Marigold, the setter who made history with 17 puppies in a single litter

A long, arduous birth, filled with constant surprises. Marigold, the English setter, made canine history with an exceptional pregnancy, delivering 17 puppies—the second-largest birth ever recorded and the first for this breed.

Marigold's owner, Miranda Pellecchia, 42, lives in Blean, not far from Canterbury, Kent, UK. This area is well-known for its purebred dog breeding, partly because the environmental conditions are ideal for breeding large litters. Kent is known as "the Garden of England" for its vast array of green spaces, gardens, parks, and farms. It is estimated that there are around a hundred dog kennels in Kent, and at least half a million people living in the region have one at home.

But at Miranda's house, when Marigold's labor began, no one could have imagined that it would last 13 straight hours, from 11 in the morning to 1 in the morning, while the mother churned out, one after the other, her 17 puppies. said Miranda Pellecchia, interviewed by the most important newspapers and televisions in the United Kingdom.

However, some signs during the pregnancy suggested that Marigold's birth would not be an ordinary one: the two-year-old dog ate up to 12 cans of food a day to have enough energy and milk for her unborn puppies.

Marigold's puppies, all alive since their birth on January 2, 2026, have already set two records. This is the second-largest birth in canine history: the first is still that of Tia, a Neapolitan Mastiff, who gave birth to 24 puppies in 2004, also in the United Kingdom. The second record concerns the breed: although Marigold mated with a poodle, the 17 puppies represent the largest birth in the history of this breed.

Finally, the economic value of this extraordinary litter (a normal litter is between 4 and 8 puppies) should not be underestimated: the dogs produced by Marigold are worth around 1.300 pounds each, for a total of 22.000 pounds, equivalent to approximately 25.000 euros.