The dachshund is a short-legged and long-bodied dog breed.
Impossibly small but full of character and fun, these sausage dogs are beloved by their owners.
And their small stature means females can only have one to six puppies per litter.
However, one sausage dog has defied averages by giving birth to an incredible 10 puppies.
Two-year-old Cheesecake shocked her owner Stacey Whiteley, 42, when she gave birth to almost double the average number of puppies for the dog breed.
The mum-of-two, who works as a planner in the water industry, expected eight puppies in total but they just ‘kept on coming’.
‘Sausage dogs usually have a litter of six,’ Stacey explains.
‘I knew Cheesecake was going to have a couple more because of the scan she had, but I didn’t think ten was possible.
‘She gave birth to six within an hour then slowed down as she was tired.
‘I am an experienced mum so I could relate, I felt her uterus to see if there was any more. She wasn’t a textbook case at all. I gave her food and then within five minutes she gave birth to the 10th.
‘I was gobsmacked.’
The litter arrived on September 8 and Stacey named them all after different cheeses.
The boys were named Edame, Manchego, Cheddar, Blue and Wensleydale. While the five girls were christened Philly, Brie, Feta, Pepper and Babybel.
Each pup moved to their forever home throughout the month of November – apart from Babybel who stayed with the family.
‘My house was in chaos for a couple of months,’ Stacey recalls.
‘I decided to elevate some of the pressure and bottle feed the puppies at the start so Cheesecake could have a break.
‘She is such a great mum, she was so attentive and gentle. It was a whirlwind looking after them all and I was sad to see them go.
‘But Babybel fitted in with my other dogs so we decided to keep her.’
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