Houdini hound and expert runaway dog Scrim is finally found again after weeks on the run in Louisiana
Louisiana's most famous fugitive dog, who has frequently escaped the life of domesticated comfort to live as a stray on the streets of New Orleans, has finally been captured yet again.Scrim, a scruffy off-white free-spirited pup, has become a local celebrity for his frantic runaway tactics and his unwavering resilience during his great-escapes.On Tuesday, news emerged that the three-year-old pooch was captured in perfect health in Mid-City after being at one with the streets for months.'It was the best feeling on the planet, to finally have Scrim in hand again,' Michelle Cheramie, the owner of Zeus's Rescues dog adoption agency, told NOLA.'All I wanted was for him to be safe, and now he is,' she added. 'He won't get away again.' The expert runaway, who has escaped capture more times than Ted Bundy, is now roaming around safely inside Cheramie's home as he gets a relaxing taste of the captive life.Now dressed with an AirTag as the windows and doors inside the home remain locked - for precaution of course - it will be hard for Houdini to find his way back to the streets this time. But again, it's never impossible.'You can't be too careful,' Cheramie wrote in a separate Facebook post. 'It is Scrim after all.' Scrim, Louisiana's most famous fugitive dog who has frequently escaped the life of domesticated comfort for a happy life as a stray in New Orleans, was captured yet again after months on the streets The three-year-old pooch is now getting a taste of the relaxing captive life inside Michelle Cheramie's home - the owner of Zeus's Rescues dog adoption agency, who has devoted the last 11 months of her time attempting to locate and capture the escape artist While Cheramie was out jogging on Tuesday morning, she got a message from Trap Dat Cat, a non-profit organization, who informed her that they may have caught Scrim in a humane animal cage designed for stray cats After Cheramie rushed to the scene, she peered inside the animal cage. To her complete disbelief, the small - but mighty - pup was just insideCheramie, who has dedicated the last 11 months of her life attempting to capture the celebrated terrier mutt, was jogging around her neighborhood at 7am Tuesday morning when she received a text.The message was from a rescuer at Trap Dat Cat, a non-profit organization, who informed her that members of the organization may have finally trapped Scrim.'She sent a photo. It looked like him, but I could not be sure,' Cheramie wrote to Facebook. 'We have set so many traps in Mid-City in the last nine months.'The devoted adoption agency owner hopped in her truck and rushed to the scene. After what felt like an eternity, but was really only 15 minutes, she arrived for the long-awaited moment of truth.When she peered inside the humane animal cage designed for stray cats, the small - but mighty - pup was just inside.'I peeked in the cage and saw those big eyes and floppy ears,' Cheramie said in a Facebook post. 'It was Scrim!'After securing the cage with 'something like 20' plastic bands to ensure that the serial escaper stayed put, she immediately called Dr. Joe at Metairie Small Animal Hospital who told her to meet him there, NOLA reported.Cheramie also messaged Team Scrim, a platform dedicated to sharing Scrim sightings, whose members were in disbelief upon hearing the news. After securing the cage with 'something like 20' plastic bands to ensure that the serial escaper stayed put, Charamie took Scrim to the hospital for an examination where he was discovered to be in great health Since the advanced escape artist has found his way to freedom a few too many times, he was decorated with a new geolocation collar equipped with a longer-lasting battery A full exam, including X-rays, were conducted on the newly found scruff-ball once at the hospital which found that he had tapeworms and other intestinal parasites from surviving off street water for months 'We've had so many near rescues in the last three months,' Cheramie wrote. 'They couldn't believe he went in a cat trap with all the traps we set.'A full exam, including X-rays, were conducted on the newly found scruff-ball once at the hospital. Although he had tapeworms and other intestinal parasites from months of surviving off street water, he was miraculously healthy.According to Cheramie, not only was Scrim healthy, but 'in perfect health, with nothing broken or dislocated.' He even gained a little weight over his last several months on the streets, NOLA reported.The small dog was transported in a three-vehicle caravan after his routine check-up, where he was then taken to Cheramie's Uptown home.From there, he got a much-needed bath. As the bathwater turned gray with road grime, Scrim was on his way to becoming a house dog yet again.Since the advanced escape artist has found his way to freedom a few too many times, he was decorated with a new geolocation collar equipped with a longer-lasting battery.The now-relaxed Scrim received endless attention after returning indoors on Tuesday - passed from admirer to admirer, photographed and videoed and given all the snuggles to make up for lost time.Although his eyes remained alert and his muscles tense, NOLA reported that he never struggled or squirmed to be released away from the loads of affection. The expert runaway, who has escaped capture more times than Ted Bundy, has been spotted several times throughout the last few weeks but always evades capture Once Scrim was transported in a three-vehicle caravan to Cheramie's Uptown home on Tuesday, he received a much-needed bath that turned the water gray from road grime The now-relaxed Scrim received endless attention after returning indoors on Tuesday - passed from admirer to admirer, photographed and videoed and given all the snuggles to make up for lost timeNearly four-hours after Scrim's capture, he gave way to his tiredness and calmly fell asleep right on Cheramie's lap. On Wednesday, Cheramie shared a series of adorable pictures to Facebook where she discussed the last 36 hours since Scrim was caught, referring to the entire ordeal as 'unbelievable.''He is roaming around the house, just being an inside dog. We are spending tons of time outside with him and also giving him time alone inside to decompress,' she wrote.'He's going to sleep in bed with me tonight and it's going to be the most amazing thing,' she added. 'It's so good to have him in my arms. It's everything I ever wanted.'Scrim fulfilled the request and did in fact curl up with Cheramie in her bed during the night, where he was described as being a much calmer version of himself. Cheramie has now found a new, tailor-made home for the beloved pup. Although she didn't share where that home would be, she explained how there is enough room for long walks whilst in the company of other canines for Scrim to socialize with.Scrim's story began on Halloween of 2023 when he was initially captured in a Houma trailer park. He was assigned the name Michael after his first capture, and was in jeopardy if being euthanized if not adopted.Cheramie, who frequently acquires dogs from shelters, welcomed 'Michael' to the New Orleans community in November 2023. 'Your hundreds of sightings helped us bring him home,' Cheramie wrote to Facebook while also thanking Trap Dat Cat and the city of New Orleans for the amazing rescue effortFrom there, she renamed him Scrim - a name based off of a New Orleans rapper - and began a months-long domestication process.In December 2024, she told DailyMail.com: 'He was really shy. He had obviously been abused, and we brought him into our shelter and worked with him and got him to a point where we felt he was adoptable.'Since then, Cheramie has made several attempts to find the three-year-old pup a permanent home. But every time he ended up somewhere new, he bolted for his freedom. In April 2024, Scrim was placed in a permanent adoptive home but escaped immediately. He evaded traps, nets and tranquilizers for the following six months.The escape artist was trapped in a limousine parking lot in October of 2024. At this point, it seemed as though the pooch was finally ready for a life of domestication - but with Scrim, that's never the case.Cheramie said that Scrim was placed with a family in a 'really secure home' in October. But on November 14, 2024, he was staying with her while his new owners were out of town. The pet agency owner briefly took her eyes off the dog, but mistakenly left her daughter's second-floor bedroom window open. Stunningly, Scrim had managed to chew through the screen covering the window and plummeted 13-feet to a concrete path below. He then darted back to the streets. Scrim's story began on Halloween of 2023 when he was initially captured in a Houma trailer park. He was assigned the name Michael after his first capture, and was in jeopardy if being euthanized if not adopted Shortly after his first capture, 'Michael' was renamed to Scrim and was placed in a permanent adoptive home - but somehow escaped immediately Though there were multiple sightings of Scrim throughout New Orleans, he remained well-hidden for months straight. His months-long hiatus, though not surprising, left local fans concerned over his safety as many feared he was dead.'He has had quite an ordeal since leaping from a second story window in November. He had to start over in a completely different part of New Orleans,' Cheramie wrote to Facebook.According to the post, Scrim found himself lost in Old Metairie on Christmas Day before vanishing again. He then found his way back to Mid-City.'He survived thunderstorms and New Years fireworks. Loud noises terrify him,' Cheramie wrote to Facebook. 'During the subzero temperatures and a blizzard, he had the Scrim rescue team driving around in a foot of snow keeping feeding stations filled with food,' she added. 'He spent a month trying to find a way from Uptown to Mid-City - and succeeded!'Throughout his troubled life, Scrim has lost several teeth, been shot twice with air rifle pellets and withstood a hurricane without ever going indoors.'He endured so much,' Cheramie said. 'I needed him safe. He is not a feral dog.' Throughout his troubled life, Scrim has lost several teeth, been shot twice with air rifle pellets and withstood a hurricane without ever going indoors Scrim had managed to chew through the screen covering the window of a home he was staying at in November of 2024 before he plummeted 13-feet to a concrete path below and darted back to the streets for the following months Before he fled Cheramie's home in November, he was taken to the vet to help restore his state of health after his October rescue.Now the free-spirited scruffy pup has a happy future ahead of him, filled with lots of running and loads of love.'Your hundreds of sightings helped us bring him home,' Cheramie wrote to Facebook while also thanking Trap Dat Cat and the city of New Orleans for their concerned efforts.'Tonight, we all sleep the sleep of the freshly rescued.'
