Meet Annie, the Cardiff Uni student who brings her super cute dog to all of her lectures

One Cardiff University student has been taking her dog to all of her lectures and seminars.

Annie Tallis, a second year English literature student, adopted Lexie last year, and whilst Lexie isn’t a service animal, she has been accompanying Annie to uni every day.

Annie creates videos about life as a student dog parent and so far, she’s received more than 215,000 views on her videos with Lexie and has won the hearts of students across Cardiff Uni.

Annie rescued Lexie, a Podenco, through a charity in Spain where she was bred for hunting rabbits, and faced being put to sleep once hunting season was over.

Lexie was found with all her legs broken, meaning she was unable to find food. This is when the charity found her and later connected her with Annie.

Annie said she was searching dog rescues, when she came across Lexie and knew right away that she had to adopt her.

She told The Cardiff Tab that Lexie was so traumatised when she first came to the UK, she wouldn’t eat or sit down for days: “For the first month, I slept on the floor with her, I put my mattress on the floor, but now she sleeps on my bed and doesn’t want to be away from me.”

When The Tab asked Annie about how she’s able to bring Lexie into lectures, she told us: “My lecturers are so chilled with Lexie being in there. They literally love her so much.”

Annie said she emailed her module leaders and said she’s bringing her dog to lectures. They then all told her it was fine, and she’d be able to bring Lexie into university.

She added: “She’s getting her degree, she’s an academic.”

Annie further said how seeing a dog at university, has helped students with their mental health and homesickness: “She’s just such a comfort for people, especially people that have dogs at home who they miss so much.

“It’s just so lovely because she brings so much joy to me, knowing that she brings happiness and even just general surface level comfort to other people.”

Cathays is also a great, dog friendly place to be, as Annie told The Tab that Metchy’s and The Woodville are favourites of her’s and Lexie’s. She explained that there aren’t many pubs that don’t accept Lexie, and when they go in, they’re always surrounded by students wanting to pet her.

She said: “People are just so happy to see her. Even for people in my lectures and seminars, who have seen Lexie before, they’re just so excited.”

Annie creates TikToks showcasing their daily lives, including going to the pub, having lectures, and popping down to Bute Park. Lexie really is an influencer, and she can often be spotted chasing after squirrels or spending time with her fans.

If you want to keep up with Annie and Lexie’s adventures around campus, their TikTok is @annietalliss

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