This incredibly rare litter of puppies that are the first of their breed to be born in the UK are getting ready to go to their new homes.

When they were born in April, the tiny pups tripled the UK population of Wetterhouns - a rare hunting breed that originates from the Netherlands - from four to 12.

Mike and Nicky Jan have been busy looking after the eight playful pups round the clock and now at six-weeks-old have secured homes all over the country for them.

Breeding has not been a quick and easy process. The Jans had to get their three-year-old Wetterhoun Aafke assessed by a Dutch judge to make sure she was a good example of the breed.

Then they had to wait to find a suitable male for Aafke to mate with and travelled 450 miles from their home in Dorchester, Dorset, to Heteren in Holland.

The breed was almost wiped out during the Second World War with Germany's occupation of their home country.

Concentrated breeding efforts in the 1950s managed to bring the Wetterhoun back from the brink, but they still only number about 1,000 worldwide today, with most of those in their native country.

Nicky, 63, a retired clinical scientist, said: "We are pretty much sorted now and have got a great variety of homes for the puppies all over the country, some rural and some in towns.

"They are mostly people we found through the breed club, but I hope the dogs will become much more well known and appreciated now.

"They are six weeks now so they are eating solid food and learning to sit and play and they are doing really well.

"I think Aafke is a bit fed up now because they're a lot but she has done amazing."

She added: "We have definitely had our hands full. They have taken over the whole house and garden and it's a full-time job for two adults looking after them.

"I will be sad to see them go but also happy that they all have lovely homes to go to.

"We got our Stabyhoun and Wetterhoun because we knew they were lovely dogs with a nice nature that make a lovely family dog. But also we liked the whole idea of being part of a community and that such care was taken to make sure they have been appropriately tested and genetics looked at.

"We became very good friends with Aafke's breeder. And the owners of Lex, the dog we bred her with, came over to meet the puppies. It's just a lovely thing to be involved with.

"All three girl puppies are going to homes that will want to have puppies in the future if their dogs are suitable. And I think some of the boys' owners will also be looking to stud them so it will be good for the breed."

The species was originally bred 400 years ago in the Netherlands for hunting small game and waterfowl. It is now gaining popularity again due to its entertaining and loyal nature.

Jane Moss, breeding advisor for the UK Wetterhoun Association, said: "We are hoping that in the next decade we might see the Wetterhoun population rise to 50 to 100 in the UK.

"This litter is brilliant news and a huge boost for the breed to continue bouncing back."