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Black Dogs and where they are

Our striking pack of Black Dog statues help to promote the Black Dog Campaign’s initiative and its aims. From six dogs at launch in 2011, we now have a working pack of 13 who act as symbols of tackling the stigma of mental health all over the country.

Here you can read about the individual dogs, where they have been, and who our current Black Dog statue partners are.


Angus

Angus Fife College

Owner: SANE

Location: Fife College

Born: 2013

History: Angus was originally owned by Ryden LLP, before the statue was then kindly donated to us to become the roving dog for Scotland. Angus’s first stay was with NHS Lothian, where the dog was at the heart of their nursing students’ awareness campaigning. The statue’s coat was designed by Maggie Keppie, who won a competition to design the coat run by the Edinburgh Art Therapy Centre.


Elvis

Elvis Eastbury Community School

Owner: SANE

Location: Eastbury Community School, Barking

Born: 2012

History: Elvis was kindly sponsored by psychotherapist Anna Albright and a group of her clinical colleagues, including Dr Mark Collins, Dr Elza Eapen, Karen Levy, Dr Jeremy Pfeffer, Dr Gillian Waldron and The Fitton Trust. With a coat designed by the singer and musician Adam Ant, the statue now lives with the pupils of Eastbury Community School who have refurbished its plinth and created a mini Elvis as part of an art project.

Elvis has also visited The Francis Crick Institute and its adjoining community centre to stimulate conversation about mental illness in the local area.


Harry

Harry Uni of St Andrews

Owner: St Andrew’s University Fashion Show

Location: St Andrew’s University

Born: 2016

History: Harry was born to permanently reside at University of St Andrews, and is a proactive part of the student body’s desire to reduce stigma surrounding mental illness and encourage open discussion. The dog’s coat was created by student Daniel Chu, who won the design competition run by the university. Since his arrival, students have raised more than £30,000 for SANE, highlighting valuable awareness of mental health problems amongst students.


Harvey

Harvey Clifford Chance

Owner: Clifford Chance

Location: Clifford Chance, Canary Wharf

Born: 2012

History: Our partner Clifford Chance held a competition for children from Thomas Tallis School in Blackheath, London, to design the coat of their Black Dog statue. The winning design was by Harvey Cantrill Baker, after whom the dog is named, and the statue resides in Clifford Chance’s head office in Canary Wharf. Also affectionately known as ‘Cog Dog’, Harvey is a regular reminder for staff at the law firm to look out for the emotional wellbeing of themselves and others.


Homer

Homer Legal & General

Owner: Legal & General

Location: Legal & General, Hove

Born: 2011

History: Homer’s design is by British artist Duggie Fields, whose work has taken in minimal, constructivist and post-modernist styles. In 2011, Duggie designed the ‘It’s raining cats and dogs’ themed coat for Homer, so named because the legendary Greek author used the phrase Black Dog to describe his own depressive states. The statue currently resides in the home of its owners Legal & General, where it stands as a symbol of hope and information for staff at the firm.


Hope

Hope Dundee University

Owner: Dundee University

Location: Dundee University

Born: 2018

HistoryDundee University had previously been the long-term hosts of Horace. But whilst that statue was out on loan, they decided they needed a dog of their own, and Hope was born. The statue was revealed at the university’s graduation garden parties in June 2018, with its arrival featuring on STV News.

It was named Hope by university rector Mark Beaumont to reflect the dog’s “powerful and positive” message, while Laura Campbell won a competition to design the coat. Students and staff at the university are committed to raising awareness of mental illness, and Hope is the perfect symbol for this objective.


Horace

Black Dog Horace Roche Diagnostics Ltd

Owner: SANE

Location: Roche Diagnostics Ltd

Born: 2012

History: Horace is currently hosted by Roche Diagnostics Ltd. The company made SANE its charity of the year for 2018, and the statue is on a long-term visit to help promote fundraising activities.

Horace’s coat was designed by Anthony Cleyndert, who also created the beautiful stained glass window at our Prince of Wales International Centre for SANE Research in Oxford. The dog has also spent some time on loan at Leicester College as part of the St James Place Foundation Grant. Horace is a roving dog available around the UK for visits and loans.


Hugo

Black Dog Hugo Northumbria Uni

Owner: SANE

Location: Northumbria University

Born: 2011

History: Joanna Lumley, renowned for starring as Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous, designed the wonderful AbFab-style coat of hearts, stars and kisses for the statue. Individual campaign donations allowed us to produce Hugo, who Joanna named after her own pet labrador.

The dog is currently hosted by Northumbria University as a symbol of their students’ desire to change attitudes around mental health. Hugo is available in the north for visits and loans.


KNine

KNine Kingsley Napley

Owner: Kingsley Napley

Location: Kingsley Napley, Knight’s Quarter, London

Born: 2018

HistoryKingsley Napley LLP became the proud owners of KNine – its coat and name chosen following a company competition – as a part of their commitment to making us their charity of the year for 2018. KNine made quite a splash, with its arrival making the legal pages of The Times, and is proving highly popular amongst staff.


Sirius

 Sirius High Sheriff of Oxon

Owner: High Sheriff of Oxfordshire

Location: Roving Oxfordshire

Born: 2018

HistoryRichard Venables, the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire for 2018/19, pledged his support to the Black Dog Campaign in 2018 by fundraising for the creation of Sirius.

The statue tours schools, colleges and public places around Oxfordshire to promote positive mental wellbeing and health amongst young people. Sirius was named by students at D’Overbroek’s School, after the brightest star in the night sky. It is also the name of a character in the Harry Potter series called ‘Sirius Black’, who spent 12 years in prison but escaped by turning into a black dog ‘Animagus’.

Sirius represents the potential to shine brightly and overcome the stigma surrounding mental health.


Shadow

Black Dog Shadow Asda

Owner: Asda

Location: Asda House, Leeds

Born: 2015

History: With more than 180,000 employees, Asda made a commitment to better workplace mental health by joining the Black Dog Campaign. With Shadow as the central symbol, staff across the country have taken part in mental health awareness and anti-stigma events. The Asda dog plays a vital role in spreading the messages of hope, acceptance and recovery from mental illness.


Shady

Shady Scotland's Rural College

Owner: Scotland’s Rural College 

Location: Scotland’s Rural College, Riverside Campus, Ayr

Born: 2017

History: Since arriving, Shady has become very popular with students at Scotland’s Rural College. The dog’s physical presence is reinforced by a page on the intranet across eight satellite SRUC campuses, as well as its very own Twitter account. Shady is another statue to be born as part of a university’s commitment to raising awareness of mental health issues amongst students.


Watt-Woof Heriot-Watt University

Watt-Woof

Owner: Heriot-Watt University

Location: Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

Born: 2015

History: The statue belonging to Heriot-Watt University was unveiled on World Mental Health Day in October 2015. Watt-Woof has been the driving force for fundraising activities by staff, students and campaign supporters, raising more than £8,000.

Watt-Woof also attended Edinburgh University’s Conscious Ball in November 2018, after SANE was chosen as one of the main benefactors for the ball first begun by students at Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

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