re: What was Kristi Noem thinking?

I don't think she was thinking at all. She was probably justified in shooting the dog, but you don't freaking talk about it if you have political aspirations. There are people that chain themselves to buildings to protest killing chickens...

The lying part is the even dumber part. This wasn't like telling some chick in a bar that you flew stealth jets in the gulf war, this was instantly verifiable.

I grew up on a farm, and we had a nearly identical dog scenario. We rescued a dog that was a survivor from a car crash where both her owners died. She was a beautiful German Shepherd, but she was skittish. She was impossible to approach, and would growl. She'd harass cattle, and she nipped at a visitor to the house. The straw that broke the dog's back was when she nipped at my little niece. The dog was too big of a risk and was an absolute headcase. My dad took no joy in it, it broke his heart. I guarantee you it wouldn't be in his memoirs.