Pet-Sitting Favor Turns Into Emergency Midwifery: Sister Delivers 14 Puppies While Brother Vacations

Pet-sitting her brother’s dog turned into the surprise of a lifetime when a UK woman found herself helping deliver 14 puppies – more than double the expected number arriving before they were due – while her brother was sipping umbrellaed cocktails thousands of miles away.

Llanharan, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales, United Kingdom, September 3, 2025 — What started as a routine favor between siblings became an unforgettable 15-hour marathon that left Rhian Boxall wondering if she’d signed up to watch a dog or run a maternity ward.

The 47-year-old marketing manager from Llanharan had graciously agreed to pet-sit her brother’s Labrador, Tilly, with one crucial assurance: the pregnant pooch wasn’t due to deliver during his Canary Islands getaway. The vet had even confirmed that the earliest arrival date would be well after Meirion Thomas’s scheduled return.

Mother Nature, however, had other plans entirely.

Watch ITV News coverage: Fourteen puppies born while owner away on holiday – Video Credit: ITV News

From Six to Fourteen: A Mathematical Nightmare

When scans initially revealed Tilly’s pregnancy, estimates suggested a modest litter of about six puppies. But as the pups began arriving at 6:10 PM, it quickly became clear that someone had seriously miscounted.

“We thought a few times that that was it, especially considering it was meant to be five or six, but it wasn’t,” Boxall told ITV News. “Quite overwhelming really, at one point we lost count!”

The birth unfolded like mayhem, with puppies arriving in waves throughout the night. The Boxall home was soon flooded with four-legged newborns to tend to. By 9 AM the next morning, fourteen tiny Labradors had made their debut – more than doubling the veterinary prediction and turning Boxall’s quiet evening into what she described as a “rollercoaster of emotions.” Sadly, those undulating emotions were exacerbated when two of the puppies did not survive the chaotic evening.

Emergency Puppy Protocol

As if the hectic surprise arrival of the unusually oversized litter weren’t challenging enough, at one point the night took a dramatic turn. During the early morning hours, Boxall stepped outdoors and made a shocking discovery: one puppy had been born outside in the garden after Tilly had gone outside, apparently to take a potty break. The outdoor birth and delayed discovery on the cold night sent Boxall scrambling for emergency veterinary advice, which led to perhaps the most unconventional use of a hairdryer in pet care history: gently warming the tiny pup back to a life-saving temperature.

Following the advice of an emergency veterinarian, Rhian Boxall uses a blower to warm the puppy born outside – Phot0 Credit: Rhian Boxall

“I was completely on edge and didn’t sleep a single wink for two nights,” Boxall told BBC News, describing the intense vigilance required to monitor both mother and babies.

Her husband Steve and their two children, Nia and William, joined the impromptu delivery team, transforming their home into a makeshift puppy nursery. The surviving dozen puppies now sport different colored collars – a practical rainbow system to help distinguish the nearly identical siblings.

A Frantic Journey Home

Meanwhile, 51-year-old HGV driver Meirion Thomas was enjoying what he thought would be a worry-free vacation when his phone rang with news that would cut his holiday short by several days.

“I was shocked,” Thomas told BBC News. “It was so frustrating being stuck all those miles away.”

Within hours of receiving the call, Thomas was racing back from the Canary Islands, arriving home just in time to collect his expanded canine family from his sister’s house. His wife Tracey and their three children found themselves with twelve unexpected new family members.

Meirion Thomas cuddles new mom Tilly after arriving home early from vacation – Photo Credit: Rhian Boxall

A Silver Lining with Four Legs

The experience sparked something unexpected in the Boxall household. After years of casually contemplating pet ownership, the family is now firmly considering adopting one of Tilly’s offspring.

“We’ve thought for many years about having a dog, and really the kids are keen,” Boxall told ITV News. “I think going through this experience and falling in love with the pups we just have to.”

Nia Boxall, seven, and brother William, 10, helped care for the new arrivals and hope one will become a permanent resident in the Boxall household – Photo Credit: Rhian Boxall

Thomas, grateful for his sister’s heroic efforts, has even joked about returning the pet-sitting favor – with one important caveat. “Hopefully I can return the favor of dog sitting,” he told ITV News, “although hopefully not a pregnant one!”

By the Numbers

While Tilly’s surprise litter was certainly impressive, it falls short of the world record. That honor belongs to Tia, a Neapolitan mastiff who delivered 24 puppies in a single litter in 2004 according to the Guinness Book of Records. Another Scottish Labrador made headlines in 2014 for producing 15 puppies, making Tilly’s dozen survivors a respectable showing for the breed.

Lessons Learned

Just ask Meirion Thomas: sometimes the most memorable vacations are the ones you cut short. His Canary Islands getaway became an expensive crash course in long-distance pet parent crisis management. As for Rhian Boxall, she’s discovered that “watching the dog” can instantly become “delivering a dozen puppies” – with necessary midwifery skills and life-saving hairdryer heroics not disclosed in the job description.

SOURCE: ITV News, BBC and Pawzhub editorial staff