Dog gives birth to record litter of 17 puppies

A dog in Kent has given birth to a record-breaking 17 puppies, leaving her owners overrun.

Two-year-old Marigold is an Irish Setter who lives in Blean, near Canterbury, with Miranda Pellecchia and her family.

Now eight-weeks-old, the household's numerous new arrivals – dubbed Irish Doodles because their mother was mated with a poodle – are believed to be the biggest litter that crossbreed has seen in the UK.

Miranda, 42, said she could not believe her eyes when "pup after pup kept appearing", adding: "We thought it would never stop."

She added: "The first one popped out late one morning back in January and the last one didn't materialise until around midnight that same day.

"Even when the 17th was born, we wondered if that really would be the last.

"It was exhausting for us, so I dread to think how poor Marigold felt."

However, Miranda added that the doting mother had "recovered well from her ordeal".

"Marigold's still a bit tired though because she wouldn't go to sleep properly for days – too busy tending to the newborns," she said.

"I'd stay up with her too, making sure all was okay. And it was, with even the runt of the litter thriving."

The puppies, who have all been named, will soon get vaccinated and microchipped, before being found suitable new homes.

Miranda said that with three children of her own – Freddie, 13, Orlando, 11 and Coco, nine – it was unlikely life would get too quiet once they were gone.

"I reckon things are just set to return to the level of chaos we normally have around here," she said.

The world record for the biggest litter of any dog breed was a Neapolitan mastiff from Cambridgeshire named Tia, who gave birth to 24 pups in 2004.

And in 2019, an Irish Setter from Hampshire, called Amelia, had 16 pups delivered by caesarean section.

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.