An adorable litter of puppies have become the first of their kind to be born in the UK.
The eight Wetterhoun puppies tripled the country's population when they were welcomed into the world last month.
Mike and Nicky Jan, from Dorchester, bought their first Wetterhoun Aafke in 2020 and are now the proud owners of the six-week-old pups.
But with just over 1,000 Wetterhouns in the world, they had to go to the Netherlands to find the nearest male – Lex – to breed her with.
The extraordinary litter includes five males and three females all named after notable England rugby players: Dan, Jason, Jonny, Billy Ben, Poppy, Maggie, and Marlie.
While these are their registered names, their new potential owners are free to rename them, Nicky explained.
“The eight puppies are each delightful and with their own personalities. At six weeks old they are learning to be calm in their interactions and to be confident in problem solving,” she said.
“It is an amazing experience to deliver and care for these beautiful dogs alongside their lovely mother Aafke.
“She is a brilliant mum, from cutting the tiny umbilical cords at birth to teaching them that no means no when they still grab for her health-giving milk.”
The puppies were born as part of a breeding programme at the UK Stabyhoun Association (UKSA) which hopes to grow a healthy UK population of Wetterhouns and promote their cousin the Stabyhoun as an active family dog.
Nicky said she is following puppy culture protocols which are designed to give dogs the skills they need to thrive in the human world.
She hopes the pups “will be able to make their own contribution to the next generation of Wetterhouns” but only with the right permission from the Breeding Committee of the Dutch Breed Club.
Cross-breeding is absolutely forbidden to ensure the continued health of the breed going forward, she explained.
Breeding experts at the UKSA said Wetterhouns have a unique and charming character, are calm and reliable in their nature and “definitely have a sense of humour”.
“They are classified in FCI Group 8 – Retrievers and Waterdogs – and love to be with their people. Once they welcome you into their family, you have a friend for life,” a spokesperson said.
Wetterhouns were traditionally used for hunting small mammals and waterfowl in the Netherlands, where they were developed at least 400 years ago in the province of Fryslan.
Their name comes from the West Frisian Wetterhûn meaning “water dog”.
The dog breed was almost wiped out during the German occupation of the Second World War but dog lovers were able to bring it back through careful breeding and it is now gaining in popularity.
Wetterhouns are known for working closely with their owner always trying to stay in contact in order to know what is wanted from them, according to Stayhouns UK.
Their thick and curly coat is water repellent and protects them in all outdoor conditions.
