{"id":1291,"date":"2012-07-09T21:51:18","date_gmt":"2012-07-10T01:51:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/heavenlycreatures\/?p=1291"},"modified":"2012-07-09T21:51:18","modified_gmt":"2012-07-10T01:51:18","slug":"fight-for-lennox-the-dog-nears-the-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/heavenlycreatures\/2012\/07\/fight-for-lennox-the-dog-nears-the-end\/","title":{"rendered":"Fight for Lennox the dog nears the end"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/iframe>\n<\/p>Lennox is scheduled to die tomorrow. In fact, he may already be dead, since he\u2019s in Northern Ireland and\u00a0it\u2019s already tomorrow there.\u00a0Lennox has\u00a0been imprisoned for\u00a0almost two years.\u00a0Not because he committed a crime. Not because he broke the law. He\u2019s been held because of the way he looks.<\/p>\nLennox is a dog. And to the officials at the Belfast, Ireland City Council, Lennox looks like a pit bull, which in their eyes\u00a0makes him a dangerous dog.<\/p>\nNever mind that Lennox is not a pit bull; he\u2019s a 7-year-old American Bull Dog\/Labrador mix. Never mind that the now 7-year-old dog has his entire life been licensed by the council\u00a0as well as\u00a0neutered and microchipped, up to date on vaccinations, and DNA registered (which confirmed his breed type as American Bull Dog and Labrador).<\/p>\nOn the 19th May 2010, Lennox was\u00a0seized by Belfast City Council Dog Wardens from his loving family \u2013\u00a0which reportedly includes\u00a0a severely disabled daughter \u2013\u00a0after the dog wardens\u00a0measured Lennox\u2019s muzzle and tail and deemed him a pit bull.<\/p>\nSince that day,\u00a0Lennox has been living an undisclosed location where\u00a0conditions have\u00a0reportedly been\u00a0inhumane. Not only was he ripped from his home, he\u2019s been kept in what, according to photographs, is a filthy, cramped environment lacking visible means of food, heat, water, and toys or stimulation.<\/p>\nWhile Lennox\u2019s family has been working\u00a0all of this time\u00a0to bring their dog home, they have exhausted all of their legal options and today Lennox was scheduled to be euthanized.<\/p>\nThe animal community has gotten involved on an international scale. This past weekend, thousands turned out for protests and demonstrations held around the world, begging the Belfast City Council to return the dog to his family. Offers to take\u00a0the dog\u00a0have poured in from all over the world, including from renowned dog trainer Victoria Stillwell and even Kakha Dzagania, a member of the Parliament of the Republic of Georgia in the former Soviet Union. (Read<a href=\"http:\/\/ctechwebhosting.co.uk\/savelennox\/wordpress\/victoria-stilwell-offers-belfast-city-council-discussion-on-lennox\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\" rel=\"nofollow\"> Victoria Stillwell\u2019s letter<\/a>)<\/p>\nAs of 8:23 p.m.Belfast time, (3:23 pm EDT), the North Country Gazette reported that the Lord Mayor of Belfast had sent a tweet suggesting the council rehome the dog.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s mind boggling to think that the Belfast City Council would be steadfast in this case. This is not a dog that has bitten someone or been a problem. He simply looks, to them, like a pit bull. Rather than back down, Belfast is now the center of protests; worldwide animal lovers are\u00a0calling for boycotts of tourism to Northern Ireland. Heads of state internationally have chimed in. No one wins in this case. Not the dog, not the family, not the child and not Belfast.<\/p>\nThere\u2019s no word yet on whether Lennox has been granted a reprieve; the prospects are doubtful. His family has reportedly not been allowed to see him to say goodbye. Belfast City Council should be ashamed of themselves \u2013 even if Lennox was a pit bull (which he is not)\u00a0and if he was dangerous (which he was not) to treat the dog and the family so cruelly is<\/p>\nIt\u2019s a sad day for dog lovers \u2013 and should serve as a dire, desperate warning to those who have been ignoring breed specific legislation in their areas. Yes, this happens in America, too. You saw it happen with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/heavenlycreatures\/2011\/12\/snickers-the-service-dog-to-be-reunited-with-retired-police-officer\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\">Snickers the service dog<\/a>. It could happen to any of us.<\/p>\nAnd as you\u2019ve seen here, you do not have to actually own one of those allegedly\u00a0\u201cdangerous\u201d breeds to be affected.<\/p>\nMore <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/heavenlycreatures\/?s=breed+specific+legislation\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\">posts about Breed\u00a0Specific Legislation.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lennox is scheduled to die tomorrow. In fact, he may already be dead, since he\u2019s in Northern Ireland and\u00a0it\u2019s already tomorrow there.\u00a0Lennox has\u00a0been imprisoned for\u00a0almost two years.\u00a0Not because he committed a crime. Not because he broke the law. He\u2019s been held because of the way he looks. Lennox is a dog. And to the officials […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":199,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5,12],"tags":[634,44,761,635,633,91],"class_list":["post-1291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-animals-and-the-law","category-animals-in-the-news","category-dogs","tag-belfast","tag-breed-specific-legislation","tag-dogs","tag-ireland","tag-lennox","tag-pit-bulls"],"yoast_head":"\n<title>Fight for Lennox the dog nears the end<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lennox is scheduled to die tomorrow. 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