Dog Rescued From Certain Death Gives Birth to 18 Puppies

Ashlee Holland got more than she bargained for after rescuing a dog.

The Blue Springs, Missouri mom recently took in Ava, a golden chow mix. The dog was going to be put to sleep due to space issues before Holland stepped in.

“She was on the euthanasia list,” Holland told Kansas City television station WDAF. “She had no other choice, no other hope. I was basically her last resort along with Midwest Animal ResQ. No dog deserves to be put to sleep for space.”

At the time of the rescue, Ashlee Holland was aware that Ava was pregnant. However, x-rays couldn’t determine how many puppies the pooch was going to have. This led to a huge surprise for Holland and her family: Ava gave birth to a whopping 18 puppies.

Holland documented the process in a Facebook post on June 27.

“Sweet Ava. Ava went into labor 6-25 and had her 1st puppy at 10:02 p.m. She went on to have another 4 puppies within 57 minutes. She took a little break, had puppy #6, another break and then puppy #7 at 12:33 a.m,” she wrote on Facebook. “All signs showed that she was done having puppies as she had calmed down, wasn’t having anymore contractions, and was caring for her 7 new babies. Ava got cleaned up and taken care of and her bedding was changed and we called it a night, only to wake up to 8 more puppies!!! We were now at 15! I had to tend to my kids and get them ready for summer school and came back to find out she had given birth to another 3 pups! This mama is incredible!”

The Holland family was thrilled with the birth. Her son, a diehard fan of Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals franchise, named each of the puppies after notable players from the team’s history.

“Well, I’ve always wanted to make an impact with animals since I was a child,” Ashlee Holand wrote to Your Daily Dish. “I’m a stay-at-home-mom to young children so physically working in the Veterinary/rescue field wasn’t possible. Fostering seemed like the next best idea. Rescuing Ava has always felt wonderful, even before we knew she was going to have so many puppies.”

She was surprised about the media coverage that Ava’s story received.

“I never expected her story to get so much attention,” she wrote to Your Daily Dish. “I wanted to raise awareness for Midwest Animal ResQ and all that they do and getting all of the attention for Ava was just a bonus.”

She also hopes that Ava’s story could educate others.

“I really hope Ava’s story will encourage others to spay/neuter their pets so that no other dog has to go through the enduring process of giving birth to 18 puppies,” Ashlee Holland wrote to Your Daily Dish. “And that others are inspired to help their local shelters and rescues. Whether that be by adopting, fostering or donating.”

Ava and the puppies will be available to adopt through Midwest Animal ResQ in a few weeks, after receiving all their necessary shots. Their progress can be followed on the Ava and Her 18 Royals Facebook page.