Senator Ted Cruz reportedly left behind his family pet poodle, Snowflake, when he took off for Cancun on Wednesday evening while tens of thousands of Texas residents were left without power or running water for a fourth day.

A picture taken by a New York Magazine reporter showed the dog looking out of a window of Cruz' home in Houston, Texas, while he, his wife, and daughters vacationed.

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"Just drove by Ted Cruz’s house in Houston. 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," Michael Hardy wrote on Twitter. "Just to clarify, this was taken around 1pm central on Thursday. It's possible Ted brought the poodle back from Cancun with him, or that a family member was staying behind to take care of the dog."

Per The Independent, a security guard said he had been looking after the poodle while the family away from the home. According to the New York Magazine reporter, the Cruz' home appeared to have regained electricity on Thursday afternoon (18th February).

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In a statement that was widely condemned, Cruz said he was trying to be a good father by taking his two daughters out of the state.

"Like millions of Texans, our family lost heat and power too,” the senator said in the written statement. “[And] with school cancelled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends. Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon."

He later admitted to ABC13 that with "hindsight" the vacation had been a "mistake".

In an appearance on Fox News with Sean Hannity on Thursday, he said that his house was "freezing" after the power went out on Tuesday night, and that he staued at home for "two days" before travelling to Cancun.

"It was dark, we had no heat. Actually the fireplace behind me, we were all huddled around the fireplace ‘cause it was the only heat in the house," he alleged.

According to The Guardian, arctic storms that have swept across large parts of the central and southern United States have brought record-breaking cold temperatures, with more than 4 million homes and businesses left without power.

Ted Cruz ‘left behind’ pet dog at ‘freezing’ Texas home during Cancun trip