Fall 2021 Children's Sneak Previews
'We All See Ourselves In Him': How Scrim Went From Shy Stray To New Orleans' Favorite Outlaw
A lot of stories captured the attention of New Orleans residents this year. But perhaps none more so than the tale of Scrim, the dog. The wire-haired, Westie-Terrier mutt has become a local legend due to his penchant for running loose in the Crescent City, evading capture at every turn.
Scrim isn't an ordinary stray. He's chewed through nets, and run through traffic to avoid capture. Treats do nothing to lure him. As of Dec. 17, he remains on the run.
New Orleans has a lot of stray dogs and cats. But perhaps none have ever risen to this level of adoration. To understand why, you have to go back to the start of his story.
"Scrim, it turns out, had a whole life before New Orleans," said Doug McCash, arts and culture writer for The Times-Picayune.
McCash has been chronicling Scrim's saga for nearly a year, and says his origin story begins in October 2023, after a local animal shelter found him in a mobile home park in East Houma.
"Scrim was nervous," he said. "And obviously not well socialized, but they thought he was promising."
Through the state's shelter network, he was brought to New Orleans by Zeus' Rescue, where he was quickly rehabilitated and adopted by a local family in early 2024. But he didn't take well to confinement.
"He escaped immediately," McCash said. "He did not give domesticity a chance."
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Soon, "missing dog" posters of Scrim blanketed the Mid-City neighborhood, and he became a local celebrity. Online, the hashtag #FreeScrim started trending on Twitter among those who supported his drive and free spirit.
"He had this tongue-in-cheek, outlaw mystique right from the beginning," McCash said. "Just his evasiveness tickled people. Scrim didn't take the career path job of being a pet dog."
After 177 days on the run, rescuers cornered him in a brickyard by some railroad tracks. While in the hospital, veterinarians made a startling discovery. Scrim had two healed-over bullet wounds in his body. He was shot twice at some point.
"If he wasn't already a legend, I mean now we're talking total outlaw," McCash said.
Scrim's story started spreading on the internet, and the New Orleans City Council requested staff at Zeus' Rescues bring Scrim into city hall chambers to receive a special proclamation and gift bag of dog treats.
All seemed well for Scrim. Michelle Cheramie, head of Zeus' Rescues, kept him in her Uptown home as she searched for a permanent residence. But then, in November, he escaped again.
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Michelle Cheramie, head of Zeus' Rescues animal shelter in New Orleans, at her home in Uptown.
Matt Bloom / WWNO
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Cheramie puts her hand against the hole in her second floor bedroom window screen where Scrim escaped in November.
Matt Bloom / WWNO
Home security footage shows Scrim leaping out of an open window on the second floor of Cheramie's house. In the video, Scrim crashes to the ground, immediately gets up and wiggles through a slot in her wrought-iron fence, then sprints out of view down the street.
Cheramie wasn't there at the time. When she got back home, she discovered he had chewed through a screened-in window in a bedroom to escape. The hole is still in the screen.
"(There's) regret that I didn't think to shut this window," Cheramie said. " And sadness because he was coming around to being an inside normal dog again. And this one misstep on my part has put him back in danger again."
With Scrim back on the run, Cheramie is doing daily canvasses of the city to look for him. She and a team of volunteers check in through a group chat multiple times a day about the search.
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She's also asking the community to help keep track of him. If you see Scrim in New Orleans, don't chase him. Call Zeus' Rescues hotline at 504-231-7865.
Cheramie says her tranquilizer dart gun is what's needed to safely stop him. Capturing Scrim has consumed Chermaie's entire life this year. She says the friendly, white haired mutt deserves a safe home.
"One of my rescues is not safe being on the street," she said. "So I'm going to do everything until he's brought to safety."
His story has even hit the national press, recently appearing in The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.
"He's staying in the public eye and, you know, his story is compelling," Cheramie said. "This dog, who came from very bad beginnings, is escaping and it doesn't make sense. Why would you want to keep leaving the comfort and safety that you're looking for? So, you know, it makes you think. We all kind of see ourselves in Scrim in a little bit."
McCash said those questions have resonated with a lot of New Orleans residents for that reason.
"Secretly it's not a story about a dog. It's a story about us," he said. "It's a story about all the devoted dog lovers who want him to be curled up in front of the fireplace safe and warm. And the other part of the population that's like 'Live free Scrim, don't let them get you.'"
"The story is really about us and the duality that's inside of everybody who would either like to be a little more secure or a little more wild," McCash added.
Cheramie says she's already planning Scrim's next steps once he's hopefully found again. She wants to see him in a loving home, with a large, fenced in yard to run around in and a safe place to sleep at night.
Baldrick Star's 'agony' Over Death Of Rescue Dog
TV star Sir Tony Robinson has spoken of his "agony" over the death of his beloved rescue dog.
He and his wife Louise adopted Holly Berry from the RSPCA Derby shelter, in Abbey Street in the city, during lockdown in 2020.
The actor - known to million as hapless Baldrick in the TV comedy Blackadder - went on to become Patron of the charity.
Sir Tony said he wasn't considering getting another dog just yet, but hinted he would ultimately take on another rescue animal from Derby.
Holly Berry is said to have been in a "terrible state" when she was rescued by an RSPCA inspector in 2019
Sir Tony said: "We've lost her, which is very sad. We always knew she wouldn't last for too long. She'd been really poorly.
"It's always agony when you lose an animal but at least we have the knowledge she was able to live a healthy life for her final few years."
In a tribute on its website, RSPCA Derby said: "We are very sad to share the news Holly Berry died after complications with diabetes.
"We are so grateful that the time she had with the Robinsons was filled with love, the best care and, of course, lots of fun.
"Our heartfelt condolences go to Tony and Louise, and we shall never forget Holly Berry."
The Westie terrier was rescued by an RSPCA inspector just before Christmas 2019 and was said to be in a "terrible state".
Sir Tony said he was still involved in fundraising efforts for the RSPCA Derby charity, which is an independently-run rescue shelter.
He added: "I've not been up to Abbey Street for a while, but I will certainly be back before the end of the year.
"We've not got a new dog yet, I know we'll get another one and I'm pretty sure where it's going to come from. I suspect when the summer's over that will be the time."
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.Co.Uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.
Episode 4
In this exciting episode, Peter MacQueen embarks on a heartfelt journey to explore one of Scotland's most iconic dog breeds - the West Highland White Terrier, or Westie. These little dogs, known for their striking white coats and bold personalities, hold a special place in Peter's heart, as he once had a beloved Westie named Seòras.
Peter's adventure begins in Aberdeenshire, where he falls in love with an irresistible Westie puppy, before travelling to Argyll and Bute, where the breed originated, to uncover the fascinating story behind why these charming dogs were bred with their distinctive white fur.
As he meets different Westies along the way, Peter realises that, despite being the same breed, each one has a completely unique personality. Intrigued by this, he sets out to investigate how a breed can share certain traits while having such diverse individual temperaments. With the help of experts and a group of dog walkers in Glasgow's famous Kelvingrove Park, Peter runs a scientific experiment to see if genes play a role in shaping these personalities.
After an emotional journey across Scotland, Peter unexpectedly finds himself ready to make a life-changing decision. Could a Westie be one of the breeds he wants to join his family?
San earrann bheòthail seo, tha Pà druig MacCuidhein air turas drùidhteach a dh'ionnsachadh mu aon de na seòrsachan còin as suaicheanta – An Abhag Ghà idhealach Gheal, neo an Westie. Tha na coin bheaga seo, a tha cliùiteach airson còtaichean geala is airson a bhith bragail, dlùth do chridhe Phà druig, oir bha fear dhiubh aige roimhe, Seòras.
Tòisichidh turas Phà druig ann an Siorrachd Obar Dheathain far a bheil e a' tuiteam ann an gaol le cuilean tarraingeach Westie, mus tèid e gu Earra-Ghà idheal is Bhòid, dachaidh na gnèithe, airson ionnsachadh carson a chaidh am briodadh len fhionnadh suaicheanta geal.
Fhad 's a tha e a' coinneachadh ri diofar choin Westie air a shlighe, tha Pà drùig ag ionnsachadh gu bheil iad uile eadar-dhealaichte ged as e an aon ghnè a th' annta. Air a phiobrachadh le seo, tha e a' coimhead ri ciamar a ghabhas e a bhith gu bheil na coin coltach ri chèile ann an iomadh dòigh, ach le a nà dar fhèin aig gach aon. Le cuideachadh bho eòlaichean agus bho buidheann luchd-cuairt-chon ann am pà irce ainmeil Kelvingrove ann an Glaschu, tha Pà druig a' dèanamh deuchainn saidheansail a dhearbhadh a bheil buaidh aig ginean air nà dar nan con.
Às dèidh turas dhrùidhteach tarsainn na h-Alba, gu h-obann, tha Pà druig deiseil airson co-dhùnadh maireannach a dhèanamh. Saoil an e Westie aon dhe na gnèithean a tha e ag iarraidh a chur ris an teaghlach aige?
In Gaelic with English subtitles
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