Any parent (or pet parent) would agree that having a newborn in the house is no small task. The tender process of caring for a new baby (or fur baby) seems to steal all your time, while simultaneously stealing your heart.
Now, take that feeling, and multiply it by nineteen. Yep, 19.
Successful Emergency Dog Cesarean Section
On Saturday, February 23, Arizona’s Kingman Animal Hospital (KAH) announced on Facebook announced with pride and joy that “The staff of KAH (11 of us) successfully delivered 19 Great Dane puppies this morning by C Section! All live and healthy! Mom doing great!”
TODAY reports that 4-year-old momma dog, Cleo and her plentiful pups are being given round-the-clock care from owner, Rebecca and family. Rebecca says the family is exhausted, but so grateful that all of the pups are healthy, since it is rare for all puppies to survive in a litter of this proportion. She attributes the success of the birth to the dedicated veterinary staff of KAH who performed the emergency C-section with utmost care.
Cleo has evidently proven to be a caring and concerned mother, ever attentive to the whereabouts and condition of her precious puppies.
Prized Great Dane Puppies Find Forever Homes
Surprised at Cleo’s massive popularity, Rebecca told TODAY, “My pups are famous. I have people flying from Pennsylvania to come get their puppy … as well as driving from Illinois, Nevada (and) California.”
Nearly all of Cleo’s sweet Great Dane puppies are spoken for. Dog lovers are lining up to give Cleo’s famous babies a forever home.
It’s no wonder, since Great Danes have a reputation for being a noble and elegant breed. They are gentle in nature, yet make excellent guard dogs. Great Danes, however, are best known for their impressive stature.
The American Kennel Club explains, “As tall as 32 inches at the shoulder, Danes tower over most other dogs—and when standing on their hind legs, they are taller than most people.” An impressive breed, indeed.
Large Dog Litters – Rare but Not Unheard of
A typical Great Dane mama dog gives birth to around eight or ten puppies, so nineteen came as a shock, at nearly double the size of most litters.
Oddly enough, Cleo is not the first Great Dane to successfully birth nineteen babies. According to ABC News, Great Dane momma Snowy, and her Pennsylvania owners Brandon and Aimie Terry were equally surprised to welcome 19 healthy pups to the family back in 2014.
According to Guinness World Record, “The largest litter of puppies is 24, all of whom were born on 29 November 2004 to Tia, a Neopolitan mastiff, owned by Damian Ward (UK) and Anne Kellegher (Ireland) of Manea, Cambridgeshire, UK.”
Give Your Pet a Vacation
Life is Better with Pets!
Here at Pet Ponderosa Resort & Spa, we’d like to warmly congratulate Cleo on her beautiful nineteen pup litter, as well as her owner, Rebecca and family. We hope at least one of their pups will find their way to the PNW, and if they do, we welcome them with open arms and hearts to come by for a grooming or even a pet-cation at our luxury Pet Resort.
As life-long pet lovers, there are few things that brighten our day more than hearing good stories about amazing pets around the world. That’s why we are excited to introduce our brand new Blog Series called Pets in the News! Cleo’s story is only the beginning. Let us add some sunshine to your day with great stories about furry friends worldwide, whether they are heroic, hilarious, or just plain cute. Stay tuned for our next edition of Pets in the News!
Have a share-worthy story about your PNW pet? Let us know in the comments section. We’d love to hear it and share it!