What’s in a name?

iron dog preservation

While trying to pick just the right name for the company - one that was both memorable and authentic - I scanned An Illustrated Glossary of Early Southern Architecture and Landscape by Carl Lounsbury. The term “iron dog” jumped out at me. According to Lounsbury, it is another term for an andiron - the iron bars on low feet used to support logs in a fireplace. I also immediately associated it with a famous marker in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. The iron dog statue in Hollywood stands guard over the grave of a small child who died in the mid 19th century and is one of the most often-visited sites at the cemetery. The name of the company is therefore derived from both an historic architectural term and a Richmond landmark.