Kacey Musgraves is clapping back at Kristi Noem using her deceased dog as a reference to throw shade at her.
“I don’t think you have a dog in this fight but if you did you would have shot it," the country singer, 38, wrote in response to Noem, who said Oct. 12 she'd take Ella Langley
"over Kacey Musgraves any day" after Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico shared pictures of him attending Musgraves’ concert.The former South Dakota governor, 54, added: “And if I’m choosin’ Texas, I’ll take Ken Paxton over James Talarico.”
I don’t think you have a dog in this fight but if you did you would have shot it. https://t.co/bI50bahJZu
— K A C E Y (@KaceyMusgraves) October 12, 2026
Talarico, who is running against Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in the Texas Senate race, appeared
to side with Musgraves, posting another photo with her with the caption, "Don't mess with Texas."
Noem did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for a comment Musgraves remarks.
Don't mess with Texas. pic.twitter.com/Yhw3ob7eUb
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) October 13, 2026
Noem admitted to killing a hunting dog in 2024
Musgraves' comments were a reference to the former Secretary of Homeland Security's 2024 admission that she'd shot and killed an "untrainable" family dog after a pheasant hunt.
Noem, in her memoir "No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward," wrote she killed her 14-month-old wirehair pointer named Cricket because of its "aggressive personality" and called the dog "untrainable," USA TODAY previously reported.
Noem defended killing as a reality of farm life
Cricket disrupted the hunt by going “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life," Noem wrote. Then, on the way home, the dog killed a local family's chickens and tried to bite Noem when she intervened. The politician wrote the dog acted like a "trained assassin" that was "dangerous to anyone she came in contact with."
The anecdote drew backlash from both sides of the aisle and quickly became fodder for Noem's political opponents. The Democratic National Committee called the excerpts from the book "horrifying" and "disturbing."
Noem has defended the story as a reality of farm life, and as an indicator that she can face "difficult, messy and ugly" tasks, explaining that “Cricket had shown aggressive behavior toward people by biting them, I decided what I did.” She also cited South Dakota law that allows owners to put down dogs that attack and kill livestock.
“Whether running the ranch or in politics, I have never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else to handle. Even if it’s hard and painful. I followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor," Noem had said at the time. "As I explained in the book, it wasn't easy. But often the easy way isn't the right way."
Contributing: Anthony Robledo, Sudiksha Kochi / USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kacey Musgraves shades Kristi Noem with dog shooting reference
