Champion show dog fathers three puppies 20 years after he died using sperm frozen in lab

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Welcome to the world: Delighted breeder Robyn Price welcomes the puppies, whose dad was a champion show dog

He might have been dead for almost two decades, but a championship show dog has fathered three miracle puppies from beyond the grave.

The semen of champion fox terrier Grenpark Keepers - nicknamed Troy - was frozen back in 1989, when animal IVF was first used.

But vets have used a revolutionary technique to artificially inseminate the show dog's great-great granddaughter, Star, with his sperm.


Chip off the old block: The three fox terrier pups in front of a picture of their prize-winning dad, Grenpark Keepers


Now, breeder Robyn Price is celebrating the birth of Star's litter of three healthy fox terrier pups - two male and one female.

The dog show specialist, who spent almost £3,500 on storing the sperm and the insemination treatment, said: 'A new medium brought the sperm alive. They used a catheter and used IVF.

'The fact they can keep sperm and bring it back to life amazes me. The puppies are so special and they just snuggle into you.'

'I was so excited I grabbed the vet and hugged him. It is quite bizarre when you think about it, but these puppies are priceless.

'Everyone wants them and they are world famous because their father was a legend.'

Grenpark Keeper came first in the Champion Sweepstakes at the Royal Melbourne Show in 1989 but died five years later.

'In Australia it is pretty uncommon to have success using sperm that old.'

The puppies have been hand-reared while their mother, Star, recovers which involved them being kept in 23C temperatures for 10 days and bottle-fed every few hours.


source: dailymail