Death sentence for Lennox

[teenybash]

Lennox appeal date is May 4th........at the moment there is nearly 47.000 signatures on his petition which will be agreat comfort to Caroline and Craig Barnes, his owners.
They have been talking with Victoria Stillwell over the past few weeks who is openly supporting the case along with other celebs.
The Barnes family foster doggies and Caroline herself is a veterinary nurse. Cesar Milan has also mentioned the case and the fact there is no bad breed.......fingers crossed the outcome is good even if Lennox has to leave NI till Deed not Breed is adopted...There have been thousands of offers to look after him outwith NI till he can go home...offers from Denmark, the Netherlands, South Africa, America, Scotland, Southern Ireland to name a few.......Praying the Gods will smile on him and he is freed.

[Liz]

It is heartening that Lennox and his family are getting much more support now and I hope and pray it won't be long before he is free. Hopefully, with his family where he belongs.

I've signed the petition and sent messages to as many people as I can and not sure what else I can do? Any suggestions Teenybash? xx

[teenybash]

May the 4th is not the appeal but the date the family returns to court for the appeal date to be set.
Liz you are doing everything that can be done...we are all in the same boat and just spreading the word whatever way we can. Thank goodness Scotland has took the sensible and compassionate option of Deed not Breed. x

[Liz]

May the 4th is not the appeal but the date the family returns to court for the appeal date to be set.
Liz you are doing everything that can be done...we are all in the same boat and just spreading the word whatever way we can. Thank goodness Scotland has took the sensible and compassionate option of Deed not Breed. x

Yes I realise that and just hope the actual appeal won't be too far away as can't bear the thought of Lennox being stuck in that concrete prison!

Yes it's such a good job we live in Scotland and we are especially fortunate because we have a dog warden who really cares.

[binnes]

Yes it's such a good job we live in Scotland and we are especially fortunate because we have a dog warden who really cares.

Very true - the Irish dog situation is truly tragic and this is just another case where bureaucracy rules over common sense.

Has there been any news on this yet?

[porshiepoo]

The councils rep didn't turn up at the court so the appeal date couldn't be set. As far as I'm aware there hasn't been another court date set yet to set the appeal date, could be wrong by now though!

[porshiepoo]

My concern now is just for Lennox. How much longer is this poor dog going to be expected to be kept in kennels away from human or canine interaction? I sincerely hope that his best interests are forefront and that this campaign doesn't continue just because it's gotten too big or because no one wants the warden to win. Lennox has to come first.
The awful thing would be if when he's released he reacts aggressively and doesn't settle well. The BCC and warden would jump on that band wagon and every dog in this situation would find appeals go against them.

No one likes the thought of Lennox being PTS. It's unnecessary, cruel and mindless. However, the same could be said about the conditions he's being expected to survive in at the moment. They are not conducive to a happy, healthy environment for this breed of dog - or any dog - and I think if it were me I would have to seriously consider who I'm fighting for now and whether this is really the best or kindest thing to my dog.

[Dadie]

If it was my dog I would hate to say, but, I think my time limit would be 6 mnths max.
Especially due to the conditions they are kept in while in "prison".
After that I would concede that even though the dog has done nothing wrong, its wrong to keep them in those conditions any longer, and I would let them put the dog down.

[Leanne]

There are some things in life worse than death and the conditions the poor dog is living in is one of them. What mental state is the poor dog going to be in if it is ever returned home. The owners will not be getting back the same dog they loved

[porshiepoo]

Totally. TBH I don't think the dog will go back to the owners. Judging by what is being said and past cases he may be released to southern Ireland, if he actually wins an appeal.

I really do feel for this family and thank god I haven't had to go through anything like this with my dogs but I honestly think I would be saying enough is enough. They can't even get access to poor Lennox to determine for themselves how he's coping and what his temperament is like now.
If he does win an appeal I hope the owners have enough common sense not to rush the dog with hugs in the belief he'll be the same dog that was taken from them last year - could end in disaster!

I'd be interested to hear from others who have won similar cases to see what impact they feel the incarceration had on the dog. If Lennox was being kept in a different environment with daily human and canine interaction and stimulation I'd be the first to say that the fight should and must go on. Sadly I'm feeling more and more like this poor animal is becoming a campaign figure rather than a real mercy case.

Hopefully the courts will show some humanity and force BCC to attend for an appeal date.

[unicorn]

I would have to agree poshie, this dog has been through so much heartache now, who gives these people in power the right to abuse animals like this, the whole case is so so wrong, but Lennox will never be the same dog he was.
I support this case to the hilt but I fear Lennox has been through hell and it really has to stop one way or the other.

[teenybash]

It is all so sad that an innocent family and pet dog are going through this and to complicate matters, it's happening in NI.
I know the Barnes's have family in England who are willing to take Lennox until the time comes when NI sorts out their dogs law which is missing an important bit of legislation, that would have meant Lennox could have been freed within weeks.
Another dog called Bruce was held for 3 years by NI and at the 11 hour was released into the gaurdianship of EGAR in southern Ireland.
If Lennox beats the death sentence and I truly hope he does, he will recover from his ordeal and become the happy well adjusted dog he once was......I have no doubt on that. xx

[porshiepoo]

It is all so sad that an innocent family and pet dog are going through this and to complicate matters, it's happening in NI.
I know the Barnes's have family in England who are willing to take Lennox until the time comes when NI sorts out their dogs law which is missing an important bit of legislation, that would have meant Lennox could have been freed within weeks.
Another dog called Bruce was held for 3 years by NI and at the 11 hour was released into the gaurdianship of EGAR in southern Ireland.
If Lennox beats the death sentence and I truly hope he does, he will recover from his ordeal and become the happy well adjusted dog he once was......I have no doubt on that. xx

I so hope and pray you are correct.
I do understand the families need to fight this case, it was and is unjust and no one likes the thought of an innocent animal being snatched at the whim of a warden and being legally held in such conditions away from any human or canine interaction.
Obviously all animal lovers and pet owners are disgusted that this can and does happen and I understand that we need to stand up and fight it. I get all that and I admire the Barnes for their tenacity and their determination.

But, my thoughts always trail back to that poor animal, caged alone and in solitude, eeking out his days with minimal human contact and no canine contact (as far as we are aware) and I can't help feeling that allowing him to stay in those conditions is as cruel and unjust to him as his seizure was on the family.
There are no reports coming out from an independent dog behaviourist to let the Barnes know how he is coping and what his temperament is like at the moment. While it could be argued that he's thriving in those conditions, after all he is canine and creature comforts are not in his genetic makeup, it's the isolation that will do the damage. He will depend entirely on himself for survival, people may become a source of fear for him and to expect him to revert back to his pre seizure self may just be expecting too much. I'm not suggesting that he can't be rehabilitated, perhaps he can, but how long does any loving owner allow their pet to be kept in such cruel conditions?

This is no longer about BSL in NI, or about who is right or wrong, or the fact that the warrant was illegal or even about the fact that the Barnes kept the dog legally and responsibly for 5 years prior to his seizure. Those points are relevant to his case yes but they have no impact on the dog right now.
It should now be about what is in the best interests of Lennox.
The least the courts should insist on is an evaluation of Lennox by an expert of the Barnes undertaking, if only to satisfy the Barnes that Lennox is as well as can be expected and is capable of withstanding the next few months in isolation. Crikey they haven't even been told exactly what interaction he is getting - why they won't make that info available to them is beyond me. Surely the person who has been assigned his care would want to make sure he is getting at least some form of socialization? or are BCC hoping for Lennox to bite in order to back up their mess?