Labrador gives birth to one of the biggest litters in history for the breed

A labrador has given birth to one of the biggest – and cutest – litters ever recorded for its breed.

Six-year-old Bella delivered a staggering 14 black and yellow puppies, leaving her owner Hazel Hedges astounded as they continued to pop out last month.

Registered dog breeder, Hazel, 31, had expected her black lab Bella to produce a litter of six to eight puppies, after a scan revealed she was carrying around six.

But during the gruelling seven-hour labour at Hazel’s home in Wentworth, near Ely, Cambridgeshire, Bella delivered double the amount expected on April 18.

Bella gave birth to a total of four black boys, four black girls, three yellow boys and three yellow girls. The puppies’ dad, Scooby, is a Kennel Club-registered yellow labrador.

All the pups were fit and healthy and they are Bella’s fourth and final litter – making it ‘certainly one to remember,’ said Hazel.

It is believed to be the biggest ever litter recorded in England, though a 15-strong litter was recorded in Scotland in 2014.

Last year it was reported that a labrador from Kent gave birth to the ‘largest litter in Britain’ with 13 puppies but Bella has broken that record with an extra pup.

All of the puppies have already been snapped up and will be sent to new homes from June 13 after they have been weaned.

Hazel said: ‘Bella was scanned when she became pregnant but the numbers are never right and we certainly were not expecting 14!

‘I just could not believe it when they just kept coming. I had to wake my partner up to help me clean the pups because they were coming so fast.

‘She’s been a brilliant mum but now I think it is time for her to have a rest.’

Hazel and her partner James, 34, have been breeding labradors for five years.

‘I think this is one of the biggest labrador litters in history and probably the biggest ever in England,’ added Hazel.

‘It was Bella’s last litter and she has certainly made it one to remember.

‘Normally I would have expected her to deliver a litter of around six or eight puppies.

‘She always has all blacks with just one yellow, but she gave birth to a mixture of blacks and yellow this was a surprise.’

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