Living with Wild Dogs

This week I share a personal story about my time living with 15 hunting dogs! Check it out…

VIDEO SUMMARY

One question I get a lot is “What is the deal with the Wolves?” I call this YouTube channel “WolvesAndFinance,” which is an interesting name for a channel that talks about accounting and corporate finance. My website is WolvesAndFinance.com. I wrote a book about Theoretical Finance called “On Wolves and Finance.” So I am sure you have noticed a theme here, which begs the question, “What is the deal with the Wolves?” It is actually quite a personal story. So in this video, I’m going to tell you the story of when I lived with a pack of wild dogs.

This whole story starts with me being really cheap. Like any good accountant, I am a very fiscally responsible person and I hate to spend money. Back when I was thinking about going back to college and getting an MBA, I was trying to figure out how to do it. If you want to get into the top MBA programs, you have to quit your job and go to school full time, and I really did not have the money to quit my job. So I came up with an idea. I was living on my own in Los Angeles at the time. So called my parents up and asked if I could move in with them rent free so I could afford to get my MBA.

Now here is where it gets interesting. My parents did not really have room for me to move in. When I had originally moved out of the house many years ago, my parents decided to pursue their dream of breeding hunting dogs. Now if you have had any experience with hunting dogs, you know they are not your typical domesticated house pet. Hunting dogs are pretty wild. You want hunting dogs to keep their wild instincts because it makes them better hunters. And at the time, my parents had 15 dogs that they were training and breeding to be world class hunting dogs. So when I asked if I could move in, of course my parents said yes, but I would have to live with this pack of dogs. So I said “Let’s do this!” and signed up for classes.

Now in hindsight, I realize this may not have been the best idea. It was very challenging. Living with 15 dogs does not create a good studying environment. I do not advise it. So I would be sitting there trying to figure out financial equations while these ferocious animals are running around me. And this was not your typical puppy mill. These were well looked after dogs. These dogs eat better quality food than I eat. And they could run around the house and socialize with people. Now as difficult as that was to study and pass my classes, I realize that I had an experience most people do not get.

When you live with that many dogs for a long time, you become a part of the pack. And I got to see the dynamics of a pack of wild dogs that most people never see. 15 dogs is a lot of dogs. Most people only experience at most four dogs at the same time. When you get to 15 dogs that is a true pack of dogs. What I experienced was the intricate social dynamics of the pack. Of course there is an alpha dog. But each other individual brings their own unique skills to the group. The dogs play together. They work together. They talk to each other. They are very social creatures.

That experience really influenced me. So when I wrote my book, “On Wolves and Finance” I used examples of a wolf pack to explain economic concepts. Just like a wolf pack, humans are also pack animals. We are also social creatures, and these social relationships impact our financial decisions. In the book, I present a radical new idea: It is possible to calculate the impact from the relationships within your social network.

If you want to know more, you can check out my books. They are available on amazon here. If you like this video, subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Thank you for watching. Leave a comment down below letting me know what you think! The best way to supercharge your business is through accounting and corporate finance. I release a new video every week, so come back and check out next week’s video.

Neither Zach De Gregorio or Wolves and Finance Inc. shall be liable for any damages related to information in this video. It is recommended you contact a CPA in your area for business advice.