The world was amazed by a dalmatian mom who recently gave birth to a whopping 18 puppies. This is twice the size of the typical litter for a first-time mother dog. In April of last year, Nellie, a three-year-old pup, went through a grueling 14-hour labor. Louise Clement, a breeder from Preston in Lancashire, England, helped with the delivery and was surprised as 10 male and eight female puppies came into the world. The sight of all these furballs together is truly something to marvel at.
According to The Independent, Clement stated that her dog Nellie had a successful natural childbirth, but the puppies kept coming. Despite thinking that Nellie had stopped after the 15th puppy, she soon delivered another and two more after that. As a former nurse, Clement was present for each birth and assisted Nellie in weighing and distinguishing each puppy with a colored collar. She expressed immense pride in her beloved canine mother and described her as “lovely.”
Clement, a 46-year-old dog breeder, has been raising dalmatians for over three decades. Currently, she has 27 dogs residing in her home, but she is not worried as she has plenty of open space and toys available for them to play with. Clement even mentioned how a few of her furry friends join her in bed occasionally. She plans on keeping one of the new puppies from Nellie to add to her existing pack, but the others will be sold to new owners once they are old enough to leave their mother. Dalmatians have a long history of being “coach dogs” and were initially bred to accompany noblemen, traveling communities, and firefighters. The American Kennel Club states that they are affectionate, protective, and have a unique, recognizable coat.
Reports from Metro reveal that Nellie, a dalmatian from the United Kingdom, is known for giving birth to a large litter of puppies. However, in 2019, a dog from Albury, Australia named Melody broke the world record for her breed by giving birth to 19 puppies in one litter. Melody’s breeder Melissa O’Brien shared with The Canberra Times that the mother gained approximately 33 pounds during her pregnancy and underwent a cesarean section with the help of eight medical professionals.
Although O’Brien claims that seeing big litters is normal in her line of work, Melody’s litter was by far the largest she had ever seen. O’Brien and her family named all the puppies after Disney movie characters to keep track of them, and praised their bomb-proof temperaments. Like Clement, O’Brien decided to keep one puppy and sell the rest of the litter. Despite the impressive feat, O’Brien noted that some of the puppies needed to be supplemented and bottle-fed for a while to help their mother.
