-Not sure if any of you have been following the Save Lennox campaign, but basically Lennox is a pit bull type dog who was taken from a family home a couple of years ago by Belfast City Council due to breed specific legislation, despite not actually having shown a threat to anybody.

The family have been trying hard to get him back and everything has become quite heated with some die hard supporters making threats to the dog wardens and so on. But basically they've lost every appeal to get their dog back and Victoria Stilwell is trying to take him out of the country herself so he doesn't have to be put down.

There's been a lot of human error here, and of course healthy dogs are put down everyday and no one is fighting for them but I think it's really about the life of the dog - if it can be spared, why not? Anyway they are asking for one last push of email protest to support the dog's life being spared, if you are interested here's the link to find out more http://www.examiner.com/article/one-...lennox-miracle

Edit: Meant to say, they will be issuing the death penalty tomorrow I think!

Just been reading up on that and it's really sad. Poor dog and poor family.

It's absolutely awful. It's extremely depressing and worrying to hear that something like that can occur, just due to a load of bureaucratic rubbish.

I know you'd feel so powerless if someone took your dog from you wouldn't you. I don't think it would ever stop hurting. I hope they show a bit of compassion, I really do.

Not that i think it's going to do any good, but i sent the mail anyway.....
I think they have made up their minds and wont back down now...poor, poor dog and his poor family

Thanks it's not looking good but well at least we tried

There doesn't seem to be any more news yet.

Reading about this case makes me so angry and upset. We think we have progessed and live in a civilised society, but really if someone can snatch an innocent dog from its owners, just based on the way it looks, and then imprison and potentially kill it, then we are actually still living in the Dark Ages.

Peter Robinson, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, has actually spoken to Belfast Lord Mayor and advised him to seriously consider letting Stillwell take the dog so that is hopeful. 28 days are up at midnight tonight. If its this dog today, then how far will this go? Lennox isn't even a pitbull, he's a cross breed!

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/ne...-16183050.html

Well at least that's something hopeful. You can see from the photos what a lovely, friendly, happy dog he is. The whole thing is insane.

Is this more of a problem in Northern Ireland, or could this happen elsewhere in the UK too? I remember all the fuss about Pit Bull Terriers around 20 years ago, but I thought that had all faded now.

Not really, I think that's why everyone is so up in arms about it, because the whole thing came totally out of the blue. As far as I know BSL is operative in all parts of the UK...it just takes your dog to look like one of the dangerous dog types and the powers that be can seize them and put them down even if they haven't proven to be a danger.

That's appalling. There should be some kind of campaign to stop this prejudice and get the law changed. Any dog could be dangerous if treated incorrectly and no dog is guaranteed to be dangerous because of its breed.

I thought they sometimes used alternative precautions, like saying a particular breed has to be muzzled in public or whatever?

They do, i believe there are exemption lists and you can actually own a pitbull type dog legally, if you jump through a few hoops, have it registered, chipped, neutered and muzzled in public at all times. (may have changed in the last few years, i'm not completely up to date with the laws)

it just seems that belfast council refuse to allow that in this case (though in NI the laws may be different and you may not be allowed any dog of that type) but they're also refusing to let him out of the country as well.

The whole "pitbull TYPE" description is the problem here really, due to no fault of its own , this poor dogs genes have given him outward characteristics to the effect that he LOOKS like a PBT.

so you could go out yourself and get a puppy of mixed parentage, who looks nothing like any bully breeds, raise him to be a happy, well adjusted, friendly dog, but once he grows up, his looks change, he starts to look sort of like a pit bull type dog. the law instantly recognises this dog as a dangerous animal.
its totally unfair.

Statement on Belfast City Council website - not good news sadly.

http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/news/news.asp?id=3109

Run free now Lennox

Such an absolute disgrace.

all i can say right now without using language even a sailor would blush at.

Rest in peace now Lennox, you did nothing wrong
at least you are now free from your prison xx

Busy body councils, they should be going after the people that cause a nuisance to their neighbours rather than a dog that hadn't harmed anyone and hadn't been complained about. Their statement sounds as though they are trying to justify putting a much loved pet to sleep because they didn't want to admit that they may have been wrong in this case.

I'm all for dogs who HAVE actually bit/mauled someone to be put down as once they've done it once, they are most likely to do it again I think, but this dog Lennox never harmed a fly. He was persucuted because of how he looked, In the videos I've seen of him on youtube, he seemed such a friendly dog, loyal to his owners.
Its the owner who moulds a dog into being the character they are, not the animal themselves.

Hope your somewhere nice with plenty of food and toys Lennox. =)

Sadly I knew nothing of this until it was "too late".

"LegislationSection 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 prohibits four types of dog:

the Pit Bull Terrier....

It is important to note that, in the UK, dangerous dogs are classified by “type”, not by breed label....

The 1991 Act was amended by the Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997. The 1997 Act removed the mandatory destruction order provisions of the 1991 Act by giving the courts discretion on sentencing, for those prohibited dogs which the courts consider would not pose a risk to the public."

From what I've read about this particular case, surely discretion could have been used?

I gather the case has been running for a couple of years, so can only assume this was legally challenged.

As has been intimated earlier, the legislation is corrupt, drafted by politically motivated dog-haters, who are not qualified to decide what a bad dog is.

It is digraceful to condemn the behaviour of one individual within a particular breed on the rest of that breed (Imagine if that were applied to humans). Many who encountered "Japs" in WW2, would at the time have had no hesitation in exterminating the whole race, but thankfully, it was acknowledged that they were not all evil zombies.

For pity's sake, the worlds most famous dog trainer uses a pit-bull as his right hand dog to help instil calmness in other dogs.

These do-gooder, ill qualified, knee-jerk councillors should concentrate on fixing pot-holes and fiddling their expenses. (Obviously no bungs were available to them on this occasion).

Bless you Lennox. It was disgraceful to lock you up just for being alive and part of an ongoing genocide that finally ended your immoral incarceration in the name of ill-conceived legislation.

Gutted to hear that Lennox has been put down. Wonder what breed of dog will be next? Hopefully not pugs, i'd be lost without my puggies!

I am really saddened by today's events I have been trying to help out with this online and via twitter as alot of the protests have been highlighted on there.
There is issues with the law and the only things that will get hurt is the innocent animals killed and the families that they are taken from.

I can't post what i really want to say about these so called Council busy bodies...suffice to say it's not printable and I'd probably get a ban

The only thing i will say is that if reports are correct of how he has been treated since being in the care of the Council then he is probably better off now.....

RIP Lennox

I am disgusted to say the least.

RIP Lennox. May you now be free of evil men.

I wonder if the owners got to say good-bye in the end? Their plight was highlighted on the news a few weeks ago - they hadn't seen their dog since he was taken from them. Reports suggest that the council didn't want the owners to see the state poor Lennox was in but it might also have been very upsetting and puzzling for the poor dog to see his beloved owners again - he must have been wondering what he had done wrong

I'm absolutely disgusted by the lack of compassion shown to the dog.

They didn;t get to see him before they did the deed.

they weren;t even allowed to go and claim his body,

apparently just being told they will receive "some ashes" in the post.

That is just awful. THey must be so heartbroken!