Labrador Mara's paws for thought after giving birth to 11 puppies

When the vet suggests that a litter of five or perhaps seven pups is on the way, a Labrador can expect to be extremely busy.

But when 11 hungry mouths arrive unexpectedly the feeling can be somewhat overwhelming.

Labrador Mara and her owners have been working around the clock keeping her large brood thriving.

“Eleven pups for a Lab mum with nine teats means a round the clock watch to make sure every little mouth is fed and to her credit, Mara has done an excellent job,” said her proud owner, Peter Edwards.

“At her first antenatal scan our vet said he could see five but added that a couple of pups may be hiding.

“When she went into labour three weeks ago they just kept arriving…12 in total with the last wee one sadly dead on arrival.

“The thing is, we never expected Mara to have pups because we have an older Lab Dougal, age 10, who was keen…but she wasn’t.

“So after four years of fending him off she mated with a friend’s younger lab, after a chance meeting in the street.

“My wife Fiona was taking Dougal off to Dumfriesshire to avoid the neighbours being disturbed by his vocal amorous advances and Mara’s feisty rebuffs.

“Every time he came near her in season she would snap and fend him off.

“As we were loading Dougal into the car my friend passed with his lovely looking male Lab.

“We introduced him to Mara and it was love at first sight.”