Hey there!
Sorry it has taken me awhile; I get carried away with life haha.
Anyway, the pup is... well a pup lol. Same complaints and joys and puppy parent would have. As for Artrage... I never used it to be honest. I only had access to photoshop and have dabbled with painter. I would suggest tring out demos/ trial software and seeing what caters most to your needs.
And I hope you do post your writing online. It's always great to see how other people react to one's work (which, btw, I hope to read your short story soon!)
Hope things are going well