A rescue dog stunned her new owner when she delivered a British record litter of 14 Doberman puppies – who are so close they all sleep in the same BASKET.
Dog lover Zara Hayes spent £450 on two-year-old Keela after seeing an advert on a sales website saying she was “possible pregnant”.
The 42-year-old, who owns dog rescue company Yappy Ever After, was worried Zeela would be exploited because Doberman puppies are often sold for over £1,000.
She then rehomed the pregnant pooch with foster parent Cat Davis, 33, in Cardiff at the end of October last year.
Vets told them Keela was expecting just five or six pups so they were stunned when she gave birth to a gigantic litter of 14 – on the appropriate date of December 14, 2014.
The lively pups have now taken over Cat’s terraced house and eat a staggering 5kg bag of food between them every day.
They also huddle up together to keep warm in a giant basket which Cat keeps in the corner of her kitchen.
Cat, an assistant manager at a pub, said: “We couldn’t believe it when 14 came out, and on December 14 as well, it was a weird coincidence.
“They have taken over my house and my life, there isn’t much space left that isn’t taken up by dogs.
“But it is worth it to make sure they are kept safe and sent to loving homes rather than being exploited.
“They all have their own personalities but they are live wires and bundles of energy. The pups are so close they all sleep together in a big puppy heap. They are adorable.
“We are lucky people are donating food because they are going through a bag a day and they certainly let you know when they’re hungry.
“I am glad we have found loving homes for them all but I will definitely miss them when they leave next month.”
The puppies, who all weigh 3-4kg, are being rehomed by Yappy Ever After for their standard minimum adoption fee of £250.
They have already been snapped up by owners who will be coming to collect them a few days after they have their injections on February 9.
Incredibly, one of the puppies is going to a home as far away in Germany while the other 13 are off to new families across Britain.
The dogs were known by numbers at first but have now been given names by their new owners which are – Odin, Kaiser, Zeus, Boudicca, Oscar, Boo, Kayla, Wilson, Shadow, Stan, Zeus, Patience, Dylan and Blake.
Zara, who runs Yappy Ever After dog rescue from Arnold, Notts., watched the birth live as Cat sent her pictures and videos as it happened.
She added: “I got Keela because my thought was that someone could make a lot of money from the puppies with very little effort.
“I was worried about her not being of use to anyone after giving birth.
“I am just overwhelmed with the number of puppies to be honest, there were a lot of tears.
“It was a bit of touch and go with the last one because she wasn’t breathing, but they are all fighting strong now.
“We couldn’t believe it when it got to six and then more came out and it kept going up and up until 14.
“We have seen that another Doberman had 13 but I am planning to contact Guinness World Records because we think this must be a record.”
Yappy Ever After volunteer Vicky Day, 26, from Arnold, added: “I was getting regular updates throughout the night as and when the puppies were born so none of us could sleep.
“By the time the 12th one was out I thought it was madness. Fourteen is amazing – I wish I could have been there.
“Most of all I am pleased they are all healthy and are all going to good homes.”
New mum Keela – who will be neutured so she can’t be exploited in the future – is now going to be adopted by fosterer Cat after the puppies have been rehomed.
I was the lady that Ella belonged to, and I feel that I was taken advantage of being in the situation I was in. I didn’t know how it would affect me emotionally on top of what I was already going through.
After a few days od Ella being gone I asked for her back. I was told that she’d been examined by their vet who had told them that she wasn’t expecting any puppies, and that she was under weight and has an eye infection. This was an absolute pack of lies, as we’d of never mistreated our dogs, and everyone that knows us would tell you how well Ella was.
Anyway they wouldn’t let me have her regardless of her being pregnant or not, but put round thier circle that Ella was fretting etc, so why wouldn’t they let me have her back ?
The only reason I can think of is that they wanted the money out of the puppies themselves. I think it’s disgraceful that a rescue centre would behave so dishonestly.