A DUO of dog lovers are celebrating the arrival of nine rare puppies - the first litter of their breed born in Scotland in 10 years.
Husband and wife Andrew and Monika Connolly welcomed nine cute Tamaskan pups - rare wolf-like dogs which originated in North America.
The couple's dogs, Loki and Kohana, parented the litter two weeks ago.
Now the couple seeking to rehome eight of them with approved owners across the UK.
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Mrs Connelly, of Wemyss Bay, Inverclyde, said: "There is a big Tamaskan community and we had many people getting in touch looking to take one of the puppies.
"When Kohana had an ultrasound, the vet could only see about four or five puppies, so we did not expect nine.
"We only know of one other Tamaskan dog having one puppy in a litter a few years ago, so this was a big deal for Kohana to have so many."
She added: "We are screening everyone through an application process to make sure they all go to good homes.
"They'll all be ready to go to their new homes on December 23.
"By making sure they're all being placed with someone we know will take care of them, it will mean they're not just a Christmas gift and will actually be well looked after."
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The litter consists of five male and four female pups and they're a mixture of light and dark fur and markings.
The couple will be keeping one female puppy at home - which their children, three-year-old Lily and four-year-old Lewis, are very excited about.
Mr Connelly, who is 27 and Monika, 25, spent weeks preparing for the new arrivals by speaking to other breeders and reading books for advice.
Andrew, who works at Rolls Royce, said: "We've both been taking turns sleeping on the couch to keep an eye on the puppies, as they need constant care.
"Before the delivery I made sure I had learned how to perform CPR on dogs as it's more common than you'd think for them to be born not breathing.
"The puppies have already doubled in size and are starting to open their eyes and move about when they're not sleeping.
"It's going to be nice to see them grow over the next month and get their own personalities.
"It will actually be quite emotional rehoming the dogs, as we have grown quite attached to them."
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