COLUMBIA, IL (KTVI – FOX2now.com) – There were 101 Dalmatians, but not in a single litter. That’s why everyone is amazed to learn that an American Bulldog near Columbia, Illinois, delivered no less than 21 adorable pups. Their six-week birthday is Wednesday so they are now up for adoption. Dog owner Shari Ballard says, “We wanted to breed her and have a litter of puppies. But I didn’t expect to have this many!”
Daisy Mae is your typical American Bulldog. She delivered 21 puppies over a 20-hour period six weeks ago. Four of them died during delivery but the Ballard family near Columbia, Illinois, can tell you 17 is still a handful.
When asked if they plan to breed Daisy Mae again, Shari responded, “No. We’re going to retire her. This is enough!”
The proud papa is a registered Bulldog named Groucho who is owned by a friend of Daisy Mae’s family. Groucho has stopped by once to say hello. Shari and Scott Ballard, along with their two sons, remember that long night when the hits just kept on coming.
Scott says, “We stayed up all night with her and every couple hours one would come out and I kept thinking, ‘Well, that has to be the end.'”
The family worked together helping Daisy Mae with her ordeal, bottle feeding the offspring shortly after birth to just a few days ago when they started eating dried puppy chow. Neighbors, like 2-year-old Avery Arendel, come by to see Daisy Mae’s handiwork and spread a little love to the pups.
The response from the public to adopt the puppies has been so overwhelming, all the puppies have already been spoken for.
