A southern Alberta woman has taken “puppy maternity leave” to help her beloved female dog care for her huge litter.
Laurie Jansen crossed her Bernese Mountain Dog Freya with a Standard Poodle named Max.
An XXL litter
When Jensen found out Freya was pregnant, she was overjoyed. The vet had initially told her that the animal was carrying “only” about ten puppies.
However, when the big dog gave birth in late December, Jansen was surprised to find more puppies than expected!
In total, he counted well 17when on average, Bouvier Bernois have 8 per litter.
Litter (almost) record breaking!
Although 17 puppies is a lot, Freya’s is not a record. The Guinness World Records for the largest litter of dogs is held by Athena, a Neapolitan Mastiff from the United Kingdom, who gave birth to 24 puppies in 2004. The first two puppies were born naturally, the others by caesarean section.
Jansen thinks Freya may be the largest Bernedoodle litter in Canada, or at least Alberta.
Puppies looking for a home
Unfortunately, two puppies did not survive which is not unusual in large litters.
Since Jansen practically looks after two litters, it became his own full time job. And she does it with great pleasure.
As soon as the puppies are weaned and ready to separate from their mother, they can be entrusted to responsible families.
Il The process for adopting puppies is rigorous: Includes an application, reference check, and full approval from Jansen and his vet.
Also, the prospective family will need to be aware of what adopting a Bernedoodle entails, to make sure none of them give up and give their pet to one of the country’s already crowded shelters.
Read also: Birth of Dalmatian XXL: Vets are delighted!