This dachshund gave birth to 5 puppies and starred in an adorable photo shoot

Laura Shockley, a photographer in Washington state, has taken pictures of a lot of human babies and their mothers in her career. She is gifted at capturing the sweetness of new life and the love and protection that surrounds it. In a new photoshoot, though, Shockley tried out a new type of subject: her dachshund, Sugar, and Sugar’s newborn puppies.

Sugar is a shaded cream dachshund. She had her litter with Mac, a piebald dachshund who is also one of Shockley’s dogs.

This is him pictured below:

Shockley first posted a pregnancy photoshoot of Sugar in August. The mom-to-be posed wearing a flower crown and an adorable doggie-sized skirt. Sugar wasn’t able to pose with a hand (er, paw) on her belly as with most pregnant mom photoshoots, but surely she enjoyed dressing up for the occasion.

On her Facebook page, Shockley shared in the comments that she was able to make her subject stand still for the camera with peanut butter treats from Target. She also joked about becoming a “grandmother”:

Sugar and Mac’s five puppies entered the world on Sept. 3. It looks like there are three who are brown and two who are black.

Two weeks ago, Shockley gathered all the puppies  — she calls them Sugar’s “sprinkles” — for a newborn photo shoot.

Here is Sugar with her babies nestled together in a tiny crib:

And here are all the puppies’ sweet faces while they have a snooze:

Sugar is a watchful mama.

She could also be a dog model — once her maternity leave is over, that is. Just look at how she’s mugging for the camera!

According to “Good Morning America,” three of the puppies already have homes secured with Shockley’s family and friends. (The American Kennel Club says seven to eight weeks is the ideal time for a puppy to meet his new family — so Sugar’s puppies still have some time at home with their mama before they move out!)

What a sweet family! Sugar may not have understood exactly what the photoshoot was about, but she is surely proud of her litter and deserves all the attention.

Congratulations, new mama!