Sen. Ted Cruz is in the doghouse with some critics who blasted him for reportedly leaving his pet pooch, Snowflake, at home amid freezing temps — as he and the rest of the family jetted off to Cancun, Mexico. The Republican lawmaker has claimed in the wake of public outrage that he was merely escorting his pre-teen daughters on their trip with friends — noting that, like millions of his fellow Texans, his family had lost heat and water.