MOFFAT couple Robert and Elspeth Mitchell got a lot more than they bargained for when their nine-month-old puppy gave birth to a surprise litter.
The couple have owned miniature schnauzers for over 40 years and bought little Jan from a breeder in Dunfermline after one of their other dogs passed away earlier this year.
The pup was brought to Moffat by Robert and Elspeth’s son in May where she soon settled.
But everything changed last Wednesday when Jan was sitting in her bed in the kitchen. She suddenly gave out a squeal and started to give birth to her very first litter of puppies.
Recalling the unexpected event, Robert said: “We were sat at the kitchen table having a cup of tea and she let out a big yelp, then there was this little black mole-like object.
“Her first season would have been when she was six months old, so she must have been caught before she came to us.
“We were totally surprised by it all. The vet nurse came up from Lockerbie and saw the job through to the end.”
Elspeth added: “Somebody had said to us she was looking slightly big but she wasn’t that big.
“The vet had seen her a few weeks before and they didn’t catch it, they just thought she was settling in quite nicely.”
Jan now has six puppies – three boys and three girls – crossed with a toy poodle and the Mitchells are happy to report that Jan has really taken to maternity.
Robert continued: “She’s come into motherhood and looks after her pups.
“If there’s a squeak she’s there on the dot, she’s a very attentive mother.”
Now that things are settling down again Robert and Elspeth are looking forward to getting know the puppies before they move on to new homes.
Elspeth added: “We’re intending to keep one but we’re hoping to find the rest good homes where they’ll be loved, but they’ve more than few week to go before they’ll be ready to leave their mum.”
