Labrador Litter – Angela Jelf

On 10th December, 2024, Amber, our wonderful Fox Red Labrador, gave birth to a litter of seven – four boys & three girls. We kept one gorgeous pup, and named her Honey. These posts document this incredible experience.

There comes a point in every young pup’s life where he or she must venture outdoors for the first time.

That day came on 20th January. The pups had been suitably wormed and were growing more and more daring by the day. Their need for fun and adventure was becoming increasingly evident. There was a world outside the whelping box and these pups wanted out!

Some of them by now had even mastered the art of escaping over the top of the guardrails, much to our dismay at three o’clock in the morning!

The garden was in a state of dormancy – grey, dull, and in need of a spring-spruce up. But the pup’s didn’t seem to mind too much. They didn’t take much egging on – but tumbled out of the back door, bright-eyed, bushy tailed and eager to explore. Tails up, noses down, they sniffed and investigated every corner, crevice, and new item they could find.

We’d decided that the enclosed patio, right by the back door, would be the only part of the garden they were allowed in and so the rest had to be cordoned off somehow. The three steps and the low garden wall that lead up to our terraced lawn were suitably blocked with various plant pots and upturned buckets that acted as barricades. Even though our fences were pretty sound, there were a few breaches here and there. The thought of a precious pup disappearing through a gap in the fence didn’t bear thinking about!

We were also worried about what they might try to eat or lick or consume – including snails or plants or cross-contamination from foxes and cats. Of course, even after all our precautionary measures, they still had to go and lick the broom and the hosepipe and wriggle their way underneath the barbeque!

We were constantly pup-counting – making sure all seven collars were present and correct. Seven! Phew!

A scattering of balls and toys, rattles and squeakers were tipped out onto the patio, to try and keep these inquisitive pups entertained and contained.

The puppies scampered, waddled and romped around for a good ten minutes. It’s a well known fact that when a Labrador wags its tail, it’s whole back end seems to follow! This was the scene on that patio. Seven joyous pups having a whale of a time and doing what puppies do best – PLAY!

And once they had tasted this freedom, it became a daily event! The pup’s seemed to grow more agile and confident with every passing day.

Everything became a game – even the garden ladder became a Pup’s Agility Class.

There was certainly never a dull moment, with these seven rambunctious explorers!

There was no denying it, Amber, was acting strange.

“I think she’s close!” I said, googling the tell-tale signs of a pregnant dog, about to give birth.

Off her food? – Tick
Unsettled? – Up and down like a yo-yo!
Panting – Intermittently
Nesting – Obsessively
Clingy? – Like Velcro!

“But she’s still got five days to go!” objected Nathan, “It won’t happen just yet – surely?”

All the same, I slept downstairs on the sofa that night, just in case. All through the night, I kept a keen eye on Amber, curled up in the whelping box that we’d just managed to assemble in the nick of time. I don’t know who was more restless – Amber or I?

The next morning, just as I was about to go grocery shopping, at around 8:45am, I noticed a mucus-stained puddle on the lounge floor. Amber’s water’s had broken.

It just happened to be a Tuesday. My day off. Thank you Lord!

I went and collected our youngest from school – there was no way she could miss this! There are some lessons in life that simply can’t be learned at school.

As circumstance would have it, our two eldest daughters were also able to be present. It was five days earlier than expected – but it felt like the planets had aligned.

At 9:55am, the first puppy appeared, it’s tiny little mouth gaping open and shut, as it drew in its first few breaths in the outside world.

We’d seen YouTube videos of live births, and read up on every detail – from counting placentas, to cutting cords. We had all the equipment ready. The clamp. The surgical scissors. A pile of towels . A weighing scale. Even a heat lamp akin to those you see in a chicken coop! But up to now, it had all been theory. Now – this was it! Without any dress rehearsal, we suddenly had to rise to the occasion. There were no official Vetinary Surgeons present. Just us. My husband, our three daughters and me.

And of course, our star girl – Amber! This was her first time too. Nobody had briefed her on what to do. She hadn’t watched any videos. But instinctively, she knew. Licking, nudging, feeding – such a clever Mumma!

The first three pups came fairly quickly. And so we soon found our stride too. We all assumed different roles at different times. One of us clamping, another cutting the cord, one of us weighing, the other recording the details, such as gender, weight and time of delivery and assigning each pup a little colour-coded temporary collar. It was all hands on deck. It was mucky, raw, earthy. It was one of the most vivid and incredible experiences we’ve ever shared. Nothing can quite prepare you for the sight of that first pup in it’s sac – and for the sounds and the earthy smell of new life.

Fortunately, there was a gap of around 90 minutes between the birth of pups number three and four and so we were able to stop for a well-earned cuppa! I’m sure Amber needed a breather too!

And by four o’clock that afternoon – there were seven! Three girls and four boys, eyes and ears as yet unopen, rooting around like little moles – and squeaking!

We weren’t supposed to name them – (we mustn’t get too attached) – but of course, it felt clunky and impersonal, referring to them as a colour. So an off the cuff ‘nick-name’ was assigned as soon as each puppy was born. Steve, James, Rosette (Rosie for short), Holly, Leo, Sadie and Ralph.

We spent the evening happily helping them latch on, marveling at the seven little heads and tails suckling all in a row. By now, their fur had gone from newborn-slime to buffed velvet!

Amber seemed relaxed and settled – sleeping softly while her babies suckled.

We positioned a single mattress next to the whelping box and took turns on nightly puppy-patrol. It was 10th December. Instead of a Christmas Tree, we had a box full of puppies to marvel at. We sensed that we were in for an unusual Christmas.