SlipCheck founder J.E. "Jess" Smith with his Labrador, Jim.

J.E. "Jess" Smith, the inventor of the original SlipCheck collar and founder of the SlipCheck Company, was born in Mineola, Texas, in 1900. When Jess was young, his father passed away. Jess and his mother moved to live with his grandparents on their farm in Parsons, Kansas. It was on that farm that Jess's passion for the outdoors took root. When his daily chores were finished, Jess was off to hunt, fish or explore with a dog always by his side.

Jess spent his early career as a salesman for Winchester Ammunition and shot for them professionally. Later he accepted a sales position with H.D. Hudson Manufacturing. Blessed with keen intelligence and a creative mind, Jess was a quick study and before long the seeds of his own dreams were planted. Never without a notepad and pen, designs and ideas for future ventures were transferred from his mind to paper - notes that one day would include the foundation designs he would use to build his company.

In 1941, Jess and his wife moved to Centralia, Missouri, where he worked as a Cost Control Engineer and Metals Fabrication Superintendent at A.B. Chance Company. He remained at Chance until his retirement in 1965; however, Jess Smith had not really retired. He simply walked out of one door into another to follow his dream. A dream he had actively begun pursuing in 1957, in his spare time - the dream to design, manufacture and sell custom made dog collars through mail-order nationwide.

The name of the company, SlipCheck, derived from Jess's original custom chain collar design drawn on one of his many notepads. When the first SlipCheck catalog came off the press, his company policy was displayed on the inside page:

To all dog fanciers, be they houndsmen, sportsmen, breeders and handlers of show dogs, or just dog lovers, we make this proposition: We will manufacture and offer for sale, the best quality line of dog supplies and outdoor equipment on the market. Our prices will, at all times, be consistent with quality and modern manufacturing methods. At no time will we sacrifice quality to gain a lower price. We will refund the purchase price, upon the return of the goods in 10 days, to anyone not entirely satisfied with the goods or the price they paid.

More than 60 years later, the dream, policies and promises of Jess Smith and his company continue. As his family, we proudly remain committed to the same product quality, customer service and satisfaction that have been the trademark of SlipCheck Company since 1957.