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I rescued Rocky (left) on November 19th, 2015 in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. I rescue Grasshopper (left) on January 23rd, 2021 in North Miami Beach. He was sitting on the train tracks with traffic going in each direction alongside of him. As soon as I approached him, I hit the breaks and opened the passenger door. I said “Come on buddy. Hop in.” – He looked around for a few seconds and then realized that I was his best option to get off the tracks and out of traffic.

The odds of these two dogs ending up under the same roof together, were basically zero. But, it happened anyway. Love has a way of defying all the odds. Rocky and Grasshopper don’t know each other’s backstory. They just know they feel grateful and safe. And they are the best of frieds.

I love these guys. They are my family.

Sammy died three years ago on January 30th, 2020. He was the love my life. He was my little Budski.

I landed in Florida on March 28th, 2019. This was our first and last drive together in Florida on October 23rd, 2019. Sammy loved our little car rides together. Then, on January 30th, 2020, he just decided never to wake up again. My little Budski was gone like the wind.

Of course I was with him everyday. But, he always loved our car rides together from back in NYC and Puerto Rico. I was so busy in Florida running back and forth between 2 houses, and working full time that I let the quality time slip through our hands.

It never feels like we have the time. But, that always changes when we lose a loved one. Then we realize we DID have the time. The rides we took together were just 15 minutes or so, but they made his world. Everyone has 15 minutes to spare.

I lost Sammy just a few weeks before Covid turned the world upside down. In his honor I’ve converted all of the coronavirus downtime into quality time with my wolfpack.

I had plans for Sammy, the wolfpack and myself in our new life in Florida. Unfortunately, life had other plans for him. The wolfpack and I march on now in the name of Sammy and Patrick.

Take the rides now. There is No Tomorrow.

The definition of Insanity is repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. 

The definition of STUPIDITY, is knowing it’s insane, and doing it anyway. That’s where the United States is right now with respect to guns. Zip Code: STUPIDITY. 

Two mass shootings over 2 days in California leaving 18 people dead. Lives taken and families forever destroyed. A common tale in American life now. Below is a description of the two shootings. And below that are solutions that we can put in place right now to eradicate this mass shooting epidemic plaguing civilian life. Lastly, I will close with the importance of educating people about guns and how they should Not be revered. They should be frowned upon. 

11 people were killed on Saturday night between a dance studio and ballroom in Monterey, California. It was the Lunar New Year.  The shooter, 72 year old man, Huu Can Tran, used a semi-automatic pistol with an extended large-capacity magazine. Tran killed himself 12 hours later as police approached him on Sunday morning. 

Two days later on Monday, 65 year old Chunil Zhao, killed 7 people between 2 different locations in San Mateo County. Zhao was arrested and charged with 7 counts of murder. A semi-automatic handgun was found in his car. 

Even if there were no bad guys, no mentally ill people and no terrorists, there are still way too many guns in circulaiton.

The Problem – Simple Math 

1. Too many guns in circulation 
2. Too easy access to guns
3. Weapons of war in Civilian Society 

The Solution:

The Second Amendment needs to be repealed and replaced. I don’t care what the founding fathers said or meant in 1791. It has No practical application here in 2023. The evidence is in, and it is clear. We have a mass shooting epidemic.

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.”

Look at Canada, in October of 2022, they banned the sales of all handguns to reduce gun violence in their country. New Zealand instituted a mandatory semi-automatic buyback program in march of 2019 after two consecutive mass shootings on 2 different mosques. New Zealand took the que from Australia who instituted a mandatory buyback of all guns they banned and made illegal in 1996. The net result for Australia was that murders and suicides plummeted. In case anyone is confused, that’s good when murders and suicides plummet.

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 mandatory buyback 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.

EDUCATION:

A “Right” is just an idea. It’s invisible. The Second Amendment is just a bunch of words that were formulated hundreds of years ago that have no practical application in 2023. But, what is very visible, is the physical and tangible mass shooting epidemic plaguing civilian life in the United States.

We need teach people that guns are bad news. Just like we learned as kids to Not play with matches. Guns are bad news. They are Not something to be revered. They should be frowned upon. All of us can teach and preach that message the same way we did years ago with respect to matches.  

Does this sound extreme? – It’s not. It’s common sense. You know what’s extreme? Non-stop mass shootings.

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries makes me start to believe in humanity again. Not even just as an American. But, as a citizen of the world. On January 6th, 2023, the congressman of Brooklyn, NY delivered one of the greatest speeches (video below) in this history of the House Of Representatives. Normally, DriveWithCompassion.com does not post about politics. But, Hakeem’s speech is about humanity. And that is what DriveWithCompassion is about. Humanity for both people and animals. As a native New Yorker, I could not be more proud of Hakeem Jeffries. Continued below:

Before Jeffries handed over the gavel for Speaker of the House, he first acknowledged Speaker Nancy Pelosi as “the iconic, the heroic, the legendary Speaker Emerita.” – Jeffries stated that “Speaker Pelosi will go down in history as the greatest Speaker of all time. He said, “She’s been a legendary legislator, a fabulous facilitator and no-nonsense negotiator. A defender of democracy. She’s been a voice for the voiceless. She’s a champion for the children, the climate, Charm City, California, the Caucus, the Congress, the Country and the Constitution.”

Jeffries went through the entire alphabet regarding what the American dream should be versus what it should Not be. He stayed on the line of humanity the whole time. The above video is a MUST watch speech. You can also read the transcript below for Jeffries’ alphabet speech:

“We will never compromise our principles. House Democrats will always put American values over autocracy. Benevolence over bigotry. The Constitution over the cult. Democracy over demagogues. Economic opportunity over extremism. Freedom over fascism, Governing over gaslighting. Hopefulness over hatred. Inclusion over isolation, Justice over judicial overreach. Knowledge over kangaroo courts, Liberty over limitation. Maturity over Mar-a-Lago. Normalcy over negativity. Opportunity over obstruction, People over politics. Quality of life issues over QAnon. Reason over racism. Substance over slander. Triumph over tyranny. Understanding over ugliness. Voting rights over voter suppression. Working families over the well connected. Xenia* over xenophobia. Yes, we can over you can’t do it, and zealous representation over zero sum confrontation.”

There’s no better companion to break in the New Year than with my Lucky. He is my soulmate. We share the same heart. That’s why I am giving him tonight’s post taking us into 2023. Life has hit us with so many ups and downs since May 10th, 2017 when I rescued him in Puerto Rico. But, our resolve to stay together is unbreakable and unshakable. 

We are going into 2023 very challenged. But, we are laser focused and I’m betting on us pulling through. Let’s all raise our glasses and make a toast to the year of focus, resilience and fortitude.

I’m still lucky in love with Lucky. And I always will be.  

Happy New Year to all our friends from around the world. 

Sometimes you just walk out of your house and your life changes forever. That’s what happened 4 years ago today on December 28th, 2018 when I first encountered Polar Bear in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. It was about 8 pm on a Friday night and I was out tracking a couple of stray animals that I was going to line up rescues for back in the states. 

On my way home that night, I ran across a man sprawled out sleeping on his back on the sidewalk. He had 4 street dogs nestled around his body. It was very sad to see and yet endearing at the same time. While they all had nothing, they found comfort in each other. I had seen this man sleeping on the sidewalk before. I wasn’t sure if he was homeless or just used to get really drunk and then pass out on the street. The 4 dogs must have come from the same litter as they all looked alike. They were about 10 months old. 1 year tops. 

As I walked past them around fifteen feet or so, one of the four dogs got up and started following me. I said to myself, “well this is interesting.” I continued walking home and the dog followed me right to my front door. At this point we had walked a few blocks together. Now mind you, I had 7 dogs in the house already. But, this dog didn’t know about my circumstances. He just needed a break. So, I gave him a break. I started petting his head letting him know the worst was officially behind him. And I invited him into the house. I was not planning on keeping him. I was going to adopt him out to a nice family.  

A few months later, my life had drastically changed. I was now making plans to return to the states after 4.5 years in Puerto Rico.  I was taking my small dogs with me over to Florida. But, for the big dogs; Rocky, Lucky and Polar Bear, I had to find a nice family in Puerto Rico to look after them while I got set up in the states.

Six months later, I finally brought my big dogs over to the states. It was the biggest touchdown of my life. Remember, I only knew Polar Bear for a few months before I left Puerto Rico. So, I had to get reacquainted with him. And to his credit, with his courage, heart and charm, Polar Bear barreled his way to the center of the family just like the picture above.

Sometimes I call Polar Bear the Daddy Bear. Or the Magical Bear. Sometimes I call him Polar Daddy. And sometimes I just call him Daddy. Why Daddy? Because that’s what he sees when he looks at me. So, when I call him “Daddy,” I am envisioning what he’s saying to himself when he’s looking at me.

Polar Bear is a combination of a real life teddy bear, Mr. Snuffaluffagus and a polar bear from the Artic. How cool is that?

The 4 year anniversary of Polar Bear’s rescue is coming up on December 28th, 2022. This is a very special post considering Christmas time and us both being lost in Puerto Rico 4 years ago. I will save that story for the actual anniversary. 

It took about 50 attempts to catch this picture. I had to distract Polar Bear from all that was going on behind me and get into some odd bodily positions to catch this snap. But, I have caught many snaps over the years applying such techniques. 

Sometimes I actually get confused if Polar Bear is an actual polar bear from the Arctic or a stray dog from Puerto Rico. My imagination is like that. It flows in and out of reality. It’s like the late great Muhammad Ali once said, “A man with no imagination is a man with no wings.” 

But whatever Polar Bear is or isn’t, I just know that he’s the best damn bear a man could ask for. So for tonight, Let’s fly high, expand our wings and come to accept that Polar Bear is an actual polar bear from the Arctic. 

That’s our Christmas story for tonight. 

I don’t live with an attitude of gratitude anymore. I’m not a grateful person like I was during my Everybody Loves Sammy and Dr. Harp Seal days. All of that changed when Patrick and Sammy died and then the carnage of Covid. 

But, that doesn’t mean that I don’t remember how grateful I was when Mookie Daddy was returned to me. I left Puerto Rico on March 28th, 2019. A week prior to that I adopted Mookie out to a family in Puerto Rico. I was absolutely heartbroken as I loved him more than anything. 

When I arrived in Miami with Sammy, Henry and BabyLady, I realized that adopting Mookie out was a horrible mistake. In other words, did it really matter if it was 4 small dogs instead of 3 small dogs? – No. It would not have made a difference at all. But, I didn’t  know that until I got to Florida. Upon that realization, I was totally crushed by that mistake on top of being heartbroken in his absence. When you adopt an animal out, it’s kind of like death. Meaning you will never see them again. 

4 months later in August, the family that adopted Mookie called me and asked if I would take him back. I got the call while I was at work. I was so shocked that I almost fell out of my chair. The mother was going in for surgery and between recovering and her kids, she was not going to be able to take care of Mookie anymore. One week later on August 10th, 2019, my sweet little Mookie was back in my life. It was like death had been reversed. 

Mookie is the sweetest boy in the world with his little kisses and tail wags. He has the best disposition. Mookie is so happy that sometimes he just rolls on his back waving his front paws up and down. He used to do that in Puerto Rico with me. Mookie remembers how happy we were and that happiness has been reinstilled upon us being reunited. There’s a very special bond between Mookie and myself. And that bond is unbreakable and unshakable. 

Mookie and Dad, together Forever.

Please Drive With Compassion. There are stray animals in the street.

That’s what brought Dr. Tricia Working and myself together at a pet conference in South Carolina back in 2017. When I saw the lady at the conference with a Pomeranian, I walked right over and introduced myself. Within 10 minutes, it was like we had know each other forever. In the picture with us is Tricia’s late great Pomeranian, Prince. He passed about 4 years ago. It will be 3 years since Sammy passed on January 30th.

Tricia also lives with a pack of animals like me. Mostly cats. A lot of cats. But dogs too. The inside of her house is designed like a jungle. Leopard prints and all. Since I have been on my animal welfare and rescue journey, Dr. Trisha Working is one of the few people that I have met where her personal life is ALL about her animals. In other words, her animals are not part of her life, they ARE her life. Just like with me and my wolfpack. I would say the same of my great friend Anitza Burgos back in Puerto Rico. She lives with a large pack of wolves too.

Dr. Tricia Working is the Author of a book called “The Fur Agreements.” It is a book about, for, and because of the animals in our world and the missions they come to us with – the agreements they make with the Divine to be our Wayshowers on the path to our emerging true humanity.

I’m a city boy as most of you know. I don’t really travel at all. But, for some reason in May of 2017, this city boy spent a weekend in the South and met one of the best people he’s ever known. My life is more complete and better because I know Tricia Working.

That’s my story for tonight.

We had BabyLady groomed today. This is her Groomer, Jennifer. It’s the first time they ever met, but it’s like they have known each other forever. Check them out striking a pose together. BabyLady had the happiest spa day of her life today.

BabyLady was rescued off the streets of Morovis, Puerto Rico in August of 2018 by my good friend Anitza Burgos. She was given to me about 2 weeks after Patrick was killed. BabyLady and I have been helping each other ever since.

As many of you know, I named my Patrick after the late great actor, Patrick Swayze. I did that because I always felt bad the way Patrick Swayze died. In the spirit of keeping that connection alive, the ‘Baby’ part of her name is from the character Baby in the movie, Dirty Dancing. The thing is BabyLady was already six years old when she was rescued. So, she was not a baby. That’s why I added the ‘Lady’ part to her name. And that’s how the name ‘BabyLady’ was created. Some have said it’s one of the most creative names in the history of the world. I kind of agree to be honest.

As Patrick Swayze said in the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing, “Nobody puts Baby in the corner.”

Dad and BabyLady, together forever. Please Drive With Compassion. There are stray animals in the street.