Every single one of us fell in love with the adorable black-and-white puppies after watching “101 Dalmatians”! The 1996 comedy adventure film introduced these dogs with the most iconic fur coats to the world, and since then, they have been among the most popular breeds.

According to the American Kennel Club, Dalmatians, historically known as “coach dogs,” were originally bred to accompany the horse-drawn rigs of noblemen, traveling communities, and firefighters.

In April 2020, these loyal and loving dogs have come under the spotlight again, as a Dalmatian mother gave birth to a litter of 18 puppies!

The 14-hour-long labour was not easy to endure, but the 3-year-old Nelly became the mother of 10 male and 8 female puppies. Kennel Club breeder and a former nurse, Louise Clement, 46, from Preston in Lancashire, England, was stunned at the amazing sight!

She said:

“We knew that Nellie was quite big so we were expecting a large litter, but we had no idea she would have this many.

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.

I was there for each one when they were born and helped her with each of them. We weighed them and put a colored collar on them to tell them apart.”

She described Nellie as “a really lovely mom” and added that she is proud of her. She added that “ she’s got great sentiment and is a complete clown, she makes us laugh every day.”

For three decades, Clement has kept dalmatian dogs, and she currently has 27 dogs living at her home. She explains that they “fortunately, have a lot of outside space and they have “have lots of things to play with.”

She says:

 “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 plans to keep one of the newborn puppies and sell the rest to new owners when they are old enough to leave their mother.

Similarly, last June, a dog named Melody, from Albury, Australia, gave birth to 19 puppies in one litter and broke the world record for the breed in the process.

Her breeder, Melissa O’Brien, explained that they named all the puppies after Disney movie characters as a way to keep track of them, and “their temperaments are bomb-proof.”

These gigantic broods are double the size of an average litter, but the Disney tale remains still on top. In it, parents Pongo and Perdita save their 17 pups stolen by the evil Cruella De Vil, and rescue 84 additional puppies bought in pet shops, bringing the total number to 101.

Amazing!

Sources:
metro.co.uk
www.dailymail.co.uk
www.mirror.co.uk