The Great Dane Who Became an Older Sister

Brought home when she was just 7 weeks old, Gracie the Great Dane instantly became an integral part of Erin Vey's life. So when the Seattle-based lifestyle dog photographer decided, one day, that she'd have a baby, she had to prepare not just herself, but her dog for the lifestyle change. "Gracie stayed with her grandma and grandpa for about a week until we were ready for her to come home," Vey tells us. "When Gracie came home she knew something was different. She smelled everything and definitely checked out all the diapers in the house. The first few weeks were hard for all of us. Gracie slept in weird places and positions and I felt really guilty about not being able to give her all of my attention. But we found a new normal and she is back to her normal self."

The new bundle of joy's name was Maggie. Six years apart, the "sisters" have since found a special bond and Gracie even sneaks kisses onto Maggie when no one is looking.

By sharing photos of them online, Vey says the siblings have developed quite a following. "Many people see the pictures of them and think that Maggie should somehow be scared of Gracie’s size but she doesn’t even think twice about having an extra large dog in her face. It’s all she knows!," she shares.

What does Vey hope others ultimately get out of her photos? "The biggest compliment I can get is when someone who doesn’t consider themselves a 'dog person' finds a connection with my images," she says. "Dogs are my heart and soul, always have been – always will be, and to be able to convey that love through photography is a true joy."