A North Carolina dog has given birth to a staggering number of pups. A foster-based Raleigh rescue shelter called Perfectly Imperfect Pups reported that a Great Dane named Meadow gave birth to 15 pups, a record at their shelter.
However, it hasn’t been a smooth road for the new momma. Meadow had what the shelter called an “unsteady past.” However, it apparently had nothing to do with the dog’s temperament but rather everything to do with owners who had no idea how to raise a dog as large as a Dane.
Male Great Danes can reach up to 32 inches tall and weigh over 100 pounds. Females also basically push the same height and weight. The dogs are also high-energy and require huge amounts of food and room to roam. When you factor in the unique health issues a dog of this size can encounter, and many folks find themselves simply unable to manage a dog the size of a human.
The director of the shelter said: “People get a large breed dog, and they don’t realize what they’re getting themselves into.” Meadow’s pups will be specifically going into homes with experience with large breeds. The director continued: “We are delighted that this will be her final [litter], and her next home will be her forever home. We will also make sure that all 15 puppies go to homes that are experienced with large breed dogs.”
The rescue staff discovered Meadow on Facebook, as her owner was offering her up on the social media platform. After being rebuffed by the owner at the time, two days later, Meadow’s new owner reached out to the shelter after realizing they weren’t prepared for her specific needs.
Luckily, the timing was right, and Meadow went into labor almost immediately upon arriving at the shelter. They said: “Within two days, they contacted us and asked if we could still take [Meadow], and of course, we were delighted to take her in. We got her to our vet the next day, and the day after, she started going into labor.”
Meadow delivered all 15 pups, and in an extremely rare twist, they were all male. All of the pups are reportedly thriving and gaining weight with the help of a foster parent. They continued: “We were shocked to find out how many puppies she actually had and that all had survived and were doing well. They just turned a week [old], and they are all gaining weight, and that is thanks to the foster parents who are bottle-feeding in between Mama Meadow feeding.”
This particular shelter has very stringent standards in terms of adoptions, and prospective dog-parents must sign a contract committing to be the dog’s lifetime provider or, failing that, to give the dog back to the shelter. They also have a post-adoption team committed to providing support for new owners.
The shelter concluded: “Mama Meadow and her puppies are going to make amazing dogs and family members, and we are so excited to see their bright future.” With all of the bad news in the mainstream media these days, it’s good to see some positive news and some confirmation that the world hasn’t yet gone to the dogs.
Featured image screen grab from embedded YouTube video
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