MY ADORABLE SHEEPDOG SUPERMUM

The best sheepdog in the world is a kelpie, as I discovered during a gap year working on a sheep station in Australia. Possibly descended from dingoes, they are well-oiled sheep-herding machines, with limitless energy. They were rare in the UK but when I returned home, I tracked one down, a bitch I named Bundy. I decided to breed from her and she had a litter of 12.

Twelve is a huge litter, and a vet advised me that to give her a chance we should get rid of four or five of them. With only eight teats to nurture 12 puppies, some would get pushed out and there was a risk they’d starve. But the vet’s instruction was easier said than done. I put all the puppies on the kitchen table, along with two washing baskets. Right. I’d put the dogs I was keeping in one basket, and the ones I was getting rid of in the other.

I picked one up. ‘You’re lovely, definitely a keeper.’ I put it into the ‘saved’ basket. Next one. ‘No, you’re too little, best if you go,’ I said and put it in the other basket. After working my way through the lot, there were five rejects, wriggling, squeaking, searching for their mum.

I stared at them. ‘Actually, no, you’re probably OK. I’m going to keep you. And you as well…’ Soon all 12 puppies were in the keeping basket. There was no way I was going to put any of them down, so I put them all back beside Bundy to let nature take its course.

I woke up the next morning to find she’d separated the puppies into two groups of six. One lot slept while she fed the other. They all survived – 12 constantly weeing, pooing puppies, each one a miracle of nature.