Words by by Angela Cole, picture by Matt Reading

All together now - aaaah. The arrival of this bundle of fur and his siblings proved a happy occasion, but could have ended in tragedy, as they were born over a 42-hour stretch.

Owner of labradoodle mum Maisie, Julie Pilbeam, from Bearsted, said it was a miracle that the last two – who arrived hours after the rest of their siblings – were still alive.
Maisie’s first pup arrived at 5am on Wednesday, September 23, with the second arriving soon after at 5.15am. Another two were born at 6.30am and 6.35am, and another two arrived around 8am that morning, with the seventh being born at 11.20am.
The eighth pup did not make an entrance until 9.10pm and, arriving 42 hours after the first, the ninth was born at 10.55pm the following evening.
Mrs Pilbeam said: “To have them born 42 hours apart, you would not expect the last two to have lived. But they are all absolutely fine, and are quite big. You can’t tell which ones came later than the others.”
Most of the litter are pure black, like their mother, while three have white markings, like their dad Cosmo.
Most of the pups have homes to go to, but there are a few left. For details, call 01622 730665.
For more pictures of the pups, see this week's Kent Messenger.