A university has literally built a 10ft statue of a deceased dog in the Students’ Union

Yesterday a university erected a 10ft statue of a dog in the Students’ Union as a prize for students voting in the annual elections.

University of East Anglia Students’ Union stuck to their promise of putting up a statue of ‘Cloud Dog’, a legendary campus pooch who was frequently seen being walked around campus, if over 1,500 people turned out to vote.

The statue was one of many incentives for students to vote, alongside free entry to SU nights and free food.

The figure is not only a prize for voting in the election, but doubles up as a shrine honouring Cloud Dog, as to campus horror, she died from arthritis in October.

So, who is this prized pooch?

The university boasted a legendary campus mascot who could regularly be seen all over campus. The one and only Cloud Dog

She is a Norwich icon, and gained so much fame that she was voted BNOC of the year in 2015

Cloud Dog even has her own Facebook page with over 1,000 likes

However, this story isn’t all rainbows and smiles, as tragically, Cloud Dog passed away last October

She had sadly been suffering from arthritis for a while, and was mourned by everyone on UEA campus

cloud dog has died and nothing in the world matters anymore

— blueberry (@punk_kinsoup) October 9, 2016

UEA cloud dog has died ????????

— kim (@xkimpalmer) October 8, 2016

Added to that cloud dog has died, is there any reason to carry on now or…?

— J.F.B. (@J_Bradnum) October 9, 2016

But this March, the SU needed a way to get students to vote in the upcoming Union elections, so provided prize incentives

 

Lets commemorate cloud dog with a 10ft statue! Vote now & get closer to 2000 votes! https://t.co/RBQfIjUJEl #UEAvotes17 #leadchange pic.twitter.com/MrFj7N2nsy

— uea|su (@UnionUEA) March 16, 2017

This, for obvious reasons, got UEA students voting like mad, with a record 3,669 people voting in the polls

dramatic reenactment of how @_canndo and I will come for the SU if the cloud dog statue doesn't happen pic.twitter.com/gsnJoyUz2a

— Lee (@leeoliverbrown) March 16, 2017

@_canndo Cloud dog means cloud dog

— Olivia Belton (@OliviaBelton) March 16, 2017

And the SU actually kept their word

Construction beginning for the cloud dog statue ? pic.twitter.com/uJ8M6CSmZo

— Joe Zilch (@team_zilch) March 17, 2017

And here it is, in all its glory, erected in UEA’s Students’ Union for all to see, all 10ft of it

Most people are bloody loving it 

@megbrowne2 don't know how to feel about this… ?

— georgia♡ (@GeorgiaHolmes_x) March 17, 2017

campus memorial of beloved local dog "cloud dog", rip pic.twitter.com/vF016PPxjB

— charlie rae mephsen (@char_meth) March 23, 2017

Although some compared it to that weird chicken that went viral lately

Classic.