A Guide Dogs mother has given birth to a litter of nine puppies just in time for Christmas.

The four-year-old golden retriever named Puds, a breeding dog for the charity, gave birth to five girls and four boys on December 7.

Thanks to their father, a German shepherd named Shadow, the puppies have distinctive black fur in contrast to their mother’s sandy brown coat, with one young puppy sporting a white tail tip.

When the puppies reach 14 months old, they will go into training to become qualified guide dogs in 2025 to help people with sight loss.

Puds standing in front of a Christmas tree with her nine puppies next to her
Puds gave birth to nine healthy puppies on December 7 (Michael Leckie/PA)

Janine Dixon, head of breeding operations at Guide Dogs, said: “It’s fitting that Puds has had her babies in time for Christmas – we’ve affectionately named her puppies ‘the puddings’ for now.

“There are now nine more future guide dogs in the world, which is a lovely thing to celebrate at this time of year.

“At Guide Dogs, we wouldn’t be able to do our work without help from volunteer Breeding Dog Holders, who look after fantastic mums like Puds and help give these very important puppies the very best start in life.”

The nine puppies with black fur sitting in front of a Christmas tree
When the puppies reach 14 months old, they will go into training to become qualified guide dogs (Michael Leckie/PA)

The litter will stay with their mother at home and be cared for by a Guide Dogs volunteer for eight weeks before they travel to individual puppy raisers all over the UK in February.

They will stay there for the next year as they undertake training on what it takes to become a guide dog.

The puppy raisers will take the dogs on trains and buses and in restaurants and shops so they become accustomed to remaining calm and confident in a variety of situations.