Dog credited for man’s $2M winning Florida lotto ticket delivers 6 healthy puppies

Ivy and her new puppies. Photo courtesy of Leonard Linton. (Florida Lottery)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Leonard Linton, who a week ago took a $2 million top prize from a Florida Lottery scratch-off, credited his pregnant dog, Ivy, for stopping and purchasing the winning ticket.

He got a call that Ivy wasn’t feeling well, and he took a shorter route to get to her quickly, making a stop at the Stop N Shop in Live Oak.

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The Lottery said Wednesday that Ivy delivered six healthy puppies on June 23 — just a week after Linton and Ivy made a trip to the lottery headquarters in Tallahassee to claim the prize, which he took as a one-time lump sum of $1.6 million.

The Lottery said there are four males and two females in Ivy’s litter. Linton named one of the females “Milli” — short for a million.

Leonard Linton poses with his lucky dog, Ivy, and an oversized check after claiming a $2 million top prize from the 100X The Cash scratch-off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee on June 17, 2022. (Florida Lottery)