WINTERSET, Iowa (AP) – A frantic hunt for a runaway, pregnant dog ended happily when searchers found the black lab mix in an Iowa garage – nursing a brand-new litter of puppies. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that the hubbub began when the dog, which was being flown from Texas to a Wisconsin rescue shelter, slipped out of her harness and fled during a stop at the Winterset, Iowa airport on Friday.

Crews searched for the dog, named Ava, overnight. She was found just before noon Saturday in a Winterset home’s garage. And she wasn’t alone. Ava had given birth to nine puppies. Ava and her pups are expected to complete their trip to Wisconsin this week.