in the beginning, there was snoot

how it all came to be

Hi there! 👋

You may only know me as a disembodied Midwestern accent, but I felt it was about time that I briefly introduced myself. I was born and raised in the Midwest, went to college there, had a brief stint on the East Coast, and then moved back to, you guessed it, the Midwest. Oh, and I suppose it’s important to know that my name is Clare. I studied molecular biology in college and later switched to interior design because life is too short and work is too long to not be doing something that scratches that itch in your brain. I’ve been making silly little dog videos on the side for five years because they're a fun outlet to make myself laugh. The rest, well, you may know it because otherwise, you wouldn’t be here, caring about the ramblings of some random noodle girl on the internet.

Now, onto what really matters: the snoots. Let’s start with the void horse herself, because without her, there would be nothing.

Let’s rewind. I met Abby in 2018 when I started dating her dad; she was already two at the time. If I’m completely honest with you, I was horribly taken aback by her. As mentioned, I was born and raised in the Midwest, and if there's one thing we lack here, it’s the strange and bizarre. Our fragile Midwestern hearts could only handle labs and golden retrievers back in the day, it seemed. So, I had never seen a sighthound in person; I barely knew what a greyhound was. To be presented with Abby, a creature that eerily resembled the thing that lived in my closet as a kid, you can imagine I was concerned for Abby’s dad’s taste in everything (including his interest in me). What possessed him to get a borzoi, you may ask? It was the meme, “this horse ate my ice cream,” and honestly, after seeing that, I kind of understood. Kind of.

this horse ate my ice cream

I just remember complaining to my roommate at the time, “Why that dog? He could’ve gotten anything, why would he get THAT?” All the while Abby probably felt the same way about me, “Why that girl? He could’ve dated any girl, why would he bring HER home?” But somehow Abby and I found ourselves stuck together, forever, for better or for worse.

I often receive comments and messages from people asking if Abby is as dramatic as I make her out to be. Let’s just say, when Abby’s dad and I started dating, Abby ALWAYS inserted herself between us. If we were hugging, Abby’s nose would weasel between us to create space for her. If we were cuddling on the couch, Abby would climb between us. God forbid we kissed; she’d just scream until we stopped. She did not want to share her dad with anyone, and I can’t blame her— he is pretty great.

I will say I do play up Abby’s disdain for me. Where she once felt animosity, I can cautiously say she feels love now. Although Abby is a daddy’s girl through and through, she often prefers my attention, my treats, and my choice of adventures. Abby and I have grown to appreciate each other for what we provide: Abby provides endless entertainment, and I provide snacks.

All of this is to say, our lives wouldn’t be the same without her. Without her, I wouldn’t have learned about Silken Windhounds; without her, there wouldn’t be Cleo. Without her, there wouldn’t be “cleolonglegs”.

More to come…