How My Dog Helped Me Lead Through Anxiety and Inspired a Business Built for Real Life
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The Dog at My Desk: How Work, Motherhood, and Mental Health All Got Easier (and More Honest) With a Leash in Hand
My dog has always been one of my kids.
Long before it was socially acceptable to be working from home with your dog by your side and bring them to every family function, I was the one figuring out how to make it work. Max wasn’t just a pet. He was family. And honestly? He was also my safe space.
What used to be “quirky” or “too much” is now… kind of the norm. Especially since the shift to working from home has become the real norm.
From Barking Interruptions to Emotional Lifelines
Like a lot of working moms, I found myself managing career calls, school schedules, and personal chaos all from the same dining room table in 2020. And right there under the table, every day, was my dog.
He’d bark during Zoom meetings. He’d push his nose onto my laptop when it was time to make his dinner. But he also laid next to me on the hard days. The anxious days. The days when grief from my husband's cancer and eventual death while raising a toddler and balancing a home and career I knew I had to make work felt like too much.
He reminded me to breathe.
To run and move.
To be present.
Dogs Aren’t Just Waiting at Home Anymore
I used to try and “fit in” being a good dog mom around everything else. Let him out between meetings (or get someone to if I was at the office). Run home between errands. Feel guilty if I stayed out too long and came home to a wound-up dog.
But now? Since losing everything, including my dog? I've changed my life and the two pups I have now come with me.
Because they're not an accessory. They're part of the rhythm of my life. Bringing them is less about being dog-obsessed and more about doing what I need to stay sane - and what they need to stay balanced too.
If I’m going to go for a walk with a friend or grab lunch on a patio between calls, they're coming. If I’m traveling or out running errands, they're in the car. It's not just easier. It’s better for all of us, and it gives me more time with them, time that I didn't have with Max.
When You Have to Do It All, You Can’t Leave Part of Your Life Behind
Being a mom, a business owner, and a woman trying to keep it together most days means there’s not much room for “extra.” And trying to compartmentalize my dogs, treating them like a separate category, just never worked for me.
They're not something I come home to.
They're part of the story.
They've seen me through anxiety, Max and Odie sat by my husband's side as he drew his last breath. Odie saw me through Max's death, then job loss, and then eventually through rebuilding. And when the world felt shaky, my dogs were one of the few things that felt consistent, safe, and grounding.
Why I Created Luwello
That’s why I started Luwello—because I knew I wasn’t the only one who felt this way.
I wanted dog gear that worked for real life:
- hiking trails
- coffee runs
- dog park meetups
- and everyday chaos.
Harnesses that didn’t slip. Leashes that didn’t hurt my hands because they were on my waist, with accessories attached. Styles that didn’t scream “cute” but still made me think of nature when I clipped them on.
Luwello is for people who bring their dogs not to make a statement. But because they can’t imagine leaving them behind.
So if you ever see someone juggling a leash and a latte while taking a call with a kid in the backseat and a dog in the front. Give them a smile.
They’re probably doing their best.
And their dog might just be the reason they can.
