Twelve puppies from same litter reunited for noisy first birthday party

A Labrador who gave birth to more than a dozen puppies has been reunited with her brood for an "emotional" party marking their first birthday.

Tilly delivered 14 puppies, two of which didn't survive, last year in what was described at the time as a "rollercoaster of emotions".

The dogs travelled from their homes across south Wales, as well as Chippenham and Winchester, to a barn near Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, for a noisy and energetic photo call.

Tracy Thomas, Tilly's owner, said getting them together for the party was "easier than organising a photo of them. Definitely".

But she insisted this was the only time she would do it.

"Just this one year," she said.

A scan originally revealed Tilly was expecting a litter of about half a dozen, but a week before she was due she gave birth to 14 pups – 12 who survived - in three waves over a period of 15 hours.

Tracy has kept in touch, via a Whatsapp group, with all 12 owners, visiting some of Tilly's puppies, with others staying with her when their owners are away on holiday.

When the puppies were adopted, one of the conditions was that they would all need to come back for their first birthday party, Tracy said.

"They've all grown and they've all got their own personalities, you can see in their faces who's who," she said.

Tracy and her husband Meirion were on holiday when Tilly gave birth, having asked Meirion's sister, Rhian Boxall, to dogsit.

"My brother assured me that the dog was not going to go into labour while he was away," Rhian said. "The vets assured him it was going to be a couple of weeks' time."

She said Tilly began "acting a bit differently" the day she gave birth.

"It came in various waves, we didn't really know what to expect or what was happening," she said, adding that Tilly was tearing up sheets in her pen and "a little bit distressed".

"But… she was amazing."

Wendy and Robert Yardley attended the birthday party with Paisley, one of Tilly's puppies, describing it as "lovely" and "heartwarming".

"They all seem to be running around like absolute lunatics. They're having the time of their lives," said Wendy.

Unlike Tracy, she hopes the party can be repeated.

"I don't know whether all 12 of them will be together again, but you know, who knows? Maybe next year for the second birthday," she said.