It derives from the French word “poupeé”, which means toy or doll. The word came into use around the 1500s.
When puppies are born, they don’t have much melanin in their eyes. Melanin is what creates the color in the eyes, and a lack of melanin usually results in blue eyes while a lot results in brown eyes.
The Guinness World Record for the largest litter was awarded to a Neapolitan Mastiff named Tia on 29 November 2004 in Cambridgeshire, UK.
There are approximately 1.2 million puppies born every day compared to 360,000 babies. That’s three times more than human babies!
Typically, larger breeds will have larger litters, with a bigger womb and more space. On average, larger breeds will have around seven puppies, while smaller breeds will have around three.