Is the Sicilian Dragon too risky for Black?

A lot of the games where white gets a crushing attack come from the Sicilian Dragon. This used to be my favorite variation of the open Sicilian as Black, but now it looks like it might be getting to risky. If white goes with the Yugoslav Attack and castles queen side, it only takes about one mistake for black to get mated. 

Of course there is the generic, h4 h5, Be3 Qd2 and Bh6, with pressure down the h file, but even without that there are many games where black gets mated or loses a lot of material to avoid it. Here is one example. 

The dragon is cool.

Funny, at a level like yours or mine, you are hardly going to play van welly. If you enjoy the dragon just play it and stop reading books about it...

You picked a game where ..17 h5? is terrible. Black should have played ..17 nf4. The line would continue. 18. Qf2, rXd1,19RxD1 RxD8, 20 RE1. Quoting rom Gwain Jones in The Dragon volume 2 " White hasn't managed to generate any winning chances in the endgame. This game would have been equal.

That was at top level. Now take the dragon down to club level where that center pawn is usually sacrificed and black has two huge bishops aimed at whites king. Along with queen and rook. An awsome attack that I have found to be very effective at the lower level for black. I thin the dragon is very credible and white takes the opening too lightly. Those interested in playing a fairly simple opening that is quite strong for black should check out Gwain Jones Two volume set. I have found it to be a rewarding and fun opening.

The Dragon is just as sound as let's say the Caro-Kann. Just in a different way, a way (memorizing a ton of theory) that doesn't appeal to some people.

There is a game in "My 60 memorable games" of B.Fischer,titled "Slaying the Dragon". In this Fischer wins easily and classicaly with white his opponent who plays the Sicilian Dragon variation. 

I trust more the Najdorf from the Dragon variation in the Sicilian as black.

Theory has evolved, though.

I don't know about the Sicilian Dragon, but I heard that the Chineese Fireball Dragon is pretty risky .... and the Hungarian Horntail Dragon is just downright dangerous as hell!

Yes but in Harry we can trust, it was only the fourth book so we knew he wouldn't die ;p

While this is true, there are ways to avoid large chunks of theory as black even in such a mad theoretical opening! I am thinking The New Sicilian Dragon by Simon Williams where he advocates the unusual Dragondorf line. I don't know an awful lot about it but I have played it with some success and found the positions easy to play

Yes, it is risky, but in my opinion all, I mean theoritically ALL, black openings, contains risk. If no, black will easily win/draw everytime. There is no safe opening for Black, otherwise any player can get a draw anytime he wants.

But I think by risky you mean sharp. It is very sharp, but it is perfect if you don't mind calculating everything, every move.

The dragon is such a geeky opening. Most dragon players play it mainly because it has such a badass name. I bet they attend kung fu classes and have religiously devoured every page of The Art Of War by SunTzu.

It is an opening like any other opening. Sicilian is never bad. 

Around 2010, IM John Watson wrote, "... For players with very limited experience, ... the Sicilian Defence ... normally leaves you with little room to manoeuvre and is best left until your positional skills develop. ... I'm still not excited about my students playing the Sicilian Defence at [the stage where they have a moderate level of experience and some opening competence], because it almost always means playing with less space and development, and in some cases with exotic and not particularly instructive pawn-structures. ... if you're taking the Sicilian up at [say, 1700 Elo and above], you should put in a lot of serious study time, as well as commit to playing it for a few years. ..."

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there were quite a few moves that I think are blunders who lead to this defeat

agree you need to stop reading books and play to where you understand the moves quit the memorizing without understanding @ThePicklePacker

Then which Sicilian is playable without that much memorization?

Kan and Scheveningen