Dog owner gives beloved pet, 5 newborn pups a maternity photo shoot
This pooch got the new-mom glam shots she deserves.
Washington photographer Laura Shockley has spent the past seven years photographing human babies and new parents. So when her doting dachshund, Sugar, gave birth to five puppies on Sept. 4, Shockley decided that Sugar, too, should get an Anne Geddes-style photo shoot, complete with a tulle skirt and floral headbands.
It’s the latest in a trend of pooch pampering that has owners placing elaborate to-go orders for their dogs, and putting them up in $200-a night pet hotels.
But for Sugar, it’s safe to say she earned it after birthing her five pups. Shockley also captured her pregnancy in a series of maternity shoots — a practice surprisingly common among pet parents.
The tender moments were recorded over a one-hour shoot, says Shockley, who tells The Post that after so many years photographing newborn babies, it was only natural to organize a session for her Sugar.
“It was just second nature,” says Shockley, who has five of her own kids as well. “It’s what I’ve done for so many years.”
She was able to use many of the same props that she uses for her baby shoots, including the floral headbands. “But we had to go buy material for her skirt.”
As for the doggie dad, Mack, he’s keeping a safe distance from the pups, Shockley says, so he wasn’t included in this shoot. But she anticipates he’ll be in future photos. And since all the puppies will be adopted by family and friends, Shockley plans to document the brood through the years.
In some ways, doing a pup photo shoot was much easier than a human shoot, she says.
“Everyone else is driven by direction, but Sugar was driven by treats,” Shockley says. Plus, it helped that the pups were so tuckered out during the shoot. “With human babies, you have to wait for them to fall asleep. But the puppies were already so sleepy.”
Afterward, Sugar was treated to a “pup cup” at Starbucks.
Shockley says since she posted the photos on Facebook, she’s already gotten a couple of other requests for similar maternity shoots. She plans to start offering them at the same price as her human shoots — $250 an hour.
And are more diva shoots in store for Sugar? Shockley offers her opinion on why there very well may be.
“She looks amazing,” Shockley says.
