Scrim the famous escaping dog was star of Krewe du Vieux parade

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Scrim the Houdini-like dog is proving that he is New Orleans’ Mardi Gras mascot this Carnival season.

The Scrim float in this weekend’s Krewe Du Vieux parade proved he was the star of the show!

A stuffed creation of Scrim in a hot dog bun was featured in Krewe Du Vieux rolling down the streets. This year’s theme was “Krewe du Vieux is Revolting.”

Scrim will also be featured as the Grand Marshal in the Mystic Krewe of Barkus parade on Feb. 23 at 2 p.m.

Scrim’s handlers at Zeus’ Rescues say due to his fear of crowds, a statue of the white terrier will be pushed along the route by Scrim Recovery Team members as they toss Scrim-themed throws and other surprises in Barkus.

The Krewe of Muses will also feature a specialty Scrim float this year.

After months of being on the run and wandering the streets, Scrim was finally captured in a cat trap last week.

Scrim was captured for the second time on Tuesday, Feb. 16, after being on the run for nearly four months surviving blazing summers, fireworks and extreme winters, a cat trap is what stopped him.

“I looked down in the trap. It was covered, and sure enough, it was Scrim. And so, I had a moment. I just kind of, I was already on my knees, so l went to Child’s Pose and just stared at him, you know, on his level. And he and I just looked at each other,” said Michelle Cheramie with Zeus’ Rescues.

The Scrim saga is quite a tale. For months, it was Michelle Cheramie’s mission at Zeus’ Rescues to find Scrim, who could run up to 20 miles per hour.

Scrim, a 2-year-old terrier mix, first came to Zeus’ Rescues from Terrebonne Parish after almost being euthanized there. Zeus’ Rescues got him adopted in late April 2024, but his home wasn’t home for long.

“He went to his lovely, adopted home, but the first night he was there, he got spooked and started spinning around, went underneath a fence. That’s where his journey begins. He went straight to Carousel Gardens in Mid-City,” said Cheramie.

Cheramie and Scrim’s veterinarians first tried to track and trap him.

She went on to say, “I upped my game to the next level with a net gun, looks like a CO2 cartridge, and shoots out a net to catch a dog, but it failed and shot out a misfire,” said Cheramie.

Scrim kept scramming all over Mid-City with sightings on Banks and Broad streets.

“So, we hired a guy to come out from Texas to help get animals via chemical capture, a blow dart, and you put in a safe tranquilizer. It’s basically like a vaccine,” she said.

They’ve tried to dart Scrim a few times but have still had no luck.

“The vet was able to dart Scrim, but he’s defied all reasoning. He metabolized the drug so quickly, or would hide underneath houses,” said Cheramie.

“When a previously domesticated dog gets out on the street, it goes into survival mode. Why not leave him on the streets? It is not safe,” she said.

While neighbors are all coming together, leaving Scrim food and water, Cheramie said that Scrim’s got lost dog syndrome.

In October they finally caught Scrim, and he was getting accustomed to indoor life, but then in mid-November the Scrim saga continued after Scrim jumped out of a 13-foot second-floor window before exiting through the metal fence.

“He ate and his tail was up. He walked around the house, not scared. You know, he observed my dog playing. He stayed there all night and actually snored and had little doggy dreams. And he was completely content,” said Cheramie.

She explains on the day of the escape, before leaving the house, she locked everything. Yet, mistakenly forgot the window in her daughter’s room, which she rarely goes in.

“As I was walking home, I was on my cross street and I turned to my neighbor standing outside of my gate and he said, your dog just jumped off the roof,” said Cheramie.

“Any time he thinks anybody is onto him, he takes off running and he’ll run straight into traffic, and that’s dangerous. What we’ve learned from Scrim is that he’s going to have to be contained in some way, and the only way to contain him is to let him settle under house,” said Cheramie.

Scrim ran away from home on Nov. 14, 2024 and was captured on Feb. 11.

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