A Dalmatian birth story straight out of a Disney movie
Every child knows the Disney classic "101 Dalmatians." And every child wishes to live in a house with 101 Dalmatians. Cecilia Langton-Bunker has made this dream come true: she breeds these noble dogs.
The native Australian has always had a deep love for Dalmatians. She knew that Dalmatians would make her life happy. So Cecilia decided to turn Dalmatians into her profession. With her company CCDalmatians, Cecilia has been breeding Dalmatians for 25 years now.
A breeder with a heart
Unfortunately, dog breeding still often involves abuse. Many breeders see it as a quick way to make money and don't care about the well-being of the dogs. But from the beginning, Cecilia has done everything in her power for the welfare of the dogs.
While making money from the puppies is a great advantage, her main focus was on ensuring that she works with other award-winning Dalmatians who have a healthy genetic lineage.
Cecilia meets Miley
People often develop a particularly strong bond with a dog - and the dog often with its owner. Cecilia felt this way when she first saw Miley, the Dalmatian.
Miley was not like the other dogs Cecilia had worked with over the past decades. There was something special between them, so Cecilia decided to focus mainly on Miley and her needs.
All about Dalmatians
Dalmatians are a medium-sized breed known for their black or brown spotted coat. They originated as hunting dogs and can be traced back to the Dalmatia region in Croatia.
These dogs typically live between 12 and 14 years and have an intelligent, friendly, and protective personality. In the United States, they are often the mascot of fire departments.
Miley, the puppy
Cecilia met Miley when she was still a puppy, and it didn't take long for Cecilia to realize that she needed to spend more time with this dog. It was love at first sight.
Miley was not only very well-behaved for a dog, but she also had an extraordinary coat. Cecilia knew that with her lineage and coat, she was perfect for breeding.
Miley, the champion
It didn't take long for Cecilia to be able to compete in dog shows with her beloved Miley. They won awards all over Australia. Miley went by the stage name "Sarasota From Russia With Love."
There was no competition where Miley didn't receive a medal. In the few competitions where Miley didn't get first place, she always ended up among the top three.
Preparing for breeding
After a successful time at dog exhibition competitions, Miley was officially ready to begin the breeding process. After some searching, Cecilia was able to find a high-quality Dalmatian as a partner for Miley.
Within a short period of time, Miley became pregnant. Everything seemed to be going perfectly for both Miley and Cecilia. However, after a routine check-up, the veterinarians had news for Cecilia.
An eventful visit to the veterinarian
As soon as Cecilia suspected that Miley was pregnant, she scheduled an appointment with her veterinarian. It was important to her that Miley received optimal care and all necessary prenatal exams.
Cecilia sat anxiously in the waiting room, wanting to make sure that both Miley and her puppies were doing well. The veterinarian confirmed that Miley was indeed pregnant but needed to take a closer look.
It wasn't a normal pregnancy
Dog pregnancies were something ordinary for Cecilia. As a breeder, they were part of her livelihood. However, she had a strong feeling that Miley's pregnancy would not be like the others.
Typically, Dalmatians give birth to litters of about six or seven puppies. Litters with more than seven puppies can lead to various complications and can be very dangerous for the mother dog.
Miley started behaving abnormally
When Cecilia noticed that Miley was starting to behave strangely, she scheduled another appointment with the veterinarian. She would have done the same for any other female dog, but she was particularly worried about Miley.
At first, the veterinarian thought Cecilia was being overly cautious, but they performed another ultrasound of her belly. After examining the image, the veterinarian couldn't determine how many puppies were in Miley.
More puppies than expected
When the veterinarian explained to Cecilia that the number of puppies was not visible in the ultrasound images, Cecilia also looked at the recordings. Neither of them had any idea how many puppies Miley was carrying.
Then Cecilia brought her dog back home and prepared her for labor. Early the next morning, Miley was ready to give birth, and it was clear to everyone that this would not be a normal delivery.
Miley, the dog mom
Cecilia quickly called her midwife to assist with Miley's puppy delivery. After the first five puppies were born, they noticed a pause in the birthing process.
Miley's heart was beating very fast, so Cecilia took her to an emergency veterinarian to potentially deliver the remaining puppies by caesarean section. It would depend on the professionals.
An emergency cesarean section
After taking Miley to the veterinarian, they discovered that the birthing process had stalled because the sixth puppy was not positioned correctly. They would need to perform an emergency cesarean section.
Although Cecilia was very nervous about Miley and the well-being of the puppies, she knew that this was the right decision. It was time to deliver the remaining puppies.
One Hundred and One Dalmatians in real life
Miley's birth was very similar to the story of One Hundred and One Dalmatians. The veterinarians delivered puppy by puppy. Nurses, receptionists, and everyone on standby rushed into the delivery room to help deliver the puppies.
Three times, the veterinarians were sure they had finally delivered all the puppies, but another little head kept appearing. Both the doctors and Miley were exhausted.
All puppies made it
Miley went through more than 13 hours of labor to safely bring all her puppies into the world. They were all marked with non-toxic dyes to differentiate them from each other.
Luckily, the delivery was much safer than expected by the veterinarians. However, Cecilia was in a state of shock after seeing all of Miley's puppies.
How many puppies did Miley have?
During the miraculous birth, Miley gave birth to a total of 16 puppies – 12 females and 4 males. The puppies had a radiant white color as their spots would develop over time.
Miley even surpassed the previous record of the Dalmatian mother dog from the movie One Hundred and One Dalmatians, who had 15 puppies in a litter.
Raising 16 puppies
Cecilia and her partner took on the challenging task of raising Miley's 16 puppies for the next few months. Anyone who has ever tried to take care of a puppy can imagine the chaos that 16 puppies can cause.
They had to make sure all their beds were clean, monitor their physical and mental development, and much more. Miley provided the puppies with lots of love and attention.
Feeding time
One of Cecilia's favorite memories with the puppies was feeding time. She would prepare a mix of dog nuts and chicken pieces and sprinkle them with cheese.
Then she would place two large food bowls on the floor and let the puppies run around in the kitchen. It would only take a few minutes for the food to be devoured down to the last crumb.
Saying goodbye to the puppies
After the two months had passed, Cecilia received dozens of offers from potential owners. Although she was a little sad to let them go, she knew they would all go to great homes.
However, she decided to keep one of the female puppies named Paris. Paris was particularly outgoing, intelligent, and spirited. She followed in her mother's footsteps and won many dog show competitions.
Keeping in touch
Not only did the father of the puppies, Astro, come to visit regularly, but after a few years, Cecilia was able to organize a reunion party for the puppies with their new owners.
She even invited all the veterinarians and assistants who helped with the birth. The party was a success for Cecilia. It was a dreamy moment to see all of Miley's puppies running around and playing together again.
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