If we are lucky, the Christmas letter I send out for my friend Joan outlining the comings and goings at Pugdom each year, goes out into the world and starts yielding a response. The owners of our Pugdom pups start sending back their own cards, letting us know how the pugs have grown and changed; many send pictures. The responses started coming in yesterday. The first was from Sara, who owns two "Pugdom Pugs" -- Dumbledore and Splish Splash. Dumbledore was one of the magician litter, which also comprised Gandalf, Copperfield, Merlin and Hocus Pocus. Splish Splash was part of our "Champagne" litter -- although in the end the names had little to do with the beverage -- instead we had Reepicheep, Suteki, Sangria and Splish. Sara took in Dumbledore first and years later inherited Splish Splash from her mother. Both have been renamed. Dumble is now Otis and Splish, Ginny, somewhere along the way she lost an eye.
Sara sent a handful of photographs of the two dogs together and alone. The names on the backs alternated between their given names and the names she chose. She says Dumbledore is 10, graying on the chin and still has the nice trot just like his brother Gandalf. Splish or Ginny appears to be his constant companion.
Each year, I also find many of my cards returned unopened in the mailbox. As time passes, people move and we lose track of them and the dogs we loved. It is nice when we receive the pictures back instead.
For Christmas I received a new Sensu artist brush stylus. I purchased a Nomad artist brush stylus for my sister-in-law. I used the new stylus to create the above sketch and really liked the way it felt and looked like a real brush.