Northern sheepdog gives birth to 17 puppies Monday night

17 new born old English sheepdog puppies born in Warren on Monday in a single litter. (Photo courtesy of Creekside Old English Sheepdogs of Ontario)

Monday was a special night for a sheepdog breeder in in the northeastern community of Warren: one of their dogs, Ivy, gave birth to a whopping 17 puppies.

Amanda Peloso and her mother, Claudia Peloso, have operated Creekside Old English Sheepdogs of Ontario for six years.

Amanda told CTV News that this is Ivy's fourth litter and she has always had big litters of 10 to 13 puppies. But 17 was unexpected and a record for them and maybe a world record.

“I actually Googled the largest litters for that breed,” she said.

“And I got back 17 -- but that is just Googling.”

The Pelosos are now trying to determine whether they actually tied the official record.

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Amanda said they suspected something was up in recent weeks, since everyone was noticing how big Ivy had gotten this time.

Ivy was measured Feb. 15 in a video that has been shared with CTV News. Her stomach was coming in at 46 inches.

“Just before she gave birth, (she was) measuring at 48 inches,” Amanda told CTV News.

The delivery of all the puppies took several hours, into Tuesday morning.

Ivy and the 10 female puppies and their seven brothers are all doing well, the breeders said.

To find out more about Old English Sheepdogs of Ontario and Ivy’s journey, visit their Facebook page.

Momma dog Ivy just before giving birth to a liter of 17 old English sheepdog puppies. (Photo courtesy of Creekside Old English Sheepdogs of Ontario)

The 17 newborn old English sheepdog snuggle with 'Momma' Ivy. (Photo courtesy of Creekside Old English Sheepdogs of Ontario)