World emotion over Belfast dog condemned to death by city council

The owners of a dog ruled by the highest courts in Northern Ireland to be a dangerous pitbull-type breed have admitted defeat in their battle to save Lennox from destruction.

The long-running saga has been drawn out over the two years since the dog was seized by Belfast City Council dog wardens and has grabbed the attention of animal lovers around the world. Celebrity experts like Cesar Millan and Victoria Stilwell have also shown their support for the campaign.

But the family have now said in a statement: “There is nothing more that we can do from a legal point of view and Lennox may well be killed. “We have one last hope that Belfast City Council will allow Lennox to be re-homed in the USA. The offer is there, but we have no say in whether this offer will be accepted.”

While Lennox’s owner Caroline Barnes went from court to court in a bid to stop her pet being put down, the family now say they don’t want to prolong the dog’s suffering any longer and admit they can’t win the fight to save him.

“It has been almost impossible for us to accept that we have to admit defeat. We always believed that there was some hope and that justice would prevail. We were wrong,” the statement added. The family say they will undertake one last fight though – for the right to say goodbye before Lennox is put down. “We cannot bear the thought that Lennox will die without being reminded of the hearts and hands that love him.”

Last month, senior judges sitting in the Court of Appeal backed the verdict of a County Court judge who had made an earlier ruling that Lennox could not be made safe.

Lord Justice Paul Girvan, sitting with Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan and Lord Justice Malachy Higgins, set out how dog wardens trying to examine Lennox in May 2010 had been told that the dog would “rip their head off”. While an expert dog handler retained by Mrs Barnes described Lennox as a well-handled family dog, an expert for the City Council concluded that the animal had a severe personality defect.

Lennox’s family have since been advised by their legal team that there are no grounds for any further appeal.

Read more about the campaign to save Lennox at savelennox.co.uk

Source: u.tv