Lifestyle
Sheepdog Gives Birth to Whopping 17 Puppies in Single Litter
Stella the Sheepdog is one lucky, strong momma. About a month ago, she gave birth to not seven puppies, but 17 puppies in one litter.
Tending to the livestock at the Napa Grass Farmer in Fairfield, California, is Stella, a beautiful sheepdog who just broke California’s record for the largest litter of puppies with 17. While she was able to give birth to two on her own, the local veterinarian helped her deliver the other 15 puppies in a C-Section.
Possibly the happiest bit of this story? All 17 puppies survived the birth and are now happy month-old puppies that roam the farm, too, next to their mom. Owner John Costanzo definitely has his hands full with the little squirts, but he says he’s having fun as the puppies’ “personalities are just starting to come out now.”
Costanzo also will keep two puppies, and adopt out the remaining 15 to local farms around him so that they will be happiest in an active setting. He told ABC News that “it’s really important to us that the pups go to farms and not suburban homes. They’re bred for protection and work and if they’re just in a home setting, they will get bored and restless easily.”
