Forget 101 dalmatians, try 16 labs: B.C. dog births big litter

You’ve heard about 101 dalmatians, how about 16 labs?

A black lab from Errington, B.C. is taking a well deserved break after giving birth to 16 puppies earlier this month.

Alex Fras says the vet examined his dog Sophie earlier this week and told them she was a good size and could be carrying a big litter.

But he didn’t anticipate quite how big, until they came home from dinner on Sunday, Sept. 9.

“We walked through the door and I could hear what sounded like birds chirping,” said Fras.

“Sophie was on the couch and there was a baby on the floor and there were four that were born. And I thought that was it, and we had missed the whole birth, but no they kept coming every 20 minutes, half an hour, and all night long.

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“Next thing you know there’s 16 of them.”

The family has two dogs, three-year-old Sophie and a year-and-a-half old lab named Louie, who parented the pups.

Fras said he’s faced some negative social media comments alleging the family was running a puppy mill on their farm, something he said couldn’t be further from the truth.

“By no means is that what we are, we’re trying to do this for our family and for our daughter,” he said.

“This is such a wonderful experience for my daughter. She was born in this house, the day we moved in. We’ve had cows alpacas, sheep, chickens, and now these dogs are another experience for her.”

Fras said Sophie is doing well, feeding the puppies and getting exercise as well.

Most of the puppies have been adopted already. They’ll stay with their mom until the vet approves, which usually takes eight to 10 weeks.