LINDON -- It hasn't been verified yet that Tawnie Allridge is really the top mama dog, but it looks like she is.
At least, no one from the Iams dog food company has been able to find another yellow Labrador who has had more purebred puppies the first time out.Tawnie, owned by Dallan and Susie Allridge, delivered 18 healthy, squirming puppies in the garage this September.
According to records researched by Claudine Enger with the Calle-McZoy Public Relations Agency, the only other dog who has given birth to a larger litter is a Saint Bernard in England, who gave birth to 24, and several of those puppies died.
Iams has consequently named Tawnie "Mother of the Year" and awarded her and her family a year's worth of free dog food.
Enger is putting the word out in the Kennel Club's newsletter in January to see if any other Labrador retriever owners are aware of larger litters.
"We're pretty sure this is a record," said Susie Allridge. "I know we've had quite a bit of interest from national and international newspeople."
One radio station in Chicago put Allridge on the air live and another station in New York featured the story.
Alan Osmond bought one of the puppies over the Internet after hearing about the dogs.
Whatever the situation, for the Allridge household, puppies all over the place is at least locally record-breaking.
To feed the puppies enough milk for the first three weeks, the whole family took turns bottlefeeding nine at a time every couple of hours.
"We fed the littlest and smallest double portions," said Allridge. "Thank heavens my children are older and could help us, my husband and me."
"To keep them straight, we dotted them with paint so we made certain a different nine got a meal at least every other time."
The lively little puppies took over the Allridge's third garage, a space normally reserved for their boat.
They also won over the children's hearts.
They've all had their shots and they've all grown well -- except for one whose leg became crippled. He was put to sleep by the veterinarian.
All but one of the puppies has been adopted at the asking price of $400.
"We still have one here, a male with white toes. He's really pretty and I'm sure he'll find a good home soon," said Allridge.
Since this is Tawnie's first litter, the Allridges aren't sure what to expect on the next one. Usually, the first litter is the smallest for a Labrador.
The Allridges definitely plan for her to have more litters with her purebred mate, Jake.
"I don't know how many puppies we might have the next time," Allridge said. "We'll just have to see."