According to a WISTV report, Scooter, a terrier mix, was found tied to a dumpster in West Columbia, South Carolina. He was scared and shaking. On the ground with him was food, a duffle bag, and a sign that read, “Free pup. Name is Scooter. Owner went to jail today.”
It might surprise you to learn that Scooter, despite being abandoned and tied to a dumpster, was not an abused animal. He was loved and cared for by his dad, Eric, but his dad had made a couple of errors in judgment.
Those errors are what caused Scooter to be in his horrible predicament. That is, until he found a new friend, as you'll soon discover.
Eric’s first error: possessing marijuana. While he and Scooter were traveling, Eric got arrested. To save his pup from the shelter, he asked the people he was traveling with to care for him.
That was Eric’s second mistake. The fellow travelers are the ones who tied Scooter up and left him. There has been a warrant for their arrest, but as of the March 10, 2017 update on South Eastern Homeless Animals Facebook Page, they have not yet been found.
The good news is that Scooter was spotted by the woman who would become his hero, Maria Jaramillo. You can tell from the picture how happy the little dog is.
Maria couldn’t leave Scooter there or take him home, so she called her cousin for help. Her cousin posted Scooter’s situation on Facebook, and that’s when the South Eastern Homeless Animals rescue took over. Scooter has been with the rescue since then and will continue to be cared for and loved.
According to a comment on their Facebook page, Scooter is doing great, making friends and snuggling into a comfortable bed every night. At the beginning of April, the rescuers will make a trip to Colorado, so Scooter can stay with Eric’s mother and wait for him to return.