R.I.P. Lennox

Jo Bryant

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”. Mahatma Gandhi

This morning I cried over an animal I had never met.

I cried because his death highlights how inhumane man can be when he reaches that deep dark place.

Yes Northern Ireland has laws. But what this case highlights is the unreasonable parts of these laws. And what happens when people who have no idea of that which they proclaim to be experts at. BCC had inexpert people class this dog wrongly. Even their own documents say that Lennox was classed as a bulldog.

Horrific pictures have emerged that show Lennox being kept in conditions that would warrant legal action were it anyone else but the BCC.

To Lennox’s family I wish to say sorry.

I am sorry that your dog was wrongfully taken from your home.

I am sorry he was treated so inhumanely by the Belfast Council workers.

I am sorry that sanity did not prevail and that Lennox was not returned to you or rehomed.

I am sorry you were refused to be allowed to say goodbye to a cherished family member.

To Belfast Council I say SHAME SHAME SHAME !!!!

The world has watched as you went from one insane action to another.

I believe in Karma.

So I believe that all of those involved in this action will have it revisited upon them.

Which is how it should be !!!

To Lennox I say goodbye and R.I.P. I am sorry we failed you as we fail many of your species. My only hope is that your death will bring change.

Change to stupid laws. Laws made legal through ignorance and fear.

Change to attitudes. So that many dogs like you will not be destroyed because people do not understand that it is NOT the dog or the breed – it is the people who are to be feared.

***

Tweet from Victoria Stilwell – dog trainer

Victoria Stilwell ‏@ItsMeOrTheDog

RT I am beyond enraged. The family heard about Lennox’s death through me!! @belfastcc didn’t even bother to tell them first. #disgust

***

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Published by Jo Bryant

I was born in the land of Banjo Paterson, gum trees, and weather extremes. I am a freelance photographer. I love to make images that make people happy. To capture forever a precious moment. I am also a freelance writer/editor. I live in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, but still like to claim my Australian heritage. I graduated with a Bachelor of Communications in 2008. I am writing my first novel. I love to write poetry, short stories, and also write for the web. And there is nothing that is on a par with a sunny summer's day spent at Waihi Beach.

42 Comments

  1. This post cannot be “liked” but votes rating it should tell you how we all feel.

    They would see things differently had it been their dogs, or dogs that they knew. I bet they would have had the law changed then. As you say, Karma will be visited on them four fold.

    Like

  2. The essential detail here is the dog did no wrong. He attacked no one. He did not bite a single person.There was no reason to remove the dog from his home. The “bulldog” label was an excuse used to condemn him and kill him. I am so disgusted this happened.

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  4. I agree with you JO about this dog, but not other dogs that are being put down. Northern Ireland has a very strict law about dogs for as long as i can remember so there is no excuses for having dangerous dogs of any kind.

    This dog may not have been dangerous so it should have lived, a dog only has to look like a pit bull or even a cross breed and that’s enough for it to be lifted.

    So many people, mainly children have been mauled or killed by pit bulls or Rottweilers, and the law clearly states they are not allowed to be keep, its not the dogs fault the owners are blame and they usually end up in jail.

    Even N.I.first minister tried to get it stopped in this link.
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/pets/9389178/Northern-Irelands-First-Minister-Peter-Robinson-steps-in-to-save-Lennox-the-dog.html#

    My post about dangerous dogs
    http://dribblingpensioner.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/dangerous-dogs-should-be-put-down/

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    1. The trouble I have with the dangerous dog laws are that they condemn the dog not the deed Harry. It has been proven that you cannot condemn a breed as dangerous. I know many pitbulls that are less dangerous than my fox terrier. In this (and other cases) I believe the law should be changed so that a dog breed is not condemned for no reason. People make these dogs aggressive – not their genes, and only ignorance keeps people believing that any breed is dangerous simply because.
      In Lennox’s case insanity was heaped upon ignorance and the behaviour of the BCC and judges was highly questionable. I believe that Lennox has been dead for a while…otherwise why would the Council deny a visit before the end. It also angers me when I see the conditions Lennox was kept in – by an authority that is supposed to protect animals…shameful.

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  5. Yes JO i agree with you.

    But as i said in my post, the law is the law and must be obeyed and these people who buy the dogs know the law, do they care, not one bit.

    Its the same as a parent who buys a 12 year old a motor bike, the child gets killed by a car, who do the parents blame, the car owner, never the child or themselves.

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    1. Sadly in Northern Ireland the law has only been brought in partially therefore leaving little avenue for redress for wrongs. Were it to be fully implemented then cases such as Lennox would never have happened. And I believe the law to be wrong. You cannot classify an entire breed as dangerous. Some breeds have been used by people and therefore are seen as dangerous, however commonsense would tell you that it is the people behind these dogs trained to be aggressive that are dangerous – not the breed as a whole. It is a little like saying all the Irish are drunken leprechauns, or all British are whinging Poms.
      While the law is the law – there are cases for civil disobedience. Were that not so then African Americans would still be riding in the back of buses and required – BY LAW – to give up their seats to white people. Civil disobedience can and has changed WRONG laws. I do believe that people not only have the right to challenge wrong laws but that it is our duty to do so. First of course by legal means…yet if that does not work should we then just throw up our hands and say ‘oh well.’
      Apathy is a sad condition – I see it here in New Zealand all the time.

      As M.L.King once said:

      “You died when you refused to stand up for right.

      You died when you refused to stand up for truth.

      You died when you refused to stand up for justice.”

      And this is the one I love the most:

      M.L.King: “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”

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      1. Quote : It is a little like saying all the Irish are drunken leprechauns, or all British are whinging Poms.
        TRUE 😆

        I and i’m sure others cannot understand, why anyone would want to own a ( potential ) dangerous dog and bring it into a house where there are young children living, or take it out without a very good lead.

        I have seen these dogs walking free in the streets with their owner on a few occasions.

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        1. No dog begins their life as dangerous Harry. ALL the pitbulls I know I would happily have trusted with my kids. It is NOT the breed but the bastards who turn these dogs aggressive. The reason they use these breeds is because of their builds…the look powerful. But powerful does not automatically equate to dangerous.

          The council – were it doing its job properly would be looking at these owners and the animals. Though again – I must say this – it is not the dog’s fault, and most of these dogs could be rehabilitated given the right owner and training. But what is our answer to the problem…get rid of them. That is not an answer. We do not have the right to wipe out any breed of animal because of our stupid and irrelevant fears. What is needed is better education about these breeds so that people don’t fear them irrationally, and stricter laws pertaining to ALL dog ownership, so that they cannot be used for fear and aggression.

          I adore pitbulls. They are gentle, loving, faithful dogs.

          I adore Chevvy. She is loving and faithful with me…yet there is no way I would trust her with a young child…and she doesn’t come up to my knee. Every dog has the potential for good and bad behaviour, just as each dog has its own personality quirks. And each and every dog should be judged on that, not on how broad their nose is.

          So that is my rant for the day…off to start the daily grind – again.
          🙂
          🙂

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  6. Oh I am so sad, as I wipe the tears from my eyes. I was catching up on posts and just read about his unjust removal from his home this morning. To lose a pet is heart breaking and to be this way must be harder. I am sorry his family and Lennox had to go through this pain. May he forever live in their hearts and memory.

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    1. I know. It still breaks my heart that we did this to an innocent animal whose only crime was the ignorance of those around him. Maybe forgiveness will come…but it needs to be earned. These people who caused so much pain to this family and beloved pet will wait a long time for mine.

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  8. Poor little thing… A very unjust decision and a very narrow law. But then, laws do tend to be narrow, don’t they? And the “dog breed issue” is so complex, I don’t think the authorities would ever get to the bottom of it. I personally agree with you: a dog’s behaviour is down to the people who bring it up and teach it how to behave. Just like children. Putting every dog of a certain breed in the same pot is utterly unfair. I, too, have meet the softest pitbulls on the planet (and I’ve got a friend who’s stuck abroad and can’t move back to the country because he’s unwilling to leave behind his beloved pitbull), but have also seen young lads showing off with their status dogs and trying to set them against other dogs. How on earth do they get away with it I’ll never understand. It looks like they always miss the troublemakers and pick on the innocent… It might not be entirely true, of course, but that’s what it looks like to me 😦

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    1. I know. What is really sad as well is that people label dogs like Lennox ‘dangerous’ just because of the way he looks. Any dog in the world can be dangerous in the right circumstances. And every dog – no matter what their gene pool – begins life as a gentle pup. I hate that pitbulls are given such bad press. ALL the pitbulls I know are beautiful, loving, gentle animals who I would have trusted with my children.

      Maybe they feel better able to confront the more placid owners…isn’t that what bullies do ???

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  11. Aww Jo of all the blogs I click onto this evening it has to be one that makes me cry… I agree with you.. it is the bias laws of people with NO understanding of our animal Kingdom, It breaks my heart Jo…
    The treatment of our Animals and mis-read breeds. and even if they are miss- read, they do not take into consideration the behaviour of the animal, Or how the owners have breed them to become agressive..
    Its the Human who is at fault every time.. Not the animal..
    So many places around the world mistreat our animal kingdom..
    I wish they didnt.. ~ what goes around comes around, and the Human Race is going to reap soon what it has sown in ways they never imagined..
    Thank you for highlighting this.. and my thoughts to Lennox and his owners.. May He be running around in greener pastures.. Love to you Jo x

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    1. So sorry to make you cry Sue.
      😦
      But I have been crying too !!!

      I just can’t believe how heartless th BCC were with every aspect of this case. To not even allow the family to say goodbye to their pet !!

      It makes you wonder what it is they are hiding.
      😦

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    1. It still breaks my heart that we are capable of such inhumanity…to both Lennox and his family. I loved your post Ailsa…it moved me, made me angry…everything it should have done.

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  14. I read this on your twitter and retweeted. It sounds to me like a jobs worth attitude. Where the dog was put down because of the failure of anyone to get beyond the bureaucracy. An example of poor laws serving no one well, least of all Lennox and his family. Police ignore drivers using mobile ‘phones as ‘not a priority’ (a policeman’s explanation to me when I asked why the law wasn’t enforced) yet those drivers pose a far greater danger than Lennox.

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    1. It is so true.
      Yesterday I read this article by a dog trainer who had examined Lennox while he was at the pound…and what he found.
      Lennox: The Gloves come off.
      He had not spoken out too strongly before because he wanted to continue to try to work for Lennox. He now tells exactly what he thought about the process and the BCC’s behaviour in the matter. Terribly sad to read knowing what they did to Lennox and his family.

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  15. This story made me cry so hard I couldn’t even comment on it for days. So sad, Jo.

    For anyone else grieving so much over this remember that ancient Greek philosphers felt that the loyal and affectionate nature of dogs earned them a place in the afterlife. So Lennox may well be in a much happier place with lots of fields to roam around in and lots of other dogs to play with.

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  17. 😦 The only good thing to come of this is that it has exposed the BCC for who and what they are, and will hopefully encourage some serious changes!

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  18. I tried to comment on this a few times. I never know what to say in these cases. I have cried over such stories lots of times and i have felt so much rage everytime i found half dead kittens in the garbage. I know humans are capable for cruelty against animals, just for fan, and sadly, i don’t think that is ever going to change. 😦
    I wish Karma does the job…..

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