‘None of us could count straight’: Batavia Great Dane gives birth to surprising litter of 19

Nineteen babies squirming. Nineteen babies looking for a meal. Nineteen babies’ butts to take care of.

It is no wonder their mother, Piper, was resting Thursday afternoon on a heated mat.

Piper, a Great Dane, is also recovering from surgery, having given birth to nine boys and 10 girls in an unplanned Cesarean section.

It was an unexpectedly large litter for Becky Waltz, owner of Dream Danes House of Cambridge Great Danes of Batavia.

After all, the average Great Dane litter is 10 to 12 puppies, according to veterinarian Dr. Melanie Murphy, of Paws and Claws Animal Hospital in Wheaton, who delivered the pups.

“Every time I thought it was done, there was another,” Murphy said.

Dogs are usually pregnant for about nine weeks. Piper began showing at about the seven-week mark, Waltz said, and the veterinarian saw one puppy.

When Piper returned for a check Tuesday, Murphy turned to Waltz and said, “How many people can you get here to help?” Because Piper was going to be sedated, humans would have to do the job of quickly removing the pups’ birth sacs so they could breathe. (Normally, the mom licks the sac open.)

“None of us started counting until we needed a third basket (in which to place the pups),” Waltz said. “None of us could count straight.”

The first day, Waltz fed the pups, but Piper is now nursing them.

She has a pen in a room dedicated to her. The puppies, for now, are sleeping nearby in laundry baskets when not with their mother.

The puppies were good-sized, with the smallest two coming in at 1 pound 3 ounces. They won’t be little for long. By the time they are sold at 8 weeks, they will each weigh about 25 pounds, Waltz said.

Female adult Great Danes weigh 110 to 140 pounds, while males can weigh up to 175 pounds.

Waltz has been breeding Great Danes since 2005. This is the 10th litter. Tuesday’s included her 101st pup.

The largest litter before this was 15, Waltz said.

Piper didn’t set a record, however. A Virginia Great Dane a couple years ago gave birth to 21, though two did not survive. And the Guinness World Record for puppies was set in 2004, when a Neapolitan mastiff gave birth to 24.

Waltz became interested in Great Danes when she decided to get a dog for herself.

“I’m a big girl. I needed something larger,” said Waltz, who is 5 feet 10 inches tall.

Her first Great Dane, Molly, lived to be 13 years old, though the American Kennel Club says the typical life span of a Great Dane is seven to 10 years.

Waltz said many of her puppies have become service animals, including Toby, the sire of the most recent litter. Toby helps her with stability, and alerts when Waltz — who has a pacemaker — is having a dangerous change in her heart rate or blood pressure.

She requires buyers to sign a contract promising not to breed their dogs and to get them spayed or neutered as soon as medically advised. Waltz meets in person with buyers beforehand and delivers the dogs to their homes so she can see what kind of place they are ending up in.

“I want to make sure they are good people,” she said.

As for Piper?

This was enough. Waltz decided to have her immediately spayed after the birth.

“No more litters for her,” Waltz said.