It's always fine to have your own style, so long as it's consistent, as you said!

And if you'd like more examples or clarification, happy to help. Hard to get detailed in this few characters!

Only talking about when replacing with a general noun. For instance, when referencing the Washington Monument, you'd later use "the monument," lowercase. Truly shortened proper nouns can certainly informally be recognized as their own form of the name and get capped.

That's so sweet! And fun to have it. I wish I had one of our (official) dog as a little puppy. We got him at 5mo. The one I posted is a foster pup (we also have her two siblings and mama!).

It doesn't always. Depends on the usage and the exact punctuation...and the chosen style guide. Just as clear and easy as the rest of the English language, right?! 😉

Ha...yeah, and I always think the same thing.