Ava, a Labrador-Chow mix, was only a few days away from being euthanised when her hero arrived. That hero was Ashlee Holland, who has rescued over 100 stray cats and dogs.
18 little surprises
But Ava had a surprise in store for her new owner. In fact, she had 18 of them! A few weeks into her new life with Ashlee, Ava gave birth to a huge litter of adorable puppies.
While many owners would feel overwhelmed by 18 unexpected furry house guests, Ashlee was more than happy to help Ava care for the new arrivals. After all, this was Ashlee's greatest rescue mission yet!
The puppies will stay with Mum until they're big enough to be adopted by loving families, while Ava will remain in her forever home with Ashlee.
Not quite a record-breaking litter
The average size of a dog litter is between 5-8 pups. And while Ava's collection of 18 little furballs is pretty impressive, she was still a way of the world record. That belongs to Tia, a Neopolitan Mastiff who brought 24 puppies into the world back in 2004!
But let's not take anything away from Ava. She's a real super mum!
