A CANINE mum in Llanelli has given birth to a record litter of pups.

Although not quite on the same scale as 101 Dalmatians, owner Neil James, of Ropewalk Road, was amazed when he found out his pet pooch had just delivered 13 puppies.

It was all the more a shock because Mr James was told to expect just three new mouths to feed.

But unfortunately, one of the puppies died earlier this week.

Explaining the arrival of the French Bull Mastiff puppies — the breed made famous by the Tom Hanks 1989 comedy Turner & Hooch — Mr James said: "The vet said he would have to do a caesarian as she was having three large babies, but when we arrived back we were told that there were 13 of them.

''There were eight girls and five boys.

Shocked

"I was totally shocked,'' added Mr James.

''Even the vet was shocked. They must have been tightly squeezed together.

"The UK record is 18 and the next highest was 12 so we have beaten that, and it's also a record for Wales as the other litter was in Surrey."

"Sadly one of the girls passed away, but she was the runt of the litter.

"They say the first 48 hours is the most critical, and we are over that now, so hopefully the rest will be OK."

Although proud mum, three-year-old Ghost, and her brood are doing well, 29-year-old Mr James is having a few sleepless nights.

He explained: "Because there are so many, they can't just have their mother's milk.

''There are only eight nipples and there are 12 of them — not enough to go around.

Feeding

''It means we have to be up every four hours feeding them supplement milk."

Sadly the dad, Oscar, is not around to see his offspring.

"The father had to be put to sleep as there were problems with his pancreas."

"We worked it out and they must have mated in the last week he was alive," Mr James said.

"We haven't named them yet, but one will definitely be called Oscar."

The puppies, which sell for between £700 and £900 each, will be kept together until they are fully weaned.

"We are going to find homes when they are big enough, but until then we are lucky that we have quite a big garden for them to play in," Mr James said.

And in a warning that only dog lovers need apply, he added: "There's no way a Cruella D'Vil type character is having any of these puppies. They are all going to good, loving homes."

Mr James also thanked staff at Burry Port's Alpha Vets for their help in delivering the miracle puppies.