People were already incensed over Sen. Ted Cruz’s jaunt to Cancun while Texans battled catastrophically cold weather that caused massive power and water outages. But a photo of his dog, alone, staring out the door of the Republican senator’s house might be the icing on the cake.
“Just drove by Ted Cruz’s house in Houston,†Houston journalist Michael Hardy tweeted on Thursday afternoon, alongside the image. “His lights are off but a neighbor told me the block got its power back last night. Also, Ted appears to have left behind the family poodle.â€
The dog, a small white canine named Snowflake, was not totally abandoned, Hardy clarified in later tweets, as well as in a report for New York magazine. The dog was put under the care of Cruz’s security guard, who was parked outside the home in an SUV when Hardy took the photo. (Hardy also said it’s not confirmed whether Snowflake is actually a poodle.)
Cruz’s spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment from HuffPost, and it’s unclear to what extent Snowflake — and possibly the security guard — were stuck in a cold, electricity-free home while the Cruzes fled to Mexico.
Group texts obtained by The New York Times showed Heidi Cruz, the senator’s wife, stating the house was “FREEZING†before they left, and Ted Cruz said in an earlier statement about the trip that his home had lost heat and power.
Of course, no one is expected to bring their pet with them whenever they go on vacation. Depending on the animal and the type of trip, in many cases it’s preferable to leave pets behind with a trusted caretaker rather than have them undergo the stress of travel. But in this case, the idea of Snowflake stuck in a dark, “FREEZING†house while the rest of the family jetted off on an ill-conceived, last-minute vacation just seemed callous, if not potentially dangerous.
Many people on social media called out the sadness of the situation, fantasized about Snowflake getting revenge and drew comparisons between Snowflake and the plight of Texans in general:
