#dargo the doggo

[wayfaringwoofs]

🐾 Introducing Wayfaring Woofs: Where Tails and Trails Meet 🌲

Welcome to the adventure of a lifetime, where wagging tails and beaufitul trails combine in perfect harmony! We're thrilled to introduce our brand-new venture, Wayfaring Woofs. If you're a dog lover with a passion for the great outdoors, you’re in for a treat!

🐶 Rules of the Road

At Wayfaring Woofs, we live by a simple rule: "Embrace Adventure, Unleash Joy." We believe that life is better when you explore it with your furry companions by your side, and that's precisely what we're here to help you do. Our mission is to create trustworthy guides and provide reviews for the whole pack, enabling your adventures with your canine companions to be nothing short of epic. Hold onto your doggy bags because we're going to help you take your four-legged friend on tail-wagging, paw-some journies.

[Photo: D’Argo and Dax, our silly duo]

🐕 Our Pack, Our Pride

The heart and soul of Wayfaring Woofs are our dogs: Maddie, D'Argo, and Dax. Maddie, our beloved original doggo, was a spicy old lady still enjoying trips even at a fur-midable 16.5 years old. Her passing in August 2020 left a paw-shaped hole in our lives, but it also set the stage for the incredible journey we're now on. After Maddie passed away, D'Argo joined our family from ARF Muncie and became the healer of hearts and the teacher of love, helping us rediscover the joy of life. The wise elder of our duo, D’Argo is a sensitive boy who was happy to share his humans’ laps when our household started fostering dogs. What was intended to be a temporary arrangement turned into a lifelong commitment when Dax became a "foster failure". But there's no failure in love, right? Dax has been spreading derpy happniess ever since.

🌆 City Dogs, Wild Hearts

While we may call the bustling city of Chicago our home, our hearts truly belong to the wilderness. We've embarked on more road trips than you can shake a stick at, exploring new locations and finding hidden gems that welcome our furry pals with open paws. From scenic vistas to charming dog-friendly bed and breakfasts we've got the inside scoop on the best places to enjoy with your pup.

🌲 Ruff and Ready for the Great Outdoors

We're all about ensuring your adventures are paws-itively amazing for both you and your dog. That's why we're testing and reviewing products like the Zesty Paws Aller-Immune Bites or different styles of Ruffwear harnesses. Part of how we can do this is because website uses affiliate links, meaning: at no additional cost to you, we earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. We’ll only feature products that we believe in and use ourselves. Your pet's safety and comfort are our top priorities, and we're here to share our knowledge and experiences with you.

🦴 So, What Treats Can You Expect from Wayfaring Woofs?

Travel Guides: Our detailed guidesbooks will have you drooling (figuratively, of course) over the best places to visit with your four-legged friend. Whether you're looking for picturesque hikes, cozy pet-friendly cabins, or a place to grab a doggy bag, we've got all your travel dreams covered.

Gear Reviews: We know how important it is to have the right gear for your dogs. We'll review products, and help you discover the latest and greatest in pet gear. Our priority is to ensure your pups are safe, comfortable, and ready for action because furball deserves the best, right?

Dog-Friendly Destinations: Explore our recommendations for pet-friendly businesses and locaes, including cafes, bars, galleries, dog parks and everything in between. We'll point you to the hippest spots that welcome both you and your best friend.

Tips and Tricks: Our blog will be filled with valuable insights and advice on traveling with your dogs, helping you navigate challenges and make your adventures a breeze. We’ll share both our best experiences and our worst, in hopes that your own journeys with your dogs turn out smoother than a freshly dug hole in the backyard.

We're here to be a source of inspiration to craft memorable moments with your dogs. Let’s share the joy and laughs as we traverse this wild, tail-wagging world together. Join us as we sniff out the best of the best destinations, and fetch the fun for you and your furry companions. Whether you're a seasoned explorer or a first-time traveler with your pets, Wayfaring Woofs is your go-to source for all things that will make your dogs’ tail wag like there’s no tomorow..

So, leash up, folks! It's time to let the adventures begin with Wayfaring Woofs! 🐾

[Photo: Maddie, the OG Wayfaring Woof]

Disclaimer: This website uses affiliate links, meaning: at no additional cost to you, we earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We only feature products that we believe in and use ourselves. Your support means the world to us and allows us to host this website. Thank you!

[k9dargo]

Today requires that I post Dargo, dressed in pink and purple. 

[chronicallyugh]

TBT - The Great Stakeout Of ‘14 ~ The first time they ever cooperated to do anything. Pretty sure they both ended up taking a rug nap while their quarry escaped a surely blood fate. ~ Moral of the story: taking naps prevents violence ~ #SelfcareSquad #Dragon #Dargo #mightyhunters #catsofinstagram #kitty #doggo #dogsofinstagram #pibble #pibblemix #pitbullsofinstagram #nap #naptime #chronicfatigue #lupus #spoonie #spoonielife

[munchtor-kintoise-blog]

(Closed)These are some adoptables I made about a week ago and I am deciding to post them on here since no one else really wants them on my other social media accounts. These are just domesticated dragon doggo’s (Dargo’s)which is a species I am going use in my comic Outspirited. Keep in mind that these are draw to adopts please.

[chronicallyugh]

While D'Argo always loves me, he is not always impressed with me. I swear he learned this face from the cats. • #boopthesnoot #goodboy #SelfcareSquad #Dargo #doggo #dogsofinstagram #pibble #pibblemix #pitbullsofinstagram #pitbull #lupus #spoonie #spoonielife

[chronicallyugh]

Selfcare Squad At Work - D'Argo Always available within arm's reach in case I need to take a break from working to skritch a dog. A Very Good Boy. ~ #SelfcareSquad #Dargo #goodboy #doggo #pibble #pibblemix #pitbull #pitbullsofinstagram #chronicillness #lupus #spoonie #spoonielife

[wordpress-blaze-176197706]

Mamma’s daughter

Into the Wilderness: Story 46

June marks two sad milestones for my sister and me. On June 15, 33 years ago, our dear mother passed away. June 29 would have been her 88th birthday. In some years, these dates slip by, the loss a pattern of early summer, as familiar as the still-blossoming trees, the chirping baby birds and the bouncing fawns. But other years, the loss leaches parasitically into my heart and lungs and squeezes. This year was one of those, a symbiotic ache. I didn’t need to look at the calendar. I knew what date it was.

My mom died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), made famous by baseball player Lou Gerhrig. It’s a devastating motor neuron disease. Nerve cells in the brain and spine degenerate so that the neurons no longer respond to stimuli, paralyzing the person’s ability to walk, eat, speak and breathe. As the disease progresses, the sufferer becomes locked inside, unable to interact, communicate or care for one’s self. With no available cure, a person will die, usually an average of 2.5 years from diagnosis.

The degenerative symptoms are devastating. A once healthy person erodes and immobilizes. Their cognitive processes, hearing and eyesight remain, so they are essentially alive in a mummified body. The ensuing anxiety is terrifying. Can you imagine a state of aware immobilization? Connection is the human condition. That is gone.

My father, sister and I, with the help of many medical professionals, hospice nurses and health aides, cared for my mom. I helped bathe my mother, fix her hair and makeup and dress her. I also cooked her meals moving to softer and softer foods until a feeding tube had to be inserted. One day, an oxygen cannula was added and multiple ports for pain and anxiety management. Special equipment, Hoyer lifts, hospital beds, wheelchairs, leg braces, food pumps and much more took over the atrium-like, sun-filled room she laid in. She could watch the birds at the feeders- cardinals, blue jays, robins, grackles, goldfinches, doves, hummingbirds- perch, swoop, soar and nibble. It was her joy to watch nature’s display. Now, my mother is an automatic thought when I see cardinals, doves and hummingbirds.

My mother was lonely most of her adult like. She had left her family in New Orleans to marry my father and move to Oklahoma. She knew no one. She maintained a too-perfect house, always provided a homemade dinner, exercised and cared for everyone but herself. She made many friends but those eventually fizzled out.

So she turned to food- not eating it, but rather learning chef-level cooking skills. She met and took lessons from Julia Child, Simone Beck, Jacques Pepin, Alice Waters, Madhur Jaffery, and countless others. My sister and I still have their cookbooks signed with personal notes and encouragement. She took cooking lessons in France, New York, and San Francisco. She made elaborate 7-course dinners for my dad’s out of town clients. On these occasions, I was her sous chef, cutting, chopping, stirring, washing the delicate China, crystal and silver. I’d sit in the kitchen listening to the adults laughing and joking while praising her incredible food. With each ended course, I’d wash the dishes and help her ready the next dish.

This is how I learned to cook: by osmosis. Mamma didn’t use recipes unless absolutely necessary, so I innately got the feel for measurements- a pinch, a teaspoon, tablespoon and cup. I can still eyeball them with incredible accuracy. I never wanted to be the chef she dreamed of being, but I did want to be her tutee absorbing every trick she learned. By the time I moved away for graduate school, I had my memorized lists of dishes and the few cookbooks my mom appreciated. This was my inheritance.

My mother became ill two years into my grad school. I knew I would go home to her, in spite of academic discouragement. I headed back to Oklahoma and began to fix the dishes she loved while she could eat it. Louisiana-style Barbecue shrimp, her bolognese sauce, avgolemono soup, pastitsio, soufflés, meatballs. As her ability to swallow diminished, I made crema- a soft Greek custard with which she could swallow her medications. When those days ended, I started baking cakes, cheesecakes, cookies and other yummies she had once enjoyed making. I didn’t want to forget while she could still point and nod. I especially loved a lemon bar recipe that I have misplaced. These kitchen endeavors were my way of embedding her memories in my brain.

Being 33 years without a mother is like climbing free solo. There’s no one to guide, encourage, advise. There’s no one to steady you, warn you, say. “Don’t do it.” It’s incredibly risky. I was in my 20s when she died. I have, therefore, spent all of my adult experiences without her presence or guidance. I would finish graduate school, start an academic career, get married and move across the US, change careers, move again without any of her words to guide me. More school, more work, children, divorce, financial loss, traumas- all occurred without a mother’s wisdom to prod and guide. I had to figure out on my own- and sometimes I did a lousy job.

Not having a mamma has created a shadow behind me, her small feet stepping into my own small footsteps rather than my larger ones expansively remolding hers. I carry her with me, because even today, I don’t want to live without her. With each dish I make, her words on seasonings and measurements and stirring enfold my hands as if she enfolds me. The loss will never be gone. But her memories fill the gaps grief has carved. With these, I am my mother’s daughter

I would love to hear from you, even if, especially if, you disagree. Perhaps we can bring back the American tradition of debate. Please like and share this blog with others. Subscribe to receive it by email and go directly to the Walk the Moon website (www.walk-the-moon.com) to peruse the full collection of articles and updates. You can email me from the Walk the Moon website as well.

Source: Mamma’s daughter

[chronicallyugh]

me: *gets home from kung fu* D'Argo: "OMG! You smell! so! AMAZING! Imma ROLL AROUND on you!" me: "That's not a compliment, coming from a dog." ~ #SelfcareSquad #dargo #doggo #pibble #pibblemix #pitbull #dogsofinstagram #pitbullsofinstagram #kungfu #vingtsun #selfcare #lupus #autoimmune #systemiclupus #spoonie #spoonielife

[chronicallyugh]

Tfw you're prettty sure gardening is just yet another big dumb way for humans to arbitrarily declare pieces of ground to be poop-free zones, but you hang out anyway cuz you're a Good Boy. ~ #SelfcareSquad #Dargo #goodboy #gooddog #theyregooddogsbrent #pibble #pibblemix #pitbullsofinstagram #doggo #dogsofinstagram #gardening

[chronicallyugh]

When your mom has been outta town for three days or three years whatever man it ain't like you can tell time. #SelfcareSquad #Dargo #doggo #pibble #pibblemix #shelterdog #adoptdontshop #spoonielife

[chronicallyugh]

Chemo dose on Sunday leads to Meds-Hangover Monday. Nothing takes the edge off that spent-all-daggum-day-on-the-couch guilt quite like a big doggo jughead on the lap. #SelfcareSquad #Dargo #lupus #systemiclupus #chemo #methotrexate #autoimmune #spoonie #spoonielife #spooniemom #doggo #pibble #pibblemix #petstagram #dogsofinstagram