Our good friend Barbara Makransky died 2 months ago in August. I found out last week when I was combing her FB wall after not hearing from her in several months. Our instincts pick up on people going silent. That holds true even in the digital world. She apparently died of a heart attack. Barbara and I were about the same age.
I first met Barbara back in NYC on West 34th Street at Macys. It was in 2012 and I was putting one of our Everybody Loves Sammy (ELS) videos together. Barbara had a little cameo appearance if I remember correctly. This picture was taken in 2014. The same year that I rescued Patrick. She got to meet the home team where it all began. Sammy on the right and Patrick are both gone now. Both of them died tragically just as Barbara did this past August. I will always treasure this picture of my friend Barbara Makransky and my home team. Barbara made the world a better place. She will be deeply missed.
No lives will go in vain. No pain will go unnoticed. Amen.
Sincerely, Scott Smith, Sammy and Patrick’s human dad and General to the greatest wolfpack in the history of the world.
Polar Bear is a combination of a real life teddy bear, Snuffaluffagus and a polar bear from the Artic. How cool is that?
This boy has my heart. I can’t say that he’s my one love because I love the whole pack like a crazy man. But, when we’re together, he feels like my One Love.
Polar Bear takes my breath away. I can’t see straight when I’m around him. He’s a combination of a real life teddy bear, Mr. Snuffleupagus and a polar bear from the Arctic. How cool is that?
Lately I’ve been calling him Daddy Bear because I love him like a crazy man and want to be part of his name.
$10,000 is a nice gesture and we thank the President for stepping up. But, it’s not even close to enough. Nobody should have to start their lives shackled with debt. We need to give these people their lives and futures back. All student debt needs to be wiped out.
People should Not get punished because they could not afford college. Everybody deserves an education unencumbered by debt or having to trade in their futures.
The fact that some people had to work 2 jobs putting themselves through school, or spent decades paying off their student loans does NOT mean the current and future generations have to take the same path. We can’t continue doing the wrong thing because of those that were wronged before us. Student debt was WRONG from the very beginning.
Guess what happens when young professionals are not drowning in student debt? They can buy cars, rent apartments and have more disposable income to buy things. Guess what that’s good for? The ECONOMY. Not to mention they’ll have happier lives. They deserve that. Don’t they?
It’s time to right this wrong. It’s time to wipe student debt out.
Henry is almost 14 years old now and has slowed down quite a bit. But, he still likes to see things. So, every night I take him for little rides around the block in his shopping cart. He just loves it.
The truth is Henry was always a homebody kind of dog. He never really wanted to be walked on a leash. Between that and him slowing down a little, rides around the block made a lot of sense.
The 4 year anniversary of Patrick’s Death – August 19th, 2018
Patrick was killed by a car 4 years ago on a Sunday afternoon in Puerto Rico. We had just finished shooting one of my updates from Puerto Rico videos.
Patrick sat patiently with me through the whole video. Most dogs would’ve gotten restless and simply run off to another room. But, Patrick always wanted to be with me. So, I put him in the video just so we can stay together.
When I called the videographer to tell him that Patrick had been killed, he almost thought I was joking or something. It had not even been 30 minutes since he left my house.
Time did not heal any of my wounds 4 years later. Patrick was killed in the most violent way possible. He was run over by the front and back tire of the car that hit him. All of this happened right in front of me. I literally died with him that day.
I know this is a depressing post. But, it is my truth. There’s No silver lining here. Sometimes your life gets destroyed and it’s just tough _hit. But even worse than that, Patrick lost his life in a blink of an eye on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
But, I am a very tough person and flipped the bird right back in life’s face. – In Patrick’s honor, I pulled three more stray dogs out the street and kept them all: BabyLady, Mookie and Polar Bear.
Here is my tribute video for Patrick and the introduction of rescue dog BabyLady. – We march on now in the name of Sammy and Patrick. Amen.
As we approach the 4 year anniversary of Patrick’s death on August 19th, 2018, I am reminded that it was BabyLady who was sent to heal me back then.
It was the cry heard around the world when Patrick was killed. Animal activist and friend, Anitza Burgosarchilla heard that cry and offered me BabyLady about 2 weeks after the tragedy. I immediately took her in and the healing process began for she and myself.
Here we are 4 year later in Florida and look at her now. BabyLady is thriving and soaking up the Vitamin D in the Florida sun. Nobody can blouse like BabyLady. She also happens to be the only female of the pack and gets treated like a Queen.
The odds on all of us ending up together under one roof in Florida, were zero. But, it happened anyway. – Why? – Because this is my family. I can’t live without them.
Not bad for a little girl from the streets of Morovis, Puerto Rico. BabyLady that be.
Well, Grasshopper has officially taken over the household. The entire pack kowtows to him at this point. The Hopper is such a little boss. He has to be involved in all pack decisions. Even Lucky (bigger dog pictured), who is a “to himself” kind of dog, loves to be in the company of Grasshopper.
Not bad for a little Hopper who was living off the train tracks in North Miami Beach just a over a year ago. On June 23rd, 2021, I pulled him right out of the street by the tracks and into my car. He was just a boy who needed a break. So, I gave him one. Look how far he has come.
They say America is the Land of the free. Home of the brave. But, in reality, America is the land of the guns and home of the dangerous. You can’t go school anymore. You can’t go to a supermarket. You can’t go to church. You can’t go to a mall. You can’t go to nightclubs. You can’t go to college. You can’t go to concerts. And now you can’t even go to parades anymore. Maybe the Metaverse will save the world.
21 year old Robert Crimo lll opened fire on a crowd at a 4th Of July parade in Highland Park, IL. – Crimo killed 7 people and injured over 30 others. Two of the 7 killed were husband Kevin McCarthy, 37 yrs old and Irina McCarthy, 35. They had a 2 year old son. He’s now an orphan. Guns take lives and destroy lives.
Even if there were no bad guys, no mentally ill people and no terrorists, there are way too many guns in circulation.
It’s time that we protect “Actual People” over the Second Amendment. I am Not mystified by the founding fathers. I don’t care what they said or meant 230 years ago. I will choose humanity over the 2nd Amendment everyday of the week. Humanity is more important than rights.
The Solution –
We need to look at the gun industry the way we do with Motor Vehicles and cars. You want to be able to use a gun, get a license. You want to own a gun, get it registered. You want to operate a gun, then get some required gun insurance. Just like we do with cars. The age limit also needs to be raised to 25 years old. 18 to 21 years of age is too young. They’re still in college for Christ sake.
Let’s look at Japan for example. They have a population of 127 million people and yet they rarely see over 10 gun deaths in a year. The US has twice the population of Japan. So technically, the US should only have 20 gun deaths a year. But no. The US has over 30,000 gun deaths a year. Below is how Japan does it:
“If people want to own a gun, they must attend an all-day class, pass a written test, and achieve at least 95% accuracy during a shooting-range test. Then they have to pass a mental-health evaluation, which takes place at a hospital, and pass a background check, in which the government digs into their criminal record and interviews friends and family. They can only buy shotguns and air rifles — no handguns — and every three years they must retake the class and initial exam.”
Furthering The Solution:
1. NO ordinary citizen should be allowed to own any firearms other than a regular handgun that shoots 6 bullets, one at a time. No clips. No magazines. 2. We need to ban all assault weapons and any other weapons that can facilitate high capacity magazines. 3. The US needs to initiate a buy back program for weapons that have been banned, just like Australia and New Zealand did. We have to get those guns out of circulation. 4. Require all gun owners to carry gun insurance. 5. Allow the gun manufacturers to be sued.
Does this sound extreme? – It’s not. It’s common sense. You know what’s extreme? – Non stop mass shootings.
Sammy was a soldier for Humanity. He represented all that’s good in the world for animals and people. Sammy was a bright light for 15 years. He was so lit up on the inside that he shined on his exterior.
We want to thank retired Armyman, Emmanuel Enrique Dextre, for having the United States Army made this uniform for Sammy here in the picture. It’s Not a costume. This was made for Sammy by the United States Army.
Sincerely, Scott Smith, Sammy and Patrick’s human dad, and General to the greatest Wolfpack in the history of the world. Wolfpack 8 to be precise.
