without playing partisan poker,^[13] does the TxC hermeneutic supply clarity in evaluating this situation?  Indeed it does because God’s truth about reality is the foundation for the intelligibility of all human experience.^[14]  Let’s calmly consider how we should think Christianly about this situation.

Who are the Players?

The TxC hermeneutic begins – and highlights – where and what the Bible does:  The Creator/Creature binary.  Absent this metaphysical predicate, one’s analysis of any issue will be skewed, if not altogether mistaken.  Why?

The Creation account sets forth non-negotiable norms relating to being and action.  Tinker with that narrative, and one will be delving into a fantasy land of fictional notions and entities.  One can hardly analyze – let alone evaluate – what’s occurred in any given situation unless one understands the nature of the involved actors.  For example, notice the red-hot condemnation of Noem by the Left – arguing that her actions comprised injustice.  But wait:  if humans are the same metaphysically as animals, what one animal does to another may be shocking to some or entertaining to others,^[15] but not cannot be “unjust”^[16]—if no distinction exists between human and animal natures.  So, who are the players here?

This mini-drama involves Kristi Noem, an adult human; Cricket, her puppy hunting dog; and a unnamed smelly and mean goat.  What do we know about each of them?

They share something in common; they are all creatures:  dog, goat, and human.^[17]  And they are all created “good” and in Noem’s case, “very good.”^[18]  In addition because of their creaturely status, they enjoy their Creator’s providential care.^[19]Yet, while they are all creatures, a hierarchy does exist:  Only mankind is made in the image and likeness of God.^[20]  This distinction comes with a duty:  Because mankind is Imago Dei, mankind is charged with a mandate concerning the Creation, including its non-human creatures:

      So God created man in his own image,

      in the image of God he created him;

      male and female he created them.

     And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”^[21]

Mankind is the delegated master of the other created things, including those creatures possessing the breath of life:^[22]  

      [W]hat is man that you are mindful of him,

            and the son of man that you care for him?

      Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

            and crowned him with glory and honor.

      You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;

            you have put all things under his feet,

 all sheep and oxen,

            and also the beasts of the field,

      the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

            whatever passes along the paths of the seas.^[23]

Yet, mankind is also fallen and sinful.  What does this mean for ethics vis a vis these other nonhuman creatures?  What are the contours of this ethical mandate?  How can this mandate be rightly discharged?

This mini-drama, as bantered about in the media, largely evades the metaphysical predicates outlined above and instead plummets into ethics – evaluating Noem’s conduct.  Some pundits excoriate Noem and others exonerate her.  The reasoning used by both groups is largely unsound and manifests problematic claims.  Let’s focus on some of them.

Suppose a person lives in State X.  That person is a builder/developer and wants a zoning variance for his project.  He approaches the county official who determines such things and offers to pay college tuition for that official’s daughter. Rather than being a kind gesture, it’s clear this is a bribe, plain and simple.  What if law enforcement becomes aware and says, “no issue here; that’s just the way business is done in this county, Now, one county over, that would be a crime, but not here.”  If you were a competing developer, you would justly be incensed – in one county bribery is illegal and in another it’s “just doing business.”  Plainly, the same conduct done across a county line should be treated in the same way.  The geography does not alter the morality of the conduct.

In the Noem affair, the Governor’s defenders focus on rural practice and farm life.  The claim is that the ethical standards of farm life significantly differ from those of urban life.^[24]  And, accordingly, this distinction supposedly exculpates Noem — as if normative ethical standards are geographically variable.  This is erroneous.  Merely showing that a behavior occurs on a different piece of land – without more – does not justify an ethical distinction between them.

Similarly, some claim that because this incident occurred two decades ago, it is, ethically speaking, a “nothing burger.”  While it may be true that the passage of time may mitigate an act’s consequences, it does not follow that the act itself is less transgressive.  The criminal law recognizes this:  no statute of limitations exists for murder.  The passage of time, simply put, lacks atoning properties.

Understanding the Imago Dei coupled with the Cultural Mandate may cause some to conclude that humans may “do whatever” to non-humans.  Why?  Because “exercising dominion” may require eliminating animals who threaten crops, persons, livestock, etc.^[25]  And as someone quipped: “I love animals; they’re delicious.”  Afterall, animals are not people; they are property.  Does that reality fully resolve the ethical question?  Not exactly,

On the one hand, the Left invokes terms like “murder”^[26] to describe Noem’s actions.  This is a rhetorical category mistake.  “Murder” is the unlawful, unjustified or unexcused, premeditated intentional killing of a human^[27]– “murder” always involves and only involves homicide – the death of a human. Not all homicides constitute murder, but all homicides involve the death of a human and only a human.  Consequently, animals cannot – by definition – be “murdered.”

However, there is no carte blanche concerning animals either.  God requires humans to steward the creation, including its lower creatures.  Anything doesn’t go.

God in His kindness has not left us without guidance concerning care for animals.  Generally, the righteous person is one who has regard for his beast:

Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.^[28]

This general dynamic extends to the animal property of others, even to those who despise you:

You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.^[29] . . . 

If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.^[30]

A godly man may not neglect his animals:

Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds^[31]

The duty to care for animals extends to some non-domesticated creatures:

“If you come across a bird’s nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. You shall let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long.^[32]

The Sabbath rest includes granting “time-off” for working animals; note this applies to a rural “farm” context:

But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.^[33]

Yet, the Word of the Lord also affirms and maintains an ethical distinction between animals and humans, even requiring “putting down” animals that cause human death:

 “When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable.^[34]

When we clear away fallacious notions and then recognize that Scripture explicitly provides ethical guidance regarding the nature and treatment of animals, we are positioned to think Christianly about Kristi Noem’s canine caper.  So, let’s pose some diagnostic questions (and answers):

• Did Governor Noem murder her dog, Cricket? NO

• Is killing an unborn human via abortion the moral equivalent to killing an animal?  NO

• Does the rural situation of the incident change the applicable ethical standard?  NO

• May humans kill animals?  YES

• Is Noem’s having intentionally killed a pet dog two decades ago relevant to her being considered a vice-presidential candidate?  NO

• Is intentionally killing a pet dog two decades ago a greater offense than more recently cheating on one’s spouse?  NO

• Should citizens tally permitted dog bites as a reliable means for assessing a candidate’s political competence?  NO

• Can one rationally condemn intentionally killing a pet dog while simultaneously advocating for legalizing the intentional killing of unborn humans?  NO

The fallacy of moral equivalence rests on notions, pagan notions, that defy creational boundaries, obliterate distinctions, and level hierarchies.  These notions thereby generate ethical chaos, uncertainty, and societal instability.  The Left’s blowback against Governor Noem rests on a pagan ethos that’s invaded our culture’s moral imagination.  We must cultivate discernment to root it from our own thinking.

Christians must again heed Jesus’ direction to follow the Greatest Commandment by loving the Lord “with all our . . . mind.”^[35] We do this by obeying Scripture’s command to “honor Christ the Lord as holy” in our hearts – that is, our inner being of mind, will, and emotion.^[36] Only by setting our very minds apart for Christ can we cut through the culture’s clutter and see the world as God would have us see it—even about a Governor and her dog.  

Join TxC for our Annual Symposium, Every Square Inch, August 30 and 31 – Together we will be equipped to THINK CHRISTIANLY – all to God’s Glory.

^[1] Unattributed slogan, but certainly a monetized one:  https://www.walmart.com/ip/I-Love-Animals-They-re-Delicious-Novelty-Meat-Eater-BBQ-gift-T-Shirt/5418022904

^[2] Former White House Communications Director, Kate Bedington commenting on Noem’s actions, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/kristi-noem-doubles-down-on-decision-to-kill-family-dog-adds-that-she-killed-3-horses-a-few-weeks-ago

^[3] https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2024/03/02/smr-white-house-to-the-dog-house.cnn

^[4] https://nypost.com/2023/09/15/kristi-noem-corey-lewandowski-affair-shakes-up-trump-running-mate-stakes/

^[5] Kristi Noem, Not My First Rodeo:  Lessons for the Heartland (2022)

^[6] Kristi Noem, No Going Back:  The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward (2024)

^[7] Here’s one local account:  https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/2024/04/29/noems-dog-shooting-story-creates-waves-across-nation/

^[8] See, e.g., Politicians and dog experts vilify South Dakota governor after she writes about killing her dog,https://apnews.com/article/kristi-noem-book-dog-killing-5710b302e33f61c697f20ab3b227a19b

^[9] https://www.vanityfair.com/news/kristi-noem-doubles-down-on-decision-to-kill-family-dog-adds-that-she-killed-3-horses-a-few-weeks-ago   

^[10] https://twitter.com/KristiNoem/status/1784631108207849781?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1784631108207849781%7Ctwgr%5E67d016ed04616f61e9a509caf1d1bfd96937c0bf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vanityfair.com%2Fnews%2Fkristi-noem-doubles-down-on-decision-to-kill-family-dog-adds-that-she-killed-3-horses-a-few-weeks-ago, see also, https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/26/politics/kristi-noem-south-dakota-book-killing-dog/index.html and https://twitter.com/KristiNoem/status/1786018855476777270?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

^[11] Abortion rights center stage in Democrats’ 2024 US election campaign, https://www.reuters.com/world/us/democrats-push-abortion-rights-heart-2024-campaign-2023-09-01/

^[12] https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4624423-dnc-slams-kristi-noem-shooting-dog/

^[13] TxC, as a non-profit ministry, neither endorses nor opposes candidates for elective office.  Commentary here is limited to the worldview issues raised by the situation, a situation that just happens to involve an elected political leader.

^[14] Greg L. Bahnsen, Always Ready:  Directions for Defending the Faith (1996) and John M. Frame, Apologetics to the Glory of God – An Introduction (1994)

^[15] Some cultures countenance cock fighting, dog-fighting, and bull fighting.

^[16] By expressing anger, the Left is borrowing from the Christian worldview that establishes and justifies ethical norms and requires justice when those norms are violated.  But the question for the Left however, is, “On what basis?”  On the Left’s Darwinian assumptions, Noem is just the more fit animal and hence the survivor – it does help to possess a shotgun.

^[17] Gen. 1:1, 24, 25, 27.

^[18] Gen. 1:25, 31

^[19] This includes God’s care for animals:  Ps. 145:9, Ps. 147:9, Matt. 6:26, Luke 12:6

^[20] Gen. 26, 27.  Notice that the image is collective, comprised of male and female – gender ideology and androgyny distort and occlude the imago deli and thus reflects paganism.   On the New Right some versions of so-called patriarchy unintentionally undermine the imago Dei by erroneously excluding the female human from being a co-partner in executing the Cultural Mandate, beyond marrying and bearing children.

^[21] Gen. 1:27, 28

^[22] Gen. 1:30

^[23] Ps. 8:4-8

^[24] It’s true practices and conventions may differ but that is different than saying that the normative ethics reflect different standards.  In rural Montana, for example, my relatives acknowledge the 3 S’s when dealing with peaky roaming animals:  Shoot. Shovel. Shut-up.  

^[25] PETA, taking a cue from Critical Theory, asserts that making an ethical distinction between animals and humans is “speciesism:” “Speciesism is a misguided belief that one species is more important than another. This toxic mindset is deeply ingrained in our society, and it results in all kinds of negative consequences.” https://www.peta.org/features/what-is-speciesism/  This obliteration of distinctions and leveling of hierarchies exhibits classic pagan presuppositions.

^[26] See note 2 supra.

^[27] This is why lethal force used in self-defense or defending others, or lethal military action, or capital punishment does not constitute “murder.”

^[28] Prov 12:10

^[29] Deut. 22:4

^[30] Ex. 23:5

^[31] Prov. 27:23

^[32] Deut. 22:6, 7

^[33] Ex. 20:10; see also, Exodus 23:12; in Luke 14:5 Jesus notes that the Sabbath permits rescuing of endangered persons as well as animals.

^[34] Ex. 21:28; and of course, the Old Testament sacrificial system required the slaughter and shedding of blood of various animals such as bulls, goats, sheep, birds, etc.

^[35] Matt. 22:37

^[36] 1 Pet. 3:15