Ontic Oren

I think life is really all about balancing our risk / reward ratios.

For the past year, our dog has spent 1 day/week at Smilin Dogs. We first found them when Olivia saw a neighbor’s dog bouncing 5′ in the air with this white van picking him up. These guys have a great model - they have 750 acres they’re renting out in the HMB coastal area. They take packs of dogs to hike and play all day. Our dog loves it - I’ve never seen an animal get so excited as when they come to pick him up. He’s happy, tired, and satisfied when he gets home.

Since we first started looking, there have always been rumors of issues. Friends in the guide-dog community, vet techs, others, have whispered about dogs getting hurt, lost, etc. After hearing a friend relate how one dog broke his leg, Olivia and I reluctantly canceled the service. The owner, Conrad, quickly called to find out why. He was very polite, and was genuinely curious to know if there was anything he could do. During the call, he said something that resonated to my core - “this is inherently risky. We walk them off leash, with a pack of dogs, in a wild enviornment. We could keep them locked up, and it would be much safer. But that’s why you chose us in the first place.” And he’s totally right. Of course, if my dog was at home in a kenel all day, he would be safe. And sad. Conrad has explicitly set out to run a business with inhrent risk, and with great reward for the dogs that participate.

These guys take safety seriously. They are literally doing everything they can to mitigate the inherent risk in their endeavor. They run report cards on each dog every time they go. They eject any dogs that aren’t acceptable. Conrad personally interviews every single dog that comes in. Yes, every now and then a dog gets lost. Apparently new dogs sometimes get a little freaked out, usually they haven’t been properly dog socialized, and run away. So far, Smilin Dogs has always found the dog the next day. Yes, dogs get hurt. One excited dog ran into another one, and broke the poor guys leg. But that could happen at the dog park just as easily. They take thousands of dogs up ever year, and apparently have a very small incident ratio. They have understood the risk, the randomness, and the reward, and have taken the right steps to put the ratio into a positive balance.

I’m willing to take risks in my life - for my job, for my wife, for myself - that pay off with huge rewards. There’s no such thing as a 100% safe environment. We all lose sight of the impact of randomness in our life, and I lost sight just this past week. Olivia and I talked it over, and realized that we were losing perspective. Starting this Thursday, Indy will be VERY happy once again. For the right dog (well socialized, gregarious, not-aggressive, friendly) Smilin Dogs is the BEST treat I believe you can give them.

Conrad, thanks for taking the time to call, and taking the time to personally care so much about this. You’ve taken a risk yourself with this business, and hopefully it’s one that we can all reward.