I can still remember the moment I saw Vinnie, a gorgeous Maltese-Yorkshire terrier cross at a friend of a friend’s house. A tiny bundle of white fluff, with large, inviting, round brown eyes and a temperament so sweet and gentle. My husband Florian, 47, a banker, and I had never had a dog before, but in 2013 we took one look at Vinnie, then three months old, and couldn’t imagine a world without him.
A loving, playful and affectionate dog, he won everyone over he encountered, earning tender strokes from children and good-natured pats from adults during our walks. Vinnie was adored, so when we decided to move home a couple of years later, to a bigger property, we felt sure Vinnie would have no problem getting on with his…