The Story Behind the Name

Last updated: April 23, 2025

The name Rowan and Co. holds a whole world of meaning for me. It’s not just a business that I established this year, it’s a love story, a grief story, and a story about starting over with a little help from some extraordinary dogs. 

Rowan was my first great love in dog form, my soul companion. He passed away at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, right as the world was shutting down. I was devastated and, like so many, deeply isolated. In the stillness of that grief, I often dreamed of Rowan. He came to me in one of those dreams, bringing another dog with him... golden coat, short and stocky, like a chihuahua, but a lot bigger than Rowan. 

A few days later, I went to the local shelter to donate some of Rowan’s things. And there she was—Delilah. She looked just like the dog from my dream. A senior gal, part chihuahua, pit bull, and with the thick double coat of a husky. She had been returned to the shelter after ten years with her former owner. She had been waiting there for two long years, overlooked and passed by. By the time we met, she wasn’t very interested in my (admittedly excessive) need to cuddle and coo over dogs. I could tell she'd lost a little faith in humans—and who could blame her? 

Once I started to foster her, I noticed she had signs of Cushing's disease. (The same disease that caused a string of illnesses which led to Rowan's eventual passing.) I adopted her knowing that our time together was inevitably short, but she deserved to age gracefully in a home. And because she preferred a quieter kind of love, I began fostering Charlie, a 2-year-old, 75-pound pit bull/Dogo Argentino mix who was known for being gentle and respectful with seniors. Charlie gave me the freedom to love loudly. He welcomed every hug, every ridiculous nickname, every goofy moment I needed to share. It's like he knew he had skin cancer and that our time together would also be short-ived. 

Together, the three of us created something like a family during those strange and quiet months of lockdown. It was messy and healing and full of heart. 

So Rowan and Co. is a tribute. To Rowan, who still guides me. To Delilah, who taught me patience and compassion in a new form. To Charlie, who reminded me that love can be big and joyful and goofy. This business honors them—and every dog I care for—with the same tenderness.

Because love never really ends. It just grows. And sometimes it comes back to us in a different body, a different bark, a different tail wag.

Fast forward to today: I’m working on a memoir about Rowan, Delilah, and Charlie, and the deeply spiritual, often magical, and serendipitous journey they led me through. It’s full of moments that might make you pause and wonder at the unseen connections in this world. 

And one day, I hope to grow Rowan and Co. into something even bigger: a nonprofit offering hospice care for sick and senior dogs, so that every dog can be seen, cherished, and deeply loved at the end of their life, just like Rowan, Delilah, and Charlie were.

Looking back, I realize Rowan's story never ended. It is just the beginning.