A rambunctious photo session with the first IVF puppies

Mike Carroll, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

These adorable pups are the first litter of puppies born by in vitro fertilization. The seven puppies were born July 10, 2015, and Cornell University researchers introduced them to the world on Dec. 9. They were conceived using an IVF technique that took years to develop successfully for dogs, whose reproductive cycles are much different than humans'.

Cuddle time

To create the IVF puppies, a female dog was fertilized with 19 embryos. She gave birth to seven healthy puppies, according to Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine. Two of the puppies are from a beagle mother and a cocker spaniel father, and the other five are the offspring of two pairs of beagle fathers and mothers.

Look-alikes

Two of the seven puppies born by in vitro fertilization. Cornell researchers say the technique used to create this litter of pups could also help conserve endangered species and eradicate heritable diseases in dogs.

Frolicking in the sun

These frisky puppies were born using in vitro fertilization, the first successful IVF litter of dogs. They're named after colors, said Cornell researcher Alex Travis, who is the proud owner of Red and Green.

Chew toy time

Two of the IVF puppies play with their chew toys.

A little TLC

One of the IVF puppies gets some love from the team at Cornell.

Out for a stroll

One of the seven healthy puppies born in the first litter using in vitro fertilization. Pregnancy in dogs is much shorter than it is in humans, only 63 days, says Cornell scientist Alex Travis.

Faces to love

The first litter of puppies born by in vitro fertilization. Cornell University researchers say the successful use of IVF in animals could eventually also help with conserving endangered species and eradicating heritable diseases in dogs.

Sniffing around

Two of the first IVF puppies, born with the help of Cornell University researchers after decades of failed efforts. Some of the researchers took home puppies of their own after their July 2015 birth.

Puppy love

The first litter of puppies born by in vitro fertilization. Researchers at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine transferred 19 embryos to the mother dog, who went on to give birth to seven healthy puppies. Two puppies are from a beagle mother and a cocker spaniel father, and the other five are the offspring of two pairs of beagle fathers and mothers.

IVF puppies

It's not as easy to perform in vitro fertilization in dogs as it is in people, or cats, Penn Vet's Dr. Margaret Casal told CBS News. "The cycle in the dog is so very different than in other species."

IVF puppies

Cornell University researchers introduced the first litter of puppies born by in vitro fertilization on Dec. 9, 2015. Researchers had been trying since the 1970s to develop an IVF process that worked in canines, whose reproductive cycles are much different than humans'.