“Pheasant hunting is part of who we are, and it’s a tradition worth passing on to our kids and grandkids,” Noem wrote.

But the post quickly drew attention for a different reason: Noem’s controversial history of shooting and killing her own family pet.

“Please don’t kill him,” users pleaded in the comments, reviving a controversy that dogged Noem in 2024 when she revealed in her memoir she had shot and killed her 14-month-old dog, Cricket.

Other users piled on, with one sharing an AI-edited version of the photo that made the dog appearing very concerned.

In her memoir, “No Going Back,” Noem described taking Cricket on a pheasant hunt, where the young dog failed to behave as expected. She wrote that Cricket killed a neighbor’s chickens and attempted to bite her when she tried to restrain the animal.

Noem ultimately took the dog to a gravel pit and shot her dead, describing Cricket as “untrainable” and dangerous.

The revelation sparked widespread outrage among animal lovers and drew national attention as Noem was being discussed as a potential running mate for President Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

Noem defended her dog-killing decision at the time, arguing that it was a difficult but necessary choice on a farm and saying she was tired of politicians pretending to be something they are not.

“I can understand why some people are upset about a 20-year-old story of Cricket,” she wrote on X in April 2024 while still defending herself.

Noem led the Department of Homeland Security before leaving the position earlier this year.