It’s June 2009 and the United States is mired in the worst recession since the Great Depression. Companies are going bankrupt, millions of jobs have disappeared and morale is low; it’s hardly the right time to be coming into the job market. That’s exactly what Palisadian Colin West, a 2009 Santa Clara University graduate, was thinking after finishing school. ‘Like many college graduates, he didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do, but he knew he wanted to be successful. He had no idea what he was in for. ’These last two years [2009, 2010] have been by far the most challenging of my life,’ Colin says. ”When you graduate from college, there is no road map to success and happiness, and you realize quickly that it’s not going to be as easy as you expected. ’To get a job in this economy, you have to know exactly what you want and do anything it takes to get it. It made me realize I didn’t know what I wanted, and it forced me to take a step back and examine what I really do want in my life. In a sense, it pushed me into a mid-life crisis very early, which I see as a good thing.’ Colin, son of Linda and Bill West, grew up the Palisades and graduated from Marquez, Paul Revere and Loyola High. His interests are varied and include surfing, snowboarding and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He loves the outdoors and enjoys being physical, but fortuitously, he has always had a great affinity for dogs. His friends jokingly call him the ‘Dog Whisperer.’ Until earlier this year, Colin didn’t know how these pursuits would be valuable for him in his professional life. Then he saw an opportunity. In January he launched a dog hiking company, Colin’s Pack. ‘Starting a dog hiking company was something I had thought about before graduating, and something that I had pushed aside so that I could pursue my ‘real career,” Colin says. He is now focusing on something that he believes could be a very successful venture, and a good start for the 23-year-old. ‘ Colin’s Pack is unique because of the way he has introduced the doggie backpack to his pack hikes. ‘To me the problem is simple: many dogs were bred to do work for humans, and they simply are not being fulfilled with the sedentary lives that they live today,’ Colin says. ‘By outfitting the high-energy dogs with weighted backpacks for the hikes, I saw a real solution to the problem.’ He says that he can comfortably lead up to 10 dogs on his treks along quiet trails in Malibu, ‘where there are not many people.” Colin sees this idea of the structured pack hike as part of a healthy lifestyle for his clients and their dogs. ‘I think we’d all be surprised at how much our dog’s energy level can affect us. When we come home to a dog that has had his needs met’or not met’it can really change the vibe in the house.’ Colin also has plans for the future of his company. He currently has four regular clients, but as the pack grows, he plans to hire ‘Pack Leaders’ to serve different areas on the Westside. He sees Colin’s Pack as the beginning of an exciting chapter in his life; one that will allow him to bring peace and satisfaction to his doggie clients. For more information, visit Colinspack.com.
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