Not quite '101' dalmatians born in Britain

A Leicestershire, Britain, dalmatian named Button has given birth to what may be a record-breaking number of puppies: 18! 

Button's owners, Adam and Nicola Morley, and the British Dalmatian Club believe that the litter is the largest one ever for a dalmatian (although Guinness World Records doesn't keep tallies for individual breeds). Button also gave birth to a sizable litter of 15 puppies in 2007. The BBC interviewed her owners, who reported that things were hectic in their home:

"We feed all of the pups several times a day because Button can't feed them all constantly," said Mr. Morley.

"We all take it in turns to feed them -- my stint is usually 3 a.m."

Button is the daughter of the dalmatian who played Dipstick in the film "102 Dalmatians."  Her puppies were delivered by caesarean section. 

A Denver TV station reported that a Neapolitan mastiff named Tia gave birth to 24 puppies (20 of whom survived) in Britain in 2005. 

--Lindsay Barnett

Photo: The canine stars of "102 Dalmatians" -- that's Button's father as Dipstick on the left. Credit: Clive Coote / Disney.

Comments

[M Appleton]

Regarding the article I am was concerned to read that Buttons had been bred with in the last year, had 16 puppies in that litter & had been put to breed with again so soon. Also there was no mention in the article of whether the puppies or parents had or will be hearing tested.

The article unfortunately feels more like a free advert for these people. Dalmatians are a beautiful breed of dog & I myself am a Dalmatian owner. These dogs require a tremendous amount of excercise & attention & anyone considering owning one who has not had one before should be aware not only of this but of the potential for puppies being deaf or partially deaf & of there being a tendency for some to have urinary stones. Both parents should be hearing tested as should all puppies prior going to new homes. If they have not been hearing tested you are not buying from a responsible breeder. Puppies which have been tested are all certified at specialist centres and any which have partial hearing or which are deaf should not be bred with.

[Jill]

I agree with you totally M. Appleton. I wonder how many of these puppies end up at a shelter. I hope they do not breed this dog again but I am sure she will be having puppies as soon as she can. What a shame.

[Soosie]

This is not a positive animal article. It's very negative. This woman is making her dog have tons of puppies. Then she sells them and makes her have more, by cesarian no less. Most people just think Dalmations are cute because of the movies. They are cute but they are also a sports breed that have a lot of energy. Every time they release a sequel to 101 Dalmations, the shelters get flooded months after the movie with unwanted dogs. They are cute as puppies but a handful as adults. If anyone wants a Dalmation, get an adult from the shelter. Be prepared to exercise and train the dog.

[Deb H.]

This is a fairly short article so they obviously didn't include every fact about the owners and their dogs in it so why make assumptions that they did not test their dogs' hearing and that they do not already have homes lined up for these pups. It is highly unlikely that someone responsible enough to have a c-section done on their dog (these are not free you know) is going to toss their pups into a shelter. A puppy mill would not bother to pay for a c-section nor would they bother to take any unwanted dogs/pups to a shelter -- they would just shoot or drown them unfortunately.

Why make the owners into criminals for breeding their dog when you don't have any further facts. I am tired of seeing responsible dog breeders treated as criminals -- it is the people who dump their dogs in shelters or don't train them in the first place who should be castigated. I suspect the above posters are members of PETA who doesn't even have an animal shelter and wants all dog breeding stopped.

[Adam Morley]

Just thought I'd drop in and comment on some of the speculation here.

Button is young, strong and amazingly healthy. She was vet checked before mating in October last year. All of our pups are KC registered - all Baer hearing tested - vet checked three times and come with a contract if sold.

Button shares our house and her litter is in our second living room. She is supervised 24/7 by myself, my wife and my eldest son. The pups are all bottle fed as well in order to decrease the stress on their mother. They are kept in three groups and rotated hourly.

We have homes for all but three of the pups already and the last three have enormous interest. We only place with people who we have met or know very well and questioned hard. We have never failed to place a pup and would have any back immediately if there were problems. We are just a family, not breeders, but we do everything with the health, welfare and happiness of our pups foremost in our minds.

Thanks

[Kathleen Watt]

I would like to know how to contact the Morley's in regards to adopting a puppy. I currently have a 9 year old dane and a 7 month old baby. I am very aware of the care these animals require. Please let us know how we can make an inquiry about the three remaining pups.