​Golden Labrador Gives Birth To 13 Black-Coated Puppies

A Golden Labrador has given birth to a litter of 13 puppies - all taking after their dad with perfect black coats.

Owner Catherine Smith, 37, said she was amazed when the puppies kept coming after her three-year-old pooch Lucy went into labour.

While the baker's dozen of puppies have just missed out on the English record for a Labrador litter of 14, the brood make an adorable sight together nonetheless.

Recalling the moment Lucy went into labour, Smith, a part-time waitress from Taunton in Somerset, said: "She had the first four in just 20 minutes, then they just kept appearing.

"This is the first time we have bred a dog and thought she might have five or six. She started at 11.50am and it was all over by 4.30pm.

"I think she wondered where they'd all come from!"

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Smith mated Lucy with her friend's eight-year-old black lab Bastion - and fast forward a few months, Smith is now up to her ears in black-coated puppies.

"We're now getting through 15kg of dog food a week," she added.

If you were thinking Lucy's pups would make a great addition to your home, sadly you're not in luck as all eight males and five females were sold within three weeks.

Another dog owner was surprised when her pet's 18 puppies 'just kept on coming' during a 14-hour labour in April.

Caters

Louise Clement, from Preston, said three-year-old Nellie ended up having a massive litter of 10 males and eight females - double the average for a first-time mum.

Clement, 46, said: "She had a great natural labour, but they just kept on coming.

"I thought she'd stopped after number 15, because it looked like she had laid down to go to sleep. But then along came another one, and two more after that.

"Nellie is making a really lovely mum. I'm immensely proud of her, she's been amazing."

She added: "Fortunately, we have a lot of outside space and the dogs have lots of things to play with.

"They've got their own Wendy House, and swings and slides that they love to play on. Some sleep in the kitchen, some sleep in the utility room, and some sleep in the living room. A couple occasionally join me in bed."

Clement said she would keep only one of the pups, with the rest going to new owners.

Topics: UK News, News, Animals, Dogs

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

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