The winner of Watford MP Richard Harrington's cutest dog competition

The competition by Watford MP Richard Harrington, in partnership with the Watford Observer, asked pet owners to send in the most adorable pictures of their dogs.

It was held to celebrate the passing of Finn's Law and the introduction of the Animal Welfare Sentencing Bill.

Mr Harrington received more than 60 entries, and it was our job to pick one winner - and it was incredibly tough, even after whittling the entries down to a shortlist of 13.

After hours of consideration, we chose an adorable grey-coated schnauzer owned by Sue Kehoe, of Southfield Avenue in Watford.

(Sue Kehoe with Chester in Leavesden Country Park. Photo: Sue Kehoe)

Sue, 53, a respiratory nurse, came to own Chester in October last year through a friend who had a litter. He was just a few weeks old when Sue first set eyes on him.

She told the Watford Observer: “I thought he was the cutest. He came and sat on my lap. And he was quite small.

“I always wanted to have a dog and my boys are teenagers.”

Chester lives in north Watford with Sue and her husband Dan, their two sons Joe, 17, and Ben, 15, and their two-year-old cat Jet.

(Chester with family members Dan and Ben while on holiday in Cornwall. Photo: Sue Kehoe)

Sue described Chester as “a happy little thing” who was "very friendly" and loved by everyone.

She added: “My friend had a lot of young children, he really likes children. He played with them a lot.

“He’s not aggressive. He likes to play with other dogs in the park and wants to say hello.

“He tries to stroke the cat (Jet) with his paw.”

(Chester was very tiny and just several weeks old when Sue adopted him. Photo: Sue Kehoe)

Chester also enjoys sitting on 15-year-old Ben’s knee whenever he sits cross-legged – as demonstrated in one of the pictures Sue sent us.

Speaking about how she felt about winning the competition, Sue said: “I think it’s lovely. It’s really nice to win something. It’s a great idea because it’s based around the new law, which I think is very important.”

Mr Harrington commented: "I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all of the entries, and I was glad to not have the task of picking the winner! As a proud member of the APPG on animal welfare and a proud supporter of Finn’s law I was really pleased to see such a high number of entries, and I’d like to thank everybody that entered and sent such wonderful pictures."

(12-week-old Chester. Photo: Sue Kehoe)

(Chester relaxing on a couch. Photo: Sue Kehoe)

Finn's Law - also known as the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Bill - came into effect last month and prevents those who attack or injure service animals from claiming self-defence.The law is named after Finn, a Hertfordshire police dog who was stabbed while pursuing a suspect in 2016. Finn suffered stab wounds to the chest and head, but only criminal damage charges could be brought against his attacker.

The Animal Welfare Sentencing Bill was introduced to Parliament at the end of June. If it becomes law, animal abusers could face up to five years in jail - an increase from the current maximum sentence of six months.