Joe Biden’s dog – which has bitten US Secret Service staff several times – should be put down, a political opponent, who wrote about shooting her own dog, has suggested.
Kristi Noem, the South Dakota governor, who is being vetted as a candidate for Donald Trump’s vice president in November’s election, admitted shooting and killing Cricket, a 14-month-old wirehaired pointer, more than 20 years ago.
In her memoir, due to be published this week, the Republican reportedly details how she killed the “extremely dangerous” puppy after the animal attacked and killed a neighbouring family’s chickens.
In an interview on Sunday, she suggested the US president‘s German shepherd, Commander, should meet the same fate.
She told CBS News’ Face The Nation: “Joe Biden’s dog has attacked 24 Secret Service people. So how many people is enough people to be attacked and dangerously hurt before you make a decision on a dog and what to do with it?”
When asked by host Margaret Brennan, who pointed out the animal no longer lived at the White house, whether she was suggesting the dog should be shot, Ms Noem said: “That what’s the president should be accountable to.”
In her book, Noem reportedly describes Cricket as “less than worthless” and “untrainable”.
After having shot her dog, she reportedly killed her family’s goat, which she called “nasty and mean”, The Guardian, which had an early copy of the book, reported.
The governor, who has often defended her actions, despite widespread criticism, again justified her decision in Sunday’s interview, saying: “I made a difficult choice. I think you’re a mother, too. And you have little kiddos.
“Would you make a choice between your children or a dangerous animal? And I think I would ask everybody in the country to put themselves in that situation.”
Asked why she did not take the dog to a shelter instead of killing it, she said Cricket was “a working dog” who “had come from a family that had already had issues with this dog”.
“I didn’t ask somebody else to take that responsibility for me… I had to make that decision myself,” she added.
Mr Biden has not commented.
Sky News reported the US president’s German shepherd was removed from the White House last October after he bit a female officer, resulting in her needing medical treatment.
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Commander bit staff at least 10 times in one four-month period, according to Department of Homeland Security records.
Mr Biden’s previous pet, another German shepherd named Major, was sent to live with friends in Delaware after some biting incidents of his own.