Patrick Freeman had very few mementos that belonged to his mother.
A comforter, a pillow. And Scooter.
Freeman’s mom was looking for a lost horse that had gotten out one day in 2007 when she found Scooter. The pit bull mix was alone in the Georgia woods, in the middle of nowhere.
The scars on Scooter’s face showed her life hadn’t been easy. Her skittish behavior showed her trust in people was low. But that day, she found a home where she would be loved.
After Freeman’s mother died a few years ago, life’s circumstances led to Scooter being shuttled among her sons.
Ultimately, Scooter ended up with Patrick Freeman, who was happy to have her.
Then, he lost her.
Running in fear
Freeman, 24, moved in with his father to save money, but couldn’t keep Scooter at the rented home.
So, she had to stay at his father’s business, sometimes outside in a fenced-in area.
That was tough on Scooter, who was terrified of rain.
By the time the first hint of moisture was in the air, Freeman said, Scooter was already trembling.
It drove her to break out of the fenced-in area this past spring. Freeman found her that day, hiding from the rain under a nearby car.
Not long afterward, she broke out again. Freeman spent hours searching along University Boulevard and nearby neighborhoods. He looked at humane society and animal shelter websites, hoping to see Scooter’s picture staring back at him.
Freeman looked again the next day and the day after that. Then for the next couple of months.
But he never found his mother’s dog. And he was heartbroken.
He felt he had let his mother down. All he could hope for was someone had found her and was taking care of her.
It turns out that was true.
Favorite number leads to surprise
In July, several weeks after Scooter had gone missing, she ended up at the Jacksonville Humane Society. She didn’t have a microchip that could help get her back to Freeman.
But, she was safe and being taken care of.
Last Saturday, Beth McClain heard about a pet adoption event at the humane society and Animal Care and Protective Services.
Something in McClain’s heart kept telling her to go do something nice for the animals. She didn’t know where it came from, but she listened.
McClain bought a mix of food for cats, dogs, kittens and puppies and headed to the humane society.
After dropping off the food, she decided to look at the pets. In the third to the last cage — three is her favorite number — she saw a familiar face.
“Scooter?” McClain said.
The dog’s ears popped up and her tail started to wag.
“Scooter?” she said again.
And the dog started to whine.
McClain and Freeman have been friends for years, but hadn’t talked for months. She had heard Scooter went missing, but didn’t know if she had been found.
McClain dropped to the floor in tears when she saw her friend’s dog.
When a volunteer asked McClain if she was OK, all she could say was, “Why is Scooter in jail?”
She called Freeman and told him about Scooter. He couldn’t believe it.
After all those months, his dog — his mother’s dog — was safe and coming home.
Back home again and on the couch
McClain took Scooter home with her because Freeman had to work late that night.
She greeted Freeman outside, while Scooter watched through the patio door from inside. McClain said when Freeman saw his dog, “he instantly stopped talking to me” and went to Scooter.
Freeman said Scooter remembered him and gladly accepted a bunch of hugs and kisses.
“That seemed to cheer her up pretty much,” he said.
Scooter is doing well, Freeman said. Enjoying life at home, including sleeping on a big comforter — except for when she sneaks on the couch.
“Every time you leave the room and walk back into the room, she is jumping down off that couch,” said Freeman, who no longer lives with his father.
McClain was told Scooter had been taken to other adoption events during the past several months.
But finding a home for a senior pit bull mix isn’t easy. Especially when she already has one.
@editormarilyn
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