Do Female dogs give birth till they die

I just heard the weirdest thing today. My neighbour's dog gave birth to a puppy (just one) last week. This dog had given birth to lots of puppies before, but this time around she gave birth to one. 

I saw the dog outside today with the neighbour, I asked of the little puppy only to be told that it has been dumped in the bush to die. Why I said? And the reply is; it's a taboo for a dog to give birth to a puppy, it means an impending danger or bad omen. 

I feel so sad for the little puppy whose life was caught short because of an old believe. I later learnt that, the older a dog is, the lesser the number of puppies they give birth too.

I'm just hearing this for the first time, does anyone know about this too?