A Kingston family has been stunned after their pet labrador gave birth to 13 puppies, which is believed to be the second largest labrador litter in England.
The largest litter belonged to a Cambridgeshire labrador who gave birth to 14 puppies in April 2020.
Daphne, the local labrador, shocked her owners when she gave birth to a near record breaking litter.
Sarah Burn, Daphne’s owner, said the family were “not expecting anywhere near that many” and were in shock when Daphne gave birth in October. “By half 11 [at night] the first was born,” said Burn, “and there was about one born every half an hour from then.”
“There were nine, I went to sleep and she was still giving birth and I didn’t know,” she said. “When I woke up, another four had appeared.”
The exceptional litter came as a huge surprise to the family, who were expecting half the number of puppies, as the average litter size for a labrador retriever is seven. “It’s double what we expected,” Burn said. “I had no idea, she was so chill about it.”
Daphne, who is the family’s first dog, is already a local celebrity in Kingston. Since news of the huge litter spread, Burn has been inundated with messages. “So many people messaged me wanting to come and visit the puppies,” she said, with the majority of visits coming from friends of her two young sons.
“It’s a kid’s dream,” said Burn. “If my sons could crawl in and sleep with them, they would.”
But while 52 tiny paws padding around your home might sound idyllic, Burn admitted that life with 13 puppies is not always easy. “It’s a full-time job,” she said. “When one poos, they all poo.”
The 13 pups are almost ready to move into their forever homes and ten of the puppies have already been reserved, with family members interested in taking some of the others.
For now though, the Kingston household is enjoying every moment of their unexpected brood.
“It’s been mad,” Burn said. “But it’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
