Kristi Nome, who is considered to be Republican Donald Trump’s running mate ahead of November’s presidential election, defended her choice to shoot and kill a dog on her farm on Friday after Democrats criticized the revelation she made in a book. her.

In excerpts obtained by the British newspaper The Guardian, the South Dakota governor describes killing an “untrained” and “dangerous” dog, and also says she shot and killed a goat.

Christy Nome recounts that the dog attacked hens belonging to another family, acting like a “trained killer” and that he was “dangerous to anyone he came into contact with.” “I realized I had to kill him,” he added.

Commenting on excerpts from Noum’s book, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) called the execution of animals “heinous.” “If you want elected officials who don’t brag about killing their pets in a brutal way… vote Democrat,” he stressed.

For her part, the governor of South Dakota defended the “difficult” decision she made in a post on the X platform (formerly Twitter). “We love animals, but difficult decisions like this are often made on a farm. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago we had to euthanize three horses that had been in our family for 25 years.”

Nome’s name is on the list of candidates being considered by Trump for the post of vice president ahead of the November 5 presidential election, according to the Reuters news agency citing sources close to the Republican tycoon.

Colleen O’Brien, director of the animal charity PETA, strongly condemned Christy Nome’s choice to kill the dog. In particular, he criticized Noum for letting “an unruly puppy chase hens and then punishing him by deciding to blow his brains out, instead of trying to train him or find him a more responsible guardian who would give him a suitable home.” .