Sheepdog At Napa Farm Sets Record For Largest Litter Of Puppies In CA

NAPA (CBSLA.com) — A sheepdog at a Napa farm has set the record for having the largest litter of puppies in California.

Three-year-old Stella gave birth to 17 puppies - six females and 11 males.

Her proud owners John and Gaby Costanzo were stunned. "Six to eight is normal," said John Costanzo. "Seventeen is insane." He said the veterinarian told him Stella also has the biggest litter ever recorded for her breed.

"We really were just expecting maybe 10 at the most. But once the 17th was finally coming out we realized that this was going to be a lot of work," Costanzo said. "We were going to be feeding morning noon and night. We're not professional breeders or anything. We're just a farm and we have these dogs protecting our livestock."

The Guinness World record for the largest litter of puppies ever is 24, CBS SF reports.

All of the pups have been spoken for. They will be trained to protect livestock at other farms.