Ten newborn puppies had already transformed the shelter’s routine when, six days later, Kila delivered 14 more. In one week, the RSPCA Chesterfield & North Derbyshire Branch went from preparing for one known pregnancy to sheltering two mothers and 24 tiny, dependent puppies.
Susie and Kila had arrived at the branch in July after being removed from concerning situations. Susie, rescued from a hoarding situation, was visibly part of the shelter’s immediate plan: Staff knew she was pregnant and expected her to give birth soon.
Then they discovered Kila was pregnant, too. The dogs were due only days apart, turning one anticipated litter into two overlapping rounds of newborn care.
“When we discovered we would be having two litters we were rather surprised; especially as they were due just a few days apart,” Chloe Gee of the RSPCA Chesterfield & North Derbyshire Branch said.
The team hoped the litters would be relatively small. Susie instead delivered 10 puppies. Kila followed six days later with 14, the largest litter the branch had ever received. Altogether, the two mothers delivered 24 puppies in a single week.
A few puppies from each litter subsequently died in circumstances described as beyond anyone’s control. Nineteen survived: Susie’s puppies Ashara, Enam, Fyra, Iki, Otto, San and Una, and Kila’s puppies Cedric, Clark, Cornelius, Guinness, Jones, Lorenzo, Lucille, Marion, Roderick, Sarah, Billie and Winnie.
Why two large litters demand so much care
Even capable mother dogs do not eliminate the need for close oversight. Veterinary guidance from VCA Animal Hospitals advises checking newborn puppies every few hours to make sure they are warm and feeding. The mother also needs monitoring to confirm that she remains with the litter and is producing adequate milk.
That work multiplies quickly with 19 puppies. Warmth, nursing and growth all need attention, while any puppy that appears unwell requires veterinary guidance. The demands also change as the puppies develop: They move from near-constant sleeping and nursing toward walking, playing, eating solid food and engaging with their surroundings.
Early development is not merely a holding period before adoption. The Royal Veterinary College says puppies absorb a great deal about their environment from birth through 20 weeks. Gradual, supervised socialisation and positive experiences help shape how they communicate and behave around people and other animals.
Routine healthcare adds another layer. The college advises a balanced puppy diet to support growth and says puppies need an initial vaccination course. It also notes that dogs must be microchipped by eight weeks old. For a shelter managing two litters at once, each developmental and healthcare milestone must be tracked across many individual puppies rather than one household pet.
At the time of the branch’s update, both mothers were caring well for their litters and the 19 surviving puppies were thriving. The puppies were expected to become available for adoption in mid to late September, although no later adoption outcomes were available.
Success did not make the workload light. Food, housing, cleaning, monitoring and preparation for eventual rehoming continued while the branch handled its other responsibilities. However, looking after all of the pups has really taken its toll on the whole team and on our funds, so we’d be really grateful to anyone who can help as we nurture these gorgeous families, Gee said.
For Susie and Kila, the days settled around nursing puppies that were growing more playful. For the people around them, that quiet progress was measured in repeated checks, stretched funds and the care required to carry 19 small lives toward homes of their own.
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By Jake Patterson — Freelance feature writer and former animal-shelter volunteer focused on rescue, adoption, and second-chance dog stories.
