Dingo is a smart, mixed-breed dog known to unlatch his kennel door. He had been returned to the Humane Society in Wilson County, Tennessee, three times by families frustrated from his insatiable need to find mischief.

But he was too smart for his own good. He closely resembled the wild Australian canines for which he was named. He was feisty, playful and deceptively clever—so much so that unless he found a long-term home, his fate was inevitable.

On a whim, Humane Society employees called Bill Wright, a highly respected risk manager, who volunteers as a K-9 handler with the Tennessee Emergency Rescue Recovery Association. They hoped Dingo might find a home with Bill.

Bill and his son, Jason, first met Dingo earlier this year at a local PetSmart, one day when the Human Society was there placing animals in adoptive homes. Bill started playing with Dingo, roughhousing, teasing, taunting and offering treats. Bill then left and hid among the isles in the large box store, while Jason held the leash. Dingo was released and tracked Bill down immediately.

Bill knew he had a new recruit. Search and recovery dogs sometimes don’t make good pets because they notoriously outwit their owners to their own detriment. They run a range of breeds, but must be very intelligent and frequently require constant attention.

Bill is one of six active dog handlers who volunteer in K-9 search and rescue efforts throughout central Tennessee. He and Jason respond to a range of calls, such as missing children and elderly, and a variety of body recoveries.

As corporate risk manager for the Nashville-based Central Parking Corporation, Bill is responsible for risk management oversight of the world’s largest parking services provider. He is responsible for more than 3,400 parking facilities with more than 1.5 million parking spaces across 37 states and 14 countries.

Over the past two years, the Rescue and Recovery Association has responded to 36 calls. Bill and Dingo and Jason and Hobie—a three-year-old Newfoundland black lab mix have participated in many of these calls and are an integral part of the team. As a larger dog, Hobie can’t negotiate the smaller places that Dingo can reach. So the missions are often assigned based on the type of search being undertaken, as well as the abilities and preferences of the dogs.

Bill and his dogs train twice a week, often with Jason and Bill’s 10-year-old daughter, Anna—sometimes on Saturdays for 12 hours at a time, deep in the Tennessee woods. Bill and Dingo are working toward their wilderness and urban search and rescue certification. Dingo’s sleek build and agility eventually will allow him to search collapsed buildings and structures once he’s certified.

Bill said he and Dingo can communicate in ways other dogs and humans cannot, with a strong bond and intuition that can mean the difference between life and death.

“An individual can train with a dog for many years and still not achieve a level of excellence because trust has not been established between the handler and the dog,” Bill said.

Hylant Group is pleased to recognize Bill for his many accomplishments within the risk management and insurance industry. We also thank Bill and Dingo for their commitment to community involvement.