Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem holds a press conference to provide an update on border security and drug seizures along the U.S.-Mexico border in Otay Mesa, San Diego, California on Feb. 12, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake
Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem set out to celebrate a cherished hunting tradition, but social media had other memories in mind.
On Saturday, Noem marked South Dakota's pheasant season opener with a photo of her holding a shotgun while holding her dog Foster. Critics flashed back to Cricket, the 14-month-old wirehaired pointer she shot dead and later wrote about in her 2024 memoir "No Going Back."
"Happy Opener, South Dakota! Foster and I wish you good luck in the field!" Noem told her followers. "Pheasant hunting is part of who we are, and it's a tradition worth passing on to our kids and grandkids."
In her memoir, Noem described shooting Cricket in a gravel pit after the dog ruined a pheasant hunt and attacked a local family's chickens. She called the dog untrainable and dangerous. The admission sparked bipartisan outrage and dogged her for months as she was floated as a potential running mate for President Donald Trump.
Her post on Saturday quickly reopened that wound, racking up more than 340,000 views within hours.
"RIP, Foster. You looked like a good boy," quipped Lincoln Project co-founder and former GOP operative Rick Wilson in a reaction post on X.
HuffPost White House correspondent S.V. Dáte urged the dog to flee. "Run, Foster, run!" he pleaded.
Author and progressive political commentator Molly Jong-Fast cracked that "Kristi posting a picture with a dog is a choice."
Conservative writer Sarah Rumpf demanded answers. "Gonna need proof of life for that pup asap, Kristi," she warned.
Disinformation researcher Jim Stewartson sounded the alarm. "She posted a picture with a dog and a gun," he exclaimed. "Call the cops, the SPCA, someone."
The anti-Trump account Republicans Against Trump chimed in with a simple plea. "Somebody save Foster," it begged.
Progressive political analyst Brian Tyler Cohen posted a close-up of Foster's face. Conservative political analyst Jonah Goldberg posted an altered close-up with Foster looking distressed.
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