Need to detox after deadlines? Here are some of UoN’s cutest doggies

Legend says that if you look into a mirror and say “January deadlines” three times, an exhausted student will come through the glass and slap you. But given how arduous this period can be, who can blame them?

For many of us, the end of January marks a calmer turning point. We can relish in the knowledge that we’ve got through assessment season and feel less guilty about bingeing Netflix dramas about zombies instead of doing work.

It’s time to celebrate and seeing some of UoN’s students cutest pooches might just give you the hit of serotonin you need.

Darcy

This is Darcy. She’s a six-year-old Labrador and Springer Spaniel cross.

Her owner, Phoebe, describes Darcy as very cheeky.

“My family stays at a hotel for Christmas every year and one year Darcy managed to run away from us and get into the hotel’s kitchen where she ate £100 worth of scones,” Phoebe told us.

Ralph

Ralph is eight and a Cockapoo. But according to his owner, Becky, Ralph has something called the “grandfather gene”, which makes him look like a Cocker Spaniel.

His favourite trick is slamming the door shut with his two front paws if someone leaves it open.

Ralph is an incredibly friendly “good boy” but that he has a bit of a clumsy streak, too, his owner says.

“He loves to say hello to everyone on his walks and will walk into things if he’s looking at you for a treat,” Becky says. “He is absolutely bonkers.”

Harlow

Rumours say that The Devil Wears Prada’s antagonist Miranda Priestley wasn’t actually based on Vogue editor Anna Wintour, but on one-and-a-half-year-old cockapoo Harlow. This stylish pooch rocks a pair of sunglasses like no fashionista ever seen before.

But unlike the anti-social Miranda Priestley, Harlow adores people. “Harlow is always the centre of attention. She’ll climb all over you to get it,” her owner, Jack, says.

Buddy and Chester

These doggy housemates are both Cocker Spaniels. Buddy is 11 and Chester is only eight months old.

Their owner, Amy, says they are “absolute sweethearts”, but she admits that sometimes their age difference can cause some innocuous friction between them.

“Buddy sometimes tries to parent Chester. So, he’ll be barking at him to tell him off before we even get a chance,” Amy says.

Nancy and Audrey

Akin to Buddy and Chester, Nancy, a Cockapoo, and Audrey, a Labradoodle, come as a pair and have a similar age difference.

Nancy is “very calm”, according to her owner. She loves sleeping on her back with her paws elevated.

Similarly, apparently Audrey never barks. Instead, “she comforts you when she senses if you’re sad, rests her head on you all the time to ask for cuddles,” her owner says. “She’s the most loyal dog ever.”

Daisy

13-year-old Daisy is a silver dapple Dachshund.

Her owner, Bella, describes Daisy as “spoilt” and “a princess” because “she refuses to sit anywhere without a pillow.”

She’s also a little mischievous. Bella says that Daisy’s favourite hobby is stealing cheese off people’s plates.

Monti

This is Monti. Her owner says the 10-year-old black Labrador is “super sleepy” and “loves to get in your way when you’re trying to walk down the corridor.”

“She’s an avid dreamer, too,” her owner says. “Most evenings, she’ll bark in her dreams and her legs will flinch every few seconds like she’s running.”

Truffs

Seven-year-old English bulldog Truffs loves sleeping and eating. “That is literally his routine,” his owner, Izzy, says.

“He can be quite moody when you wake him up. But he also has the energy of a cheetah and will charge full speed at you,” Izzy says.

When he’s not in the land of nod or trying to outrun big cats, Truffs can be found playing with his teddies.

Queenie

Queenie is an 11-year-old black Working Cocker Spaniel who is terrified of loud noises.

“She’s a little bit deaf,” her owner, Hattie, says. “Once I took her on a walk by my house. She just went on her own walk and I had to chase her around a bunch of random fields for an hour because she didn’t come back when I called her.”