Dogs are known for giving birth to a lot of puppies. Dalmatians, in particular, tend to have between six and nine puppies per litter.

But when a Dalmatian named Nellie got pregnant no one knew what was in store.

By the time the momma dog had given birth, a litter of 18 puppies had been brought into the world, a record-breaking brood at the time.

Nellie the Dalmatian gets pregnant

At the age of three, Nellie got pregnant. At the time, her vets predicted she would only have about three puppies. It wasn’t until after she started giving birth that everyone realized just how far off the mark the vets were.

A grueling 14 hours of labor

Nellie’s owner Louise Clement said that Nellie had an easy time when she went into labor, but the puppies just kept on coming. After more than 14 hours in labor, Nellie was finally done, having deliver4d 10 boys and eight girls. Quite the brood!

The puppies just kept coming

A Dalmatian breeder, Clement had never seen anything quite like it.

“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,” Clement said.

That’s quite the litter of pups, but for Clement, it’s no big deal. As a breeder, her house is set up for just such a large number of puppies.

“Fortunately, we have a lot of outside space and the dogs have lots of things to play with,” Louise said. “They’ve got their own Wendy House, and swings and slides that they love to play on.”

Finding sleeping arrangements for all of the puppies is also not a problem according to Clement.

“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,” she said.

Each puppy has its own colored dot

Telling the puppies apart was another matter entirely though, but as an experienced breeder, she knew exactly what to do. Clement placed a dyed spot, each a different color, on each puppy. Temporary, the tactic is enough for her to be able to tell them all apart. Then, once they are old enough, they will all be given a different colored collar.

“We are just absolutely in love with the puppies,” Clement stated.

As for mom, Clement, a nurse, is partial to her as well. “Nellie is an amazing mum, she’s got great sentiment and is a complete clown, she makes us laugh every day.”

One big happy family

In addition to Nellie, Clement still owns the new mother’s mom, Penny, and her grandmother, Pebbles. In addition to the three older Dalmatians, Clement plans on keeping one of the puppies too.

You can watch the video of Nellie and her monster brood in the video below.

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Sources: YouTube – Caters Clips, Mirror