Little and large: Enormous Great Dane and tiny baby share a special bond

Parents Vanessa Rowe and Ben Wickens adopted gentle giant Harley after they endured a tough year following a miscarriage and illness.

But after the huge dog bounded into their lives, Vanessa, 40, finally fell pregnant and the couple were initially worried the 110lb pooch wouldn’t accept their tiny new arrival.

Thankfully baby Isla and Harley fell in love at first “woof” and the couple are convinced the Harlequin Great Dane thinks of the baby as a “little sister” who is an “ugly bald puppy”. 

The pair often curl up together for a nap on the sofa, and cheeky Isla learned to roll over by using after patient Harley as support.

And the best friends love nothing more than playing together on Isla’s floor mat, and if the baby cries, dedicated Harley will run off to alert Vanessa.

Harley won’t sleep at night unless he is keeping a close eye on little Isla, and he loves to rest his huge head on her tummy.

Cafe manager Vanessa said: “As soon as I said I was pregnant people asked ‘what are you going to do about the dog?’ “But to me she’s like my other daughter. I would no more get rid of her than I would Isla.

“But there was no need to worry. “From day one Harley has been so gentle with this strange little bald puppy we bought home from the hospital and Isla only shows an interest in rolling or crawling if it means getting nearer to her long-legged, floppy eared sis.

“Isla breaks into a smile whenever she sees me or my husband - but that’s nothing to the way her face completely lights up when she sees her big sister.

“Isla has got so many toys - all the usual interactive ones - but there is nothing more interactive than a huge dog. 

“Harley lets herself be petted, and Isla loves playing with her ears.

“Isla grabs her to help her move, and the first time she rolled over was to get closer to Harley.” Vanessa and Ben, 36, got married in 2011 but the former counsellor had to give up work after he fell ill, and was later diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).

The couple from Stockport, Greater Manchester, started trying for a baby in early 2012, and while Vanessa fell pregnant quickly, the pair tragically suffered a miscarriage.

Life-long dog lover Vanessa decided the time was right for them to adopt a dog and instantly fell in love with Harley, two, when she saw her photo on the RSPCA website.

Vanessa added: “No matter what kind of day you’ve had, to be greeted by someone that excited to see you at the end of the day - every day was better because we had her.

“Every worry was made better by her.” The couple fell pregnant a few months later, and adorable Isla was born in June 2014.

“We introduced them as soon as we could in the first couple of days, and this huge dog gave this little fragile baby a sniff to try and work out what it was, and that was it,” Vanessa added.

“Now they are best friends, and it will be so lovely to watch them grow up together.”