In the latest episode of South Park, Season 27, Episode 2, titled “Get a Nut,” nearly no one was safe from the show's signature satire. From Donald Trump to ICE, the episode skewered a wide range of targets. But perhaps the most surprising was the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, who became the centerpiece of one particularly dark running gag: she keeps shooting dogs. The most outrageous moment? Noem is depicted killing Krypto, Superman’s beloved dog. So what’s the story behind this grim recurring bit? The Real Story Behind the Joke The dog-shooting storyline isn’t random, it references a real incident that came to light in 2024. That year, Kristi Noem released a political memoir titled 'No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward.' In it, she recounted a shocking story about killing her own dog. According to The Guardian, Noem described an incident in which she took her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, on a pheasant-hunting trip. The idea was for Cricket to learn from older dogs. But things quickly spiraled. Noem writes that Cricket disobeyed commands and ignored attempts to control her using an electronic collar. Later that day, while Noem stopped to speak with a local family, Cricket escaped from her vehicle and attacked the family’s chickens, killing several in a frenzy. “She grabbed one chicken at a time, crunching it to death with one bite, then dropping it to attack another,” Noem wrote, likening the dog’s behavior to that of “a trained assassin.” After finally shooting and killing Cricket, who reportedly tried to bite her, Noem apologized to the family and compensated them for the damages. Then, she said, she made the decision: “I realized I had to put her down.” Noem's Response to the Backlash Noem defended her decision and addressed the controversy on X. She insisted that she was simply following South Dakota law, “The fact is, South Dakota law states that dogs who attack and kill livestock can be put down. Given that Cricket had shown aggressive behavior toward people by biting them, I decided what I did,” she explained. She added, “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.” Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News and around the World.