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THE phrase a dime a dozen doesn’t apply when it comes to this box of boxers. The litter of 12 came as a surprise to Wodonga couple Chris Matthews and Rae Watkins — they were expecting only three, perhaps four, pups. “The ultrasound showed three pups three weeks ago, so we thought we were having three, maybe four pups,” a delighted Rae said yesterday . “But 12 — it definitely was a surprise.” Click play for video. Boxers usually have about six pups a litter, but the ultrasound convinced the couple Bella would have fewer. She was the only dog born to her mother, so Chris and Rae assumed she, too, would have a small litter. But on Saturday they learnt it doesn’t pay to assume and three turned to 12. They had taken the swollen Bella to the vet on Friday, hours after stepping off a flight from Perth where they had visited family. When the ultrasound showed quadruple the number of pups from three weeks ago, Chris rushed to Bunnings for the tools to extend the bed box he had made. And recent new parents out there who think their gig is tough, try helping out 12 pups. As of yesterday, neither Chris nor Rae had slept more than five hours since early Friday. Rae went to the lounge room on one of Chris’ shifts taking care of Bella and the pups, only to find him asleep on the tiles next to her. “I asked Chris’ boss: ‘What about some parental leave”? Rae said, “His boss said: “well, he is a bit of a mongrel’.” The couple are braced for more restless nights, for the next few weeks because as Bella doesn’t have enough teats to feed all 12 pups at once, they have to be rotated every two hours. But that’s OK, the couple are just happy all’s well with their “super dog” and her dozen pups. “We’ve never heard of it, never ever heard of it,” Chris said. The couple will keep an around-the-clock watch on the pups for the next six weeks until they’re ready to wean and move on to other homes. With the extra mouths to feed, they would appreciate donations of blankets, bottles and formula. Items can be taken to Hume, Melrose or Allpets animal hospitals in Albury and Wodonga.

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