Doc Martin star Martin Clunes has spoken about how getting two puppies from the same litter led to an unexpected warning about littermate syndrome
Actor Martin Clunes has written about bringing home two new dogs(Image: ITV)
Martin Clunes is a household name on British telly, with memorable roles in Men Behaving Badly, Wuthering Heights, Saving Grace, Shakespeare in Love and Doc Martin cementing his place in viewers’ hearts.
Lately, however, the actor has turned to writing, producing a book centred on his two dogs, John and Murray. The brothers, from the same litter, take centre stage in Training John and Murray, in which Clunes recounts the unexpected challenges he and his wife, Philippa Braithwaite, faced after bringing them home to Dorset.
Taking on two puppies from the same litter quickly became a point of concern when the couple consulted dog trainers, including one named Liesel.
Martin writes that upon learning the dogs were siblings, Liesel asked: “Have you heard of littermate syndrome?”
When he and Philippa searched the term online, they were met with a stark warning in capital letters: “NEVER GET TWO PUPPIES FROM THE SAME LITTER.”, reports the Mirror.
Recalling the moment the reality hit, he wrote: “I looked over at Philippa, feeling more than a bit sheepish, and increasingly guilty over my insistence that we needed two. ‘Oh, God. What have we done?’”
John and Murray were not the only dogs in the household, joining the couple’s older pets.
Clunes described the initial unease their arrival caused, with the established dogs — including a Labrador and a spaniel named Heidi — reacting cautiously. He wrote: “When we got in the house, it was time for the new arrivals to meet our existing geriatric pack.”
He added that his Labrador, Laura, appeared to strike a balance between tolerance and warning.
He explained: “Our old Labrador guide dog Laura basically seemed to be giving them a look that said, in no uncertain terms, ‘I’m not going to harm you, but leave me alone, please.’”
While the initial introductions went smoothly as the puppies settled in, Clunes said things soon descended into chaos once training began, disrupting the calm of their home.
He wrote: “Philippa remained worried that we had been a bit rash in getting two of them so quickly… We were both thinking a little about whether we had taken on a bit too much.”
Despite the disruption, Clunes said the dogs’ personalities ultimately won them over. He said: “But they were so adorable and funny, and they were such characters.”
