New Orleans community mobilizes to find lost dog

New Orleans – A scrawny white terrier named Scrim has captured the hearts of many in New Orleans in hopes of returning him to a safer, easier life in the Big Easy.

Scrim, who has been rescued twice this year, doesn’t seem to know what’s good for him. His talent for escaping helping hands and his catch-me-if-you-can ability made the dog go viral.

Michelle Cheramie first saved Scrim from a life on the streets with Zeus’ Rescues earlier this year – but he escaped in April.

After his spring escape, Cheramie and many New Orleans neighbors searched for Scrim for months without success. Hundreds of people commented and posted photos on social media of his whereabouts and words of encouragement for the people trying to help the lost dog.

“He was shot twice in the six months he was on the streets, so yeah, people are pretty scary to him,” Cheramie said.

It seemed like Scrim would be harder to track than Bigfoot, but Scrim was finally found in October.

Once again he had a roof over his head. His wounds were treated medically and he was even recognized by the New Orleans City Council.

But his life inside didn’t last long.

“We just wanted to teach him that human hands are actually good and that not all human hands hit you and not all human feet kick you, and it took us the first few months to convince him of that and he finally came to his senses came,” said Cheramie. “He’s just back in that airplane mode where people are scary.”

On Nov. 13, he jumped 13 feet from a barred window on the second floor of Cheramie’s home.

“He actually broke out of the privacy screen,” said Cheramie, who said Scrim also managed to squeeze through a small gap in her front yard fence to complete his escape.

Now Cheramie is canvassing the city’s streets again, and dozens of people have called to report scrim sightings. This map tracks Scrim’s movements over the last 11 days.

Cheramie drives the streets in her ambulance every day looking for Scrim.

“Everything we need to save Scrim if we get a sighting,” Cheramie said. “I have a dart gun, we have net guns… it shoots out and surrounds him and then we can pounce on him.”

Cheramie also placed cameras at various locations where Scrim was spotted.

One night he was caught on camera devouring some food that had been provided to him. Therefore, Cheramie is reassured knowing that he is still okay.

Now she’s hoping to bring Scrim home permanently – ideally just in time for a proper Thanksgiving feast.

“I’m pretty sure he doesn’t care where he is,” Cheramie said. “He’s smart enough that he’s probably under a house somewhere and getting some heat there, but no one knows for sure right now.”

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