These maternity photos got so much cuter when the family dog showed up

Guard dog duty assignments

Soldiers, this is the most important assignment you’ll ever be given.

Pitbull pride

“This picture is of my best friend Jessica with her pitbull Brutie and her son. A lot of people have ideas about pitbulls, and I loved showing how sweet and tender he’s been with the baby. During pregnancy, he followed Jess around from room to room to make sure she was safe. Now that her son is here, the two of them are best friends.” — Hailey Gonya

A blindfolded surprise

“Everyone who knows me knows that our dog Finn is my baby. So I couldn’t even imagine announcing our pregnancy without him in it! I had the idea of covering his eyes and holding up the onesie as a surprise. His stoic face was perfection!”— Laura Parker, mom to human Presley and fuzzball Finn

Dogs can feel kicking too

“This shot was so much fun, and it had a great meaning to the family, as they added a special joy to their family of already three.” — Maria Cruz, LoveMate Photography

Sibling rivalry

“Oliver was our first baby, so I wanted him to be part of our pregnancy announcement. I just kept thinking about how his world was going to change and how he had no idea what was coming! Of course his world has changed, and for the better, because he now has little people who adore him.” — Kristy Omelianuk, mom to pup Oliver and his human siblings

Gender reveal now, baby present later

“I came up with the idea via Pinterest. I saw a similar picture using the ‘new big brother/sister’s’ handprints to reveal the gender using paint, and since this was our first child and our dogs are our ‘fur kids,’ we knew we had to incorporate them somehow. Heck, they were in our engagement announcement pictures! It was only fitting 🙂 It was a little tricky to get their paw prints, but we managed, and I still have the shirt saved in our son’s baby box.”— Patricia Savoie, mom to fur babies Grace and Riley (and a human baby too!)

Welcome to the middle-child life

“The photo was for my brother and his wife… His dog Pearl was his first baby, so it only seemed appropriate that we incorporate her!” — Jennifer Wolsey

Shoes to fill

“Clients always want to include their pets in shoots because the animal is practically family! Whether it’s an engagement shoot, maternity, senior or even weddings, I’ve seen pets in all kinds of shoots.” — Brian Powell

Tester… destroyer… same thing

“It actually started out as a customer request, but because social media is such a common way to announce big news these days, and because dogs are such a huge part of people’s lives, I decided to create a product around that. It is so much fun to involve the family pet in sharing the news!” — Amanda Ellis, GreenChickens shop owner

Hint: If you really like the sign idea, it can be all yours. You can custom order one for $20 from the GreenChickens Etsy shop and skip the DIY hassle.

Preparation all around

“We tried for eight long years to start a family, and with the help of IVF, that dream became a reality. So we knew the announcement had to be special. Our love for our pets seemed like a great way to announce this surprise. My wife, who was a zoo employee at the time, even taught our dog, Riddick, to hold a baby bottle! Each photo was taken separately and put together using Photoshop.” — Dale Morano, pup parent and human parent

Two announcements in one

OK, so it’s technically not a maternity announcement, but families come together in all sorts of different ways, so we had to share.

“We wanted our adoption announcement to reflect our personalities and our lives together. Our dogs are a big, silly, happy part of our life, so of course they were going to be in a photo capturing such an important moment!” — Lynne, doggy mom and people mom

Pin it!

Before you call the photographer, pin it!