AUDREY the bull mastiff stepped in to save the day when she adopted 13 newborn puppies after their mother died while giving birth.

Staff at Kensington Veterinary Surgery, in Bishop Auckland, faced the daunting task of having to hand- rear 13 dogue de Bordeaux puppies after their mother died under the anaesthetic.

But Audrey, who already had four puppies of her own, was more than happy to add to her brood.

Audrey's owner, Kate Wilson, who runs Ramshaw Rescue Centre, said the surgery asked her for help when the puppies were orphaned.

She said: "The vets rang me because they knew Audrey had just had a litter of her own and they hoped she might foster the pups. We mixed them with her own puppies and she took to them straight away without a problem. She is half the size of a dogue de Bordeaux, but she is a wonderful mum to them. She feeds them, washes them and really takes care of them. My home has been transformed into a maternity ward."

The owners of the puppies' natural mother took their pet to the vet when she started experiencing difficulties, but the strain of giving birth proved too much.

Miss Wilson said: "People who are from the breeding world appreciate how difficult it is to get another dog to foster the litter, but Audrey has been amazing.''