Black Labrador Gives Birth to Bumper Litter of 14 Puppies: ‘One to Remember,’ Says Owner

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A 6-year-old black Labrador has given birth to a bumper litter of 14 adorable puppies. After a pregnancy scan radically underestimated the size of the unborn brood, the dog’s owners were shocked to welcome one of the largest Labrador litters recorded in history.

Mamma dog Bella’s initial pregnancy scan indicated that she was expecting six offspring. “Normally I would have expected her to deliver a litter of around six or eight puppies,” said Bella’s owner Hazel Hedges, 31, a registered dog breeder, according to the Independent.

However, on April 18, 2020, the breeder was blown away by a litter of beautiful Labrador puppies twice the expected size. “Bella was scanned when she became pregnant but the numbers are never right,” Hazel reflected, “and we certainly were not expecting 14!”

During Bella’s seven-hour labor at home in the English town of Wentworth, Cambridgeshire, the puppies kept on coming until all 14 healthy, happy siblings had arrived. “I think this is one of the biggest Labrador litters in history and probably the biggest ever in England,” said Hazel.

Hazel “just could not believe it” when Bella’s litter totaled 14. The breeder explained that she even had to wake her partner, James, 34, to help clean and care for the newborn puppies during Bella’s nighttime labor as their numbers became overwhelming.

Bella’s very symmetrical litter comprised four black males, four black females, three yellow males, and three yellow females in total. In the past, Hazel explained, Bella’s litters comprised all black puppies and just one yellow.

Hazel and James have five years’ experience breeding Labradors. The litter of 14’s father, Scooby, is a Kennel Club-registered 6-year-old yellow Labrador. Hazel also confirmed that Bella’s bumper litter–her fourth–would be her last. “She has certainly made it one to remember,” the owner said.

For the first three weeks of the newborn puppies’ lives, reports the Daily Mail, the breeders had to help bottle-feed some of the pups through the night as Bella was unable to provide enough milk for all 14 siblings at once. Praising Bella for being a “brilliant mom,” Hazel confirmed that the diligent mamma dog now deserves a much-needed rest.

According to the Metro, all 14 puppies were quickly reserved and will be heading to their forever homes no sooner than June 13, at which point they will have been properly weaned from their mother.

In the meantime, Hazel and James have created a bespoke 14-bowl feeding station for the pups to encourage them to grow strong and learn basic house training.

The Labrador Retriever is the most popular dog breed in America, says the American Kennel Club. Labradors are loved for their friendly temperament, active and playful demeanor, and social confidence.

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The breed’s easily recognizable tapering “otter tail” signals the breed’s innate friendliness toward other dogs and humans alike. They can make both a homely companion and an active athletic partner, owing to the typical Labrador predisposition for having bursts of energy.

While Bella’s litter of 14 is one for the books, according to The Scotsman, a Labrador named Annie in Scotland allegedly broke the record for the largest Lab litter by giving birth to 15 puppies back in 2014.

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A black Labrador named Annie, belonging to Donald Kelly and his wife, Rhona, produced 15 healthy pups in one litter in the summer of 2014. “I bought in the region of 400 cans of puppy food for Annie,” said Donald, “so that the pups are getting that through Annie’s milk. She has a ferocious appetite, she is eating 12 cans of food a day.”

Alluding to Annie’s litter, then-Kennel Club Secretary Caroline Kisko commented that it is “certainly unusual for a Labrador retriever to have this many puppies in a litter.”