Pets are important members of many families and people’s best friends. A variety of pets have been printed on personalised stamps, though cats and dogs have been the most popular pet motifs from the start. The cat and dog stamps that were submitted to the collection tell warm-hearted stories that convey how close pets and their owners are.
Sender Tarja Seppänen.
Axu
Burmese cats, siblings Axu and Daisy are quite different personalities. Axu is always involved in chores, and in the picture he is peeking through a heart as he is examining an emptied flower holder.
Sender Tarja Seppänen.
Daisy
Daisy is Axu’s shyer little sister and a little more reserved with strangers.
Sender Kaisa Seppänen.
Remu
‘Garden dog’ Remu enjoys watching flowers in the garden. The owner says that Remu is a good boy and does not destroy any garden plants.
Sender Pentti Toivonen.
Tähkäpään Cherry My Joy aka Iida
Dogs have been an important part of the sender’s family for 54 years. They have had Collies since 1957, and the sender’s wife, in particular, has been involved with the dogs, breeding and dog show activities. The Christmas gift idea for 2003 was clear as soon as they saw an ad for personalised stamps, and the family’s dog Iida features on the stamp (Tähkäpään Cherry My Joy). The stamps were used, especially on letters sent to dog breeder friends.
Iida was the motif, no question about it. She was a good mother and had two litters. There were six dogs in the family at the time, and in addition to being a good mother, Iida was the boss of the whole pack.
The sender’s wife died in 2004, leaving four dogs to be cared for. The last dog from the family’s own litter died in 2008. It was difficult to get used to being without a dog, and two more Collies became family members. They brought joy to the sender until January 2020; now he has Fani the Shetland Sheepdog for company.
Sender Juha Hyttinen, photographer Minna Niittykoski.
Venny the cat was born in 2003 and named after the painter Venny Soldan-Brofeldt. Venny found a new home with Erkki and Kaarina in Varpaisjärvi. They had been longing for a cat for quite a while, and Venny immediately fell in love with her owners, especially Erkki. Venny took part in everything, be it working outdoors or watching TV. Venny was particularly interested in lottery draws and football league highlights, not forgetting nature documentaries about birds. Venny has been a great help with thinning summer flowers and carrying potatoes: there was potatoes all over the place as Venny carried them in her mouth.
Venny turned 18 on 26 May 2021 and passed away 17 december 2021. The secret of her longevity was probably a loving and caring home and close relationships with her people, a healthy diet and a life full of stimuli. As aged cat, she no longer climbed energetically, played in the snow or chased mice, but Venny knew how to enjoy a cat’s life by relaxing and observing her surroundings. Venny had also started issuing orders to the family.
Venny has been the subject of a woodcut, an oil painting and a total of four personalised stamps over the years.Venny is also a local celebrity; the local paper Matti and Liisa features an article on her when she turned 18.
The first personalised stamp of Venny was made in 2004 with a picture of a tiny ten-week-old kitten peeking out of a millstone hole.
Sender Juha Hyttinen.
Venny 10 years
Venny got her next stamp when she was ten in 2013. In the picture Venny is at her favourite hobby, climbing.
Sender Juha Hyttinen, photographer Minna Niittykoski.
15-year old in a close-up
Venny´s third personalised stamp was issued when she turned 15 in 2018.
Sender Juha Hyttinen.
Respectable 18 years
On Venny´s 18th birthday stamp from 2021, she poses in her favourite place among the flowers.