Sheepdog gives birth after lucky escape from tractor

A shepherd is celebrating his own Christmas miracle after his beloved sheepdog gave birth to six puppies – weeks after she was squashed under a 15-tonne tractor.

Winnie the border collie was heavily pregnant when she chased a rabbit under a huge forage harvester machine and was run over by its 4ft-wide rear wheel.

Josh Sibley thought Winnie and her puppies were dead but she survived because the impact pinned her down into the muddy soft ground.

She escaped with two popped lungs and a fractured pelvis, and incredibly, a scan at the time revealed all of her six babies had been unharmed.

Josh Sibley thought Winnie and her puppies were dead but she survived because the impact pinned her down into the muddy soft ground

There were then concerns that Winnie wouldn’t be able to give birth naturally because of her injuries but she recovered in time to deliver the six puppies in just two-and-a-half hours.

The first-time mum is now rearing her thriving pups at Josh’s family farm near Beaminster, Dorset.

Josh plans to keep one of the females and will train her to help him and Winnie on the farm and the other five will be sold after Christmas, with two already having homes to go to.

Josh, 22, said: ‘All the puppies are absolutely fine and have nothing wrong with them, which seems crazy when you think about what Winnie went through.

Winnie the border collie was heavily pregnant when she chased a rabbit under a huge forage harvester machine and was run over by its 4ft-wide rear wheel

Winnie the border collie was heavily pregnant when she chased a rabbit under a huge forage harvester machine and was run over by its 4ft-wide rear wheel

Winnie escaped with two popped lungs and a fractured pelvis a scan at the time revealed all of her six babies had been unharmed in the ordeal

Josh let Winnie out of his tractor can to go to the toilet when she bolted after a rabbit and went under the rear wheel of the huge forager

Winnie escaped with two popped lungs and a fractured pelvis a scan at the time revealed all of her six babies had been unharmed in the ordeal

‘It’s amazing they are here at all. Winnie is a miracle mum and they are miracle pups.’

Three-year-old Winnie’s near death experience happened while she sand Josh were working on his brother-in-law Ed Bowditch’s farm near Beaminster, Dorset, cutting a field of maize.

Josh let Winnie out of his tractor can to go to the toilet when she bolted after a rabbit and went under the rear wheel of the huge forager. 

He said: ‘When it happened I thought ‘that’s it I’ve lost my dog’. There was just no way she could have survived being run over by such a big machine.

Winnie spent five days at the vets having life-saving treatment costing £3,000 but was able to give birth without any help 

Winnie spent five days at the vets having life-saving treatment costing £3,000 but was able to give birth without any help 

Josh plans to keep one of the females and will train her to help him and Winnie on the farm and the other five will be sold after Christmas

Josh plans to keep one of the females and will train her to help him and Winnie on the farm and the other five will be sold after Christmas

‘Then the whole time she was at the vets I expected a phone call at any minute to say she had not made it.

‘We thought she would lose the puppies, so when the scan of Winnie’s stomach was taken and the vet could see their hearts beating we couldn’t believe it.’

Winnie spent five days at the vets having life-saving treatment costing £3,000.

Josh was about to go on holiday to Germany when Winnie went into labour, having not been due to have her puppies until he got back. 

He said: ‘We weren’t sure how the labour would go because Winnie had fractured her pelvis but healed really well and she was able to give birth without any help. 

The puppies are now four weeks old and two of Winnie's children already have new homes to go to after Christmas

The puppies are now four weeks old and two of Winnie’s children already have new homes to go to after Christmas

‘But as I was getting ready to leave she was panting and couldn’t stay still.

‘At first I was worried something was wrong then I realised she was in labour.’

Josh said he was not flying out until the next morning, which meant he could stay with Winnie while she had the puppies, spending two and a half hours in labour. 

No-one knew what Winnie would be like because it was her first litter, he said, but she had already proved herself to be a really good mum. 

He said: ‘The puppies are four weeks old now and starting to run around playing and fighting with each other.

Winnie had a pneumothorax, shown in the black area around the heart and lungs, but has recovered to give Josh a Christmas miracle

Three-year-old Winnie's near death experience happened while she sand Josh were working on his brother-in-law Ed Bowditch's farm near Beaminster, Dorset, cutting a field of maize

Winnie had a pneumothorax, shown in the black area around the heart and lungs, but has recovered to give Josh a Christmas miracle

‘When they were born they fitted in the palm of your hand but now they weigh about a kilo each.

‘We’ve started feeding them solid food and Winnie has been back to work and done a bit of sheep herding.

‘Christmas will be a bit crazy as they are just starting to get a bit more mischievous.’

Pam Bowditch, Winnie’s vet and Josh’s sister, said: ‘Somehow Winnie managed to hold on to the pregnancy, she’s a bit of a miracle dog.

‘I really didn’t think she was going to make it so to have her and her pups here is really amazing.’  



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