Super mom: Great Dane from Virginia gives birth to 21 puppies in 27 hours

A 2-year-old Great Dane from Virginia nearly set a world record after giving birth to more than two dozen puppies in just over 24 hours.

It took 27 hours for Namine to finish bringing 21 puppies into the world, Namine’s owner Tanya Dubbs told USA TODAY on Tuesday.

Dubbs, who is from Pocahontas – a small town in north central Virginia near the West Virginia line – said Namine began having her puppies last week.

Sadly, three of them died after being born, but their siblings remained healthy on Tuesday, Dubbs said. Namine is still very much busy with the remaining 18, she said.

“She is the best momma,” Dubbs said of her dog who bore 12 females and 9 males. “She is completely healthy!”

A Neapolitan mastiff named Tia currently holds the Guinness World Record for largest litter with 24 pups born in 2004.

What is the biggest dog in the world? Meet Zeus, the Great Dane who set the record.

They kept coming

Dubbs said all of Namine’s puppies weighed in at more than a pound except for two of them.

She didn’t expect Namine to birth more than a dozen pups.

“About 12 yes. At most 16, definitely not 21,” she said. “They are the Disney Villains Litter.”

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An escape, a car strike and paying it forward

Namine’s owner told WRAL the dog was hit by a truck last year after she got out of the house. Namine suffered injuries to her side and face, but eventually recovered.

“I called her and she stopped and looked at me and she came running to me. She’s got the scar on one side. It tore up her eye. She’s still here, we got our girl back,” said Dubbs.