B.C. dog gives birth to 14 puppies in possible Canadian record

Athena's owners knew their dog was going to have a lot puppies, but they weren't expecting a potentially record-setting litter. 

Abbotsford, B.C., resident Victoria Jacobse told CTV News she was expecting "seven or eight, maybe 10" puppies from the three-year-old purebred boxer. 

Instead, in late May, Athena ended up giving birth to 14. 

“I was at a friend’s house when my mom called me at 3 a.m. to tell me,” said Jacobse.

“I woke my friend up to tell them, we had 14 puppies – 14! That’s unheard of!”

The Jacobse family is aware of a boxer in Texas that gave birth to 15 puppies several years ago, and another litter of 14 boxer puppies in Florida, but they believe Athena now holds the unofficial Canadian record for the largest litter of boxer puppies.

The Guinness World Record for the largest dog litter is held by a mastiff in the United Kingdom that gave birth to 24 puppies in 2004.

Athena’s first two puppies were born naturally, with the following dozen being delivered via c-section. All of the newborns were in great health, and Athena has done her best to keep them that way.

“When she started producing milk and getting the motherly instinct, she was doing well but was really over it, (almost saying) there’s 14 of these guys and I’m really outnumbered. But she’s done well for her first litter,” said Jacobse.

The nine male and five female puppies are up for sale. Two of the potentially record-setting dogs have already gone to new homes, much to the relief of Jacobse, who likens caring for the large litter to a full-time job.

“It’s really nice to see them go to their new homes. Although it’s very difficult to keep up with them and they’re a lot of work, in the end, it’s worth it,” said Jacobse.