Disney heiress Abigail Disney used the classic Disney movie "Old Yeller" to urge voters to reject the Republican Party this November after South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's admission that she shot dead her family's 14-month-old puppy Cricket, according to a report.
"My great-uncle Walt Disney knew the magic place animals have in the hearts of families everywhere," Disney wrote in an email released by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee obtained by the Guardian.
"When he released Old Yeller, the heart wrenching story stayed with people because no one takes the killing of a family pet lightly," the statement said.
In the movie, a Texas family's beloved Old Yeller mutt was shot because he contracted rabies.
Abigail Disney evokes Old Yeller in plea to reject Republicans after Kristi Noem kills dog - The Guardian https://t.co/nqRAQVZkuU
— Michael F Ozaki MD (@brontyman) May 11, 2024
Noem, who is being considered by former President Donald Trump as a running mate, wrote about fatally shooting the pooch in her new book, "No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward."
Noem said she shot the puppy, which she called "less than worthless," in a gravel pit after she said the dog attacked livestock on a neighboring farm.
"I hated that dog," she said in the book.
Abigail Disney said Noem's account of how she shot the family's puppy "shocked so many of us."
"Walt Disney also understood story telling. Together, we must make sure all voters see how this sad Kristi Noem episode is part of the larger story of the 2024 election: America could vote into the White House extremists that glorify cruelty and lack basic empathy and compassion," she said.
In an interview on Fox Business earlier this week, Noem defended executing the dog, saying it was "vicious."
This was a "vicious, dangerous dog. That was a working dog. And I had to make a choice between the safety of my children and an animal that was killing livestock and attacking people," Noem told host Stuart Varney. "So it's included because a lot of politicians have run from the truth. They want to try to hide from tough decisions."
The Republican governor said she was "proud of the book."
"I know that a lot of people are using attacks to try to take me down because they're scared of me. I have so much support and all I've done is won," she said.
