Dog Gives Birth To Huge Litter Before The Owner Notices A Concerning Detail
When a Norfolk Dalmatian gave birth to a huge litter of pups, her owner, Bridget, noticed there was something off about one of the newborns. The whole situation seemed to mirror the premise of Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians, based on Dodie Smith's children's novel. While that turn of events may seem far-fetched, 2020 proved anything is possible, and Bridget was forced to make a life-or-death decision — quick!
Awaiting Birth
Bridget Heffernan, a Norfolk resident and 40-year-old mom of three, patiently waited for her pregnant dalmatian, Lucy, to give birth to a healthy litter of puppies in August 2020. She anticipated having to help Lucy and the newborns if necessary.
Fifteen Long Hours
So Bridget stayed by Lucy's side during her enervating 15-hour labor, watching as she birthed each of the pups like a champ. But it wasn't before long that Bridget noticed something was off with one of the babies.
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Runt of the Litter
"The minute he was delivered, I spotted straight away that something wasn’t quite right and you could tell he was already really small," Bridget said. Trouble was brewing.
A Weakly Doggo
He was the runt of the litter, and he wasn't breathing correctly, which terrified Bridget. Not only could he not breathe, but the weakly pooch was also severely underweight.
No Changes
"He was only 200g (.44 lbs) at birth whereas his brothers and sisters were around 500g (1.1 lbs)," she continued. After monitoring the pup's habits and appearance for three days, Bridget was concerned when he didn't gain even an ounce of weight.
A Worried Grandma
"The mum, Lucy, was busy with the other pups so I broke the bag and brought him round until he got breathing but he struggled to latch on to feed – it was touch and go at first and I was extremely worried," Bridget explained. It was time to step in.
Stepping In
On day three, Bridget made it her mission to nurse the spotted runt back to health, using a formula bottle to feed the little guy every two hours, day and night. Bridget wasn't going to let the claws of death grip onto this pup!
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Oddly Familiar
And as Bridget was reviving the helpless runt of the litter, she realized something was oddly familiar about the situation. "He nearly died at birth but came back to life, similar to Lucky in 101 Dalmatians."
Reviving the Runt
That's right! In One Hundred and One Dalmatians, the mama dalmatian, Perdita, gave birth to a litter of 15, and Lucky was the unfortunate runt. Though it's fairly common for litters to have runts, there was one specific aspect that made the situation even more coincidental.
Roger vs. Bridget
Thanks to the valiant efforts of Roger Radcliffe, Lucky escaped death by the skin of his teeth, just how Bridget revived Lucy's runt. Without Bridget's attentiveness and patience, the frail hound wouldn't have made it.
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Pure Miracles
"He was bottle fed until he was three weeks old before we weaned him onto food and once he got that, the rest was up to him and he managed to get back on his feet," she said. The runt made a miraculous recovery, but the story of this litter wasn't over.
Real-Life Fairytale
"It’s a real-life fairytale – he wasn’t good at all and if we hadn’t been about he would have died and I’m extremely proud of how far he’s come," the shift leader said.
Caring for All
And of course Bridget cared for the rest of the pups as well, literally waking up at 4:30 AM every day to do so. That is what we call around the clock dedication, especially considering how much these pooches ate.
12 Spotty Puppies
While living with Bridget, those hungry little mongrels went through 12 bags of supplementary food. "Lucy had a scan at around 28 days which showed nine puppies but she then went on to have 12," she stated.
Extra Work
"It was bigger than her last litter of nine and it's amazing how much extra work the extra three added!" she continued. Though she was sad to let the spotty angels go, Bridget knew she couldn't keep the entire litter, especially because she already owned several dalmatians!
16 Sporting Dogs
Aside from the (uber-tired) mama, Lucy, there was the dad, Kobe, the grandma, Rylie, and an elder sister from a preceding litter, Lyra. Bridget was not able to own 16 sporting dogs, so she assured that they all went to loving, responsible owners — even the sweet runt.
Gratification
As Bridget watched each puppy go to its new owner, she felt a joy that could only be described as gratifying. "It’s very rewarding seeing all the little puppies grow up from birth and finding their forever homes – they started to leave last Friday and now there’s only two left," Bridget said.
Getting Used to Calm
"I’m used to spending three hours every morning sorting the puppies out because it’s completely manic but now it’s all a lot calmer – I don’t know if I like calm!" she exclaimed.
Forever Lucky
Bridget will likely remember the rewarding experience forever, especially her precious "Lucky," happy no heartless heiresses tried to make a coat out of puppy fur! But perhaps Bridget's biggest success was guiding another dog couple with her quick-thinking.
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The Dog People
Well, to be fair, calling Chris Hughes and Mariesa Caliguire "dog people" would be a huge understatement. Ever since they got their first pup Moses, their lives have revolved almost entirely around their doggos. Some would even say, bordering on obsession?
Eight
By 2013, they'd adopted a whopping eight dogs! With critters of all different ages, breeds, and personalities, there was hardly a dull moment under Chris and Mariesa's roof, and that was what sparked the idea to start sharing their life on social media.
Life in the Doghouse
They started their own reality show called Life in the Doghouse, and over the course of a couple of years, the YouTube series gained a loyal following eager to see how the Ohio couple handled such a hectic household.
Number Nine
Though they already had their hands full, Mariesa and Chris still talked about bringing yet another dog into the fold. There were so many needy animals out there, and giving one more a happy home would be a truly good deed.
Cuyahoga County Kennel
In the fall of 2013, they zipped over to the Cuyahoga County Kennel, where countless little faces peered out at them through iron cages. It broke Mariesa's heart that they could only rescue one of them.
Storie
But then one interaction convinced Chris and Mariesa of what they had to do. When they walked up to one beautiful pit bull named Storie, it was love at first sight. Of course, something was obviously different about her.
Swollen Belly
Her enormously swollen belly told Storie's whole tale. She was very pregnant, and the staff at the dog shelter said she was expecting six puppies any day now. In fact, they were a bit surprised Storie hadn't given birth yet.
Torn
Mariesa and Chris felt torn. On one hand, they really looked forward to the prospect of Storie joining their family. But on the other, could they really handle this pit bull and her puppies on top of their other eight dogs?
Welcome Home
With only minutes to make their decision, the couple followed their hearts. They brought Storie home and introduced her to her new brothers and sisters, who were jumping with joy. Still, the pit bull started showing signs that she was unwell.
Refusal
Chris and Mariesa could only guess that her state was due to her pregnancy. They did a little research and learned that in high-stress situations, expecting dogs sometimes refused to give birth.
Speeding
Knowing they had no time to lose, Mariesa and Chris hopped into the car with Storie whimpering in the backseat. The other eight dogs watched as they sped off to see their veterinarian.
Something's Wrong
Even the vet was concerned. Fearing that something had gone wrong with her pregnancy, they prepared for an ultrasound that would finally provide them with some answers — and hopefully not devastating ones.
Here's The Scoop
It turned out that the animal shelter's assessment of Storie was all wrong. They sized her up as being pregnant with six puppies. But in reality, she was carrying an unbelievable twelve puppies! And if she didn't deliver them quickly, Storie would be in serious trouble.
Fingers Crossed
Unfortunately, it wasn't safe to perform a c-section on the proud mama. Storie would have to birth her litter alone. All Chris and Mariesa could do was make her comfortable and hope for the best. What they saw the next morning was unbelievable.
Twelve
As if she finally knew she was safe, Storie brought twelve happy and healthy puppies into the world — and not a moment too soon! Chris embraced the new mother as she took a well-deserved rest.
That's A Lot of Paws
With the puppies safe and happy, Chris and Mariesa had to figure out how to handle all the puppies. They now had 21 dogs in their house, which was enough to trip up even these seasoned canine owners.
Wagon Wheel
The couple realized that they couldn't care for all these pooches. Fortunately, drawing upon their connections in the animal world, Mariesa and Chris found homes for all twelve puppies. And that wasn't the only change in their household.
A Little Help
To give the couple a little more space, Chris's best friend Ryan offered to adopt Storie. They gladly accepted, knowing she would be in capable hands. Plus, the pit bull could still visit them anytime.
Relief
After such a whirlwind few days, Chris and Mariesa felt relieved to sit back and relax with their eight pooches. It seemed like things had finally returned to normal — except that before long Chris dropped an unexpected question.
Wedding Bells!
He asked Mariesa to marry him, and of course, she said yes! They happily tied the knot surrounded by family and friends, in a ceremony which naturally included a couple of their canine companions!
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