THE owners of a four-year-old champion lurcher were stunned when she gave birth to a litter of 15 puppies.

And when the birth was so tough on Magic, Andrew Draper and Jess Moorhead, of School Knott Close, Windermere, pitched in, day and night, to feed the pups.

The pregnancy and caesarean section were so tough on Magic’s body that she is only just beginning to produce milk to feed her puppies.

Jess said; “My first reaction was: ‘Oh no, what are we going to do?’ But we have to get on with it.”

Andrew and Jess, who also have two young children and two other dogs, have to feed the pups every three hours without fail – day and night.

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“It’s worse than having a baby!” said Jess.

But despite getting off to a slow start, Magic is becoming a better mum every day.

Jess, who is a carer for her five year old daughter Lucie, said: “She’s doing really well now. She’s protecting them from our other dogs and she’s curling up and having a cuddle with them.”

And the new arrivals are fast becoming local celebrities. A small army of children has barely moved from the front door since the puppies came home.

Andrew said: “We had them knocking on the door at 10.30pm one night.”

Unfortunately some puppies have died, which is not uncommon in a large litter, but the runt, Titch, is still strong.

Vet Claire Williams, who has worked at the Oakhill surgery for seven years, said: “That is the largest litter I have ever delivered.”