A Missouri woman who fostered a pregnant dog that was on a euthanasia list was rewarded Sunday when 18 puppies were born to the mixed-breed dog.

"It's heaven. Puppy pile, you can't get any better than that," Ashlee Holland told WDAF.

Holland fostered Ava, a pregnant golden retriever-chow mix two weeks before the dog was due.

"She had no other choice, no other hope," Holland told People magazine. "No dog deserves to be put to sleep for space.

“I was aware she was having puppies but X-rays didn’t show how many,” Holland told WDAF.

Holland said her 9-year-old son, a big Kansas City Royals fan, named the puppies after some sports figures.

“We got Ned Yost, Dayton Moore, Buck O’Neil,” Holland said. “We got Esky and Royal.”

Holland said Ava and her puppies will be ready for adoption in eight weeks, pending medical examinations. She has since started a Facebook page for Ava and her pups.

“And just to clarify, I know that a lot of articles are reporting that I adopted Ava,” Holland wrote on the page. “That is not the case. She is my foster.”

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