What’s A Wottie? Rottweiler And West Highland Terrier Produce Rare Crossbreed [PHOTOS]

Joey and Zara are proud new parents to what may be a new crossbreed of dog: the Wottie.

Joey, the 1-year-old West Highland Terrier, and Zara, the full-grown Rottweiler, have produced 11 crossbreed puppies dubbed “Wotties.” The pups were born to 4-year-old Zara in Yorkshire, England, in July.

Their owner, Teresa Patterson, had no clue that Zara was pregnant until she gave birth. While Joey was a protective father, Zara wasn’t focused on the pups at first. Four Wotties from the litter didn’t survive. The remainder were given to the Yorkshire Coast Dog Rescue to help find loving homes for the puppies.

“She delivered them on July 11, and then Joey did everything else. Zara wasn’t interested, but Joey would clean them up and not let anyone else near them,” Patterson told the Yorkshire Post.

Patterson said Joey was a responsible father, looking after each newborn one by one. Zara wasn’t able to feed the seven surviving pups at once, and within three weeks they were given prepared food and scrambled eggs.

“The puppies have a lovely temperament like their parents. They are high-maintenance as they want attention all the time. But this won’t happen again – Joey will be going to the vets soon,” Patterson told the York Press.

Patterson’s sons have taken a puppy each. Another was adopted at 10-weeks-old by Victoria Lowe. She named hers Lola.

“It is all a bit of a mystery as to how big she will grow. She is so full of character and gets up to all kinds of mischief,” she said.

Wotties aren’t the first crossbreed to make headlines this year. Recently the “cava-poo-chon” gained attention for its puppy-like appearance. The breed, which is not recognized by the American Kennel Club, is the product of a cavalier King Charles spaniel and bichon frise mix bred with a miniature poodle.

And the tiny pooch doesn’t come cheap. They are priced anywhere between $2,000 to $3,500, but almost 60 families have adopted the unusual breed, the Associated Press reports.

As for the Wotties, the British Kennel Club was equally surprised by Zara’s litter. “We can never say it has never happened, but this is the first time we’ve come across it,” the organization said.