My neighbors had a litter of puppies and they all look extremely different. The owners say it’s possibe that the mom had been inseminated by two different dads. Are my neighbors on crack or is this really possible. If it is possible, how does it work?
Well, since bitches (heh) have litters, then there are multiple ovulated eggs. So wouldn’t it makes sense that if she had sex with several dogs in a short period of time that some were fertalized by different sperm? I’m just guessing, though.
There are reports of “mixed litters” occurring every now and then in dogs and cats, where the mother is supposedly inseminated by two dogs and has puppies by both of them. For this to happen the matings would have to occur very close together. But were the parents purebred? Personally I think it’s more likely that the puppies are simply mixed-breeds exhibiting characteristics that have resurfaced from earlier on in their lineage.
I’ve heard from several places that it’s possible for one litter to contain puppies from multiple fathers–or if you prefer, for half-siblings to share a womb. In fact I could have sworn Cecil had written a column on it, but I can’t seem to find it.
Unfortunately, the best cite I can find right now is Google: check the results for a search on puppies multiple fathers. Every site seems to say that yes, it’s possible, but I don’t really know which (if any) would be considered authoritative.
Well, given that it’s possible for twin humans to have different fathers, I’d be surprised if it were impossible for a litter of puppies to have twin fathers.
We rescued a pregnant bitch from a shelter a long time ago, and I’ve always felt that the puppies were fathered by two or more males. Most just looked like mutts, but two looked very much like border collies, two looked very much like aussies, and two had ridges on their backs. I loved those pups, and was very sad to see them go. That said, I was glad that we were able to rescue mom and them, and find mom a really good home.
It’s possible, although there is a phenomenon/reproductive strategy employed by the male - called doglocking; at the end of copulation, the dog’s penis swells up and the two animals become locked together, sometimes for quite a while - as I understand it, this minimises the chance of the female being served by a competing male.
It is possible. A few years ago I was involved with a case where a bitch was taken for stud service to a woman’s house. After the act with male #1, the dog owners were having a cigarette (or tea) when male #2 escaped his crate and bred the bitch. In order for the AKC to register the litter, DNA tests were needed. The owner of the bitch sued the owner of males #1 and #2 to cover the expense (just over a grand) of testing.
On the other hand, a cross between two mixed breed dogs would typically give a varied litter due to the genetic shuffle that takes place.
I’ve been led to believe that it’s quite common for a litter of kittens to have multiple fathers.