Snurgle Deer

The Snurgle Deer is also known as the "Paddle Tiger", the "Pig Faced Elkdog", and numerous other names, including some that aren't very flattering. The Snurgle Deer, like many unbelievably strange creatures, is actually misnamed. A member of the canine family, this web-footed carnivore lives in the far northern forests of Canada's great wilderness. Existing mainly on the shores of rivers and lakes, the Snurgle Deer feeds on fish and small birds. A peaceful, gentle creature, it is nevertheless capable of passionately defending itself using its sharp teeth and fearsome horns.

The Snurgle Deer is so friendly that it is often domesticated in the far north, primarily by trappers and oil men. The friendly, funky canine would no doubt be enormously popular as a pet world-wide if not for an unfortunate tendency to go violently beserk when confronted by moving video images and any clothing accessories that feature a paisley or herringbone pattern. In 2002, a pet store in Toronto illegally sold a Snurgle Deer to a family of four; despite briefings and warnings from the pet store owner, seven people were killed three days later when the children left the television on during an episode of Doctor Who.

The Snurgle Deer is a well-known icon in Canadian culture. In his novel The Snurgle Dog, Canadian writer Robertson Davies uses the animal as a metaphor for the "extra person" in any romantic triangle. Keanu Reeves marked his directorial debut with the 2000 Canadian Indie film Snurgle Dog Blues. On the episode "Dead Dog's Life" on the Canadian television show Blood Ties (2007), broadcast on the Lifetime channel in the U.S., private investigator Vicki Nelson is given a vampiric Snurgle Dog as a pet. Not only must she avoid paisleys, herringbone, and television video, she must keep the animal away from sunlight and stop a coven of satan worshippers from opening a doorway to hell by sacrificing the creature on an altar. The episode won a Canadian Emmy.