Texas shelter dog who was 'so pregnant she couldn't even walk' gives birth to double-digit litter
A Texas rescue dog whose dire pregnancy rendered her immobile ended up giving birth to nearly a dozen healthy and happy puppies.
The dog, who has been named Meter Maid, was brought to Austin Pets Alive (APA) on Feb. 11 after spending three days in a municipal shelter.
The shelter staff noticed Meter Maid's advanced pregnancy and called on the APA to assist, Luis Sanchez, APA's spokesperson, told Fox News Digital.
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APA had shared a TikTok post revealing that Meter Maid was "so pregnant that she couldn't even walk outside."
Footage shows the mama dog being wheeled around and carried by staff members, who waited anxiously for her to give birth.
"Turns out it's because she was pregnant with ELEVEN PUPPIES!" APA shared on TikTok. "Good job, mama."
APA employees even had a "Days without Puppies" tally to keep track of how long Meter Maid was pregnant.
Meter Maid ended up giving birth on her sixteenth day at APA – and she had an eye-popping amount of babies.
Photos show Meter Maid looking inquisitively at humans while safeguarding her trove of pups. The puppies were stacked on top of each other to get milk from their mother.
Sanchez told Fox News Digital that all 11 pups were born healthy.
"Meter Maid was found to be heartworm positive but will get her treatment with Austin Pets Alive and her foster/adopter," Sanchez explained.
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Sanchez told Fox News Digital that Meter Maid giving birth to this amount of puppies isn't too rare for a large-sized dog.
"For larger dogs it is not uncommon for them to have litters in double digits," he said.
Sanchez said that the entire family will go up for adoption in April.
"The family will be ready for adoption in a few weeks when the puppies are weaned," Sanchez said. "For now, the litter will stay together as she cares [for] and nurses them."
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