Academic requires stress relief!

I'm in the final stages of writing up my doctoral thesis, so would love some good dog company to keep the stress at bay and get me out of the house more! I have been around dogs growing up but haven't felt settled enough to get one of my own yet, so I'm hoping this will be a good compromise for the time being. I live in a peaceful two bedroom flat with a large shared (but generally empty) garden surrounding it. There are two other friendly dogs in the adjoining flats, both very affectionate and well behaved (a golden lab and a tiny French bulldog), and Woodhouse Ridge is just up the road for walkies.