CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Pickles the pitbull, also known as "Mama Pickles," came to the Pits & Giggles Rescue pregnant and ready for love.
She was found as a stray, brought to a rural shelter, and later saved by Pits and Giggles Rescue. That's where Lauren Casteen Sykes of Enchanted Hills Photography came in.
Skyes met with Pickles for an official maternity photoshoot, and Pickles soaked it up.
Photos of the pregnant Pickles basking in the sunlight, decorated with flowers have made quite the splash online. Then just a few short days later, Pickles went into labor.
Pits and Giggles Rescue said most of their mama dogs want space and privacy while in labor, but not Pickles. She wanted to be close to people, making herself comfortable.
"She spent the night with her head or body in our laps, needing affection and comfort as she struggled through labor pains," Amanda Forsythe, president and founder of Pits & Giggles Rescue said in a message.
Skyes came back and made sure to document Pickles with her litter.
This will be Pickles' last litter, as the rescue says many of the dogs they see have been bred repeatedly and have a "luggage rack of other medical issues."
Babies born from mama dogs at Pits & Giggles Rescue are spayed or neutered and adopted to loving homes. In the meantime, Pickles is enjoying time at Pits & Giggles Rescue before she's ready for adoption.
"Pickles is spending her days right now nursing her babies and enjoying a quiet, safe sanctuary full of peanut butter and biscuits," Forsythe said.
Pickles will be ready for adoption once her babies have been weaned and she's physically recovered. More information on adopting Mama Pickles can be found on the rescue's website.
Pits and Giggles Rescue and Enchanted Hills Photography are planning to continue to document Pickles and her babies, with follow up pictures and videos of the girls as they grow.
"We're thrilled at the reception this wiggly little pitty mama is receiving," Forsythe said. "She deserves every minute of it!"