Seven little miracle puppies ventured outside for the first time this week following a near disaster, when their mum was bitten by an adder just a few hours after giving birth.
All seven pups – three yellow and four black – are fully fit with their eyes open, which is living proof that mum Tatty has done a fantastic job, despite being so close to death following the snake bite.
As the Western Morning News reported earlier this month, a near-lethal snake bite by an adder left Tatty the golden Labrador fighting for her life just 48 hours after giving birth to eight puppies.
Tatty was taken to the vet, leaving Ginny Faulkner and Chrissy Berry to bottle feed the puppies every three hours.
Tatty, who lives on Dartmoor, left her puppies for ten minutes to stretch her legs in a nearby paddock where she encountered the snake, which bit her on the shoulder.
Within minutes, she was found slumped in her basket with her pups howling in agony as her snake wound ballooned.
The dog's owner, Charlotte Faulkner, said the family were all shocked to see Tatty in such pain just a couple of days after the excitement of eight new puppies.
Charlotte said: "We noticed that she wasn't herself when she came back in. She was in so much pain that she howled if you touched her shoulder."
Tatty was taken to Dart Vale Vet in Totnes where she was put on a drip and sedated to ease her pain. Tatty's pups were even brought in to visit and suckle even though their mother was barely conscious.
