Leader of the pack

Joanne Smith, 45, Gilford, Co Down

Watching my Great Dane Scarlet scamper into the room, my baby boy Josh’s eyes lit up.

Scarlet, then 6 months, gently curled up around him on the floor.

Awww, she’s making him feel safe, I thought, my heart swelling.

I’d known early on that Josh was different.

I was already mum to Natalie, then 1, when I brought him and his twin sister Claudia home from hospital.

But as Claudia hit her milestones, flashing me a