Scrim, already saved twice this year, does not seem to be good for him. His knack for escaping from helping hands and his catch-me-if-you-can attitude have made the dog go viral.
Rescue of Zeus
Michel Chirami, with Zeus Rescue, first rescued Scrum from life on the streets earlier this year – but in April, he broke loose.
For months after his spring escape, Cheramie and many of his New Orleans neighbors searched for Scream relentlessly to no avail. Hundreds of people posted and commented on social media with photos of his whereabouts and words of encouragement for people trying to help the lost dog.
“He’s been shot twice in those six months that he’s been on the street, so yeah, people are pretty scared of him,” Cherami said.
It seemed as if Scrum was harder to track down than Bigfoot, but finally in October, Scrum was found.
Once again, he found himself with a roof over his head. He received medical treatment for his injuries and was recognized by the New Orleans City Council.
But his inner life did not last long.
“We were just trying to teach him that human hands are actually good, and not all human hands hit you, and not all human feet kick you, and it took us the first two months to convince him of that. It took a while, and he was finally here,” said Cherami. “He’s just in that flight mode where humans are scared.”
On Nov. 13, he jumped 13 feet from a second-story screened-in window at Cherami’s home.
“He actually went off the screen,” according to Cheramie, who said Scrum also managed to squeeze through a small gap in his front yard fence to complete his escape.
Now Cherami is back to haunting the city’s streets, and dozens of people have called to report sightings of Scream. This map Monitoring Scrum movement for last 11 days.
Cherami drives the streets daily in her rescue van in search of Scream.
Rescue of Zeus
“We need everything to save the scrum when we see it,” Cherami said. “I’ve got a dart rifle, we’ve got net guns… it shoots and surrounds it, and then we can jump on it.”
Cherami is also installing cameras at various locations where the scream has been spotted.
One night, a camera catches him eating some leftover food for himself, so Chirami is relieved to learn that he is still alive and well.
Now she’s hoping to get Scream a permanent home — ideally just in time for a proper Thanksgiving feast.
“I’m pretty sure wherever he is is cool,” Chirami said. “He’s smart enough to think he’s probably under the house somewhere and getting some heat that way, but nobody knows for sure at this point.”