Guide Dog golden retriever gives birth to nine puppies in time for Christmas in Northamptonshire

A Guide Dogs mother has given birth to a litter of nine puppies just in time for Christmas.

Four-year-old golden retriever Puds, a breeding dog for the charity, gave birth to five girls and four boys at a home in Northamptonshire on December 7.

Thanks to their father, a German shepherd named Shadow, the puppies have distinctive black fur in contrast to their mother’s sandy brown coat, with one young puppy sporting a white tail tip.

When the puppies reach 14 months old, they will train to become guide dogs to help people with sight loss.

Janine Dixon, head of breeding operations at Guide Dogs, said: “It’s fitting that Puds has had her babies in time for Christmas – we’ve affectionately named her puppies ‘the puddings’ for now.

“There are now nine more future guide dogs in the world, which is a lovely thing to celebrate at this time of year.

“At Guide Dogs, we wouldn’t be able to do our work without help from volunteer Breeding Dog Holders, who look after fantastic mums like Puds and help give these very important puppies the very best start in life.”

The litter will stay with their mother at home and be cared for by a Guide Dogs volunteer for eight weeks.

They will then be taken to puppy raisers, where they will stay for the next year to get on with their training.

The puppy raisers will take the dogs on trains and buses and in restaurants and shops, so they become accustomed to remaining calm and confident in a variety of situations.

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