Rest in peace, Lennox.

by Matt Miner

I’m having a hard time writing this post.  Like a lot of people, Lennox had my attention and my heart, and today at 7AM in Belfast, Ireland, the Belfast City Council finished what they started and murdered that sweet, innocent dog.

I’ve never met Lennox, and I’ve never met his family, but I know how I would feel if BSL was enacted in our city and they came for our dogs simply based on a preconceived notion of what a “pit bull” dog looks like.  My heart breaks for the Barnes family who saw their son Lennox taken from them, locked in a cage, and neglected during a two year legal battle, ending today with what the Belfast City Council laughingly calls a “humane euthanization.”

Euthanization is a term that should be applied only to cases of a mercy killing.  If a dog is suffering with disease or injury they will not recover from, then to put them down is a merciful euthanization.  What happened to Lennox was the polar opposite of mercy – it was cold blooded murder.

Breed specific legislation (BSL) does not work.  Lennox is a prime example: a labrador and American bulldog mix was wrongly and ignorantly targeted for death under the UK’s BSL laws against pit bulls.  Lennox is neither a pit bull, nor was he dangerous.  He was a service dog to a chronically sick child and a loving family companion who had never bitten anyone.

To make this travesty worse, the Belfast City Council has been mocking, taunting, and making animal noises at those who have called to confirm that Lennox was killed this morning.  This most disrespectful display of callousness can not go unchecked.  Clearly the laws of Belfast favor those who abuse and murder animals, but we can still make our voices heard against BSL, against the murder of Lennox and against the stereotypes and fear of a misunderstood and misidentified breed of dog.

* We at BSL News ask that you put your grief aside for a moment, wipe the tears from your eyes and speak out against the murderous Belfast City Council by clicking the graphic below to enlarge it, and sending it to them.  Attach it to emails, print it and send it in the mail and by all means if you find a fax number for their offices please fax it there as well and let us know what it is so we can update this post.

Let them know that every single July 11 we’ll be reminding them of their insidious plot to rip apart the Barnes family and kill poor Lennox.  We will never forgive and we will never forget.

Click to Enlarge and Save/Print

Email address block (copy and paste the entire block into the address field of your email)

Snail Mail addresses (click the image above to enlarge, then print and send):

Chief Executive’s Department
Belfast City Hall
Belfast
BT1 5GS

Corporate Complaints
Belfast City Council
FREEPOST
BT1 5BR
Telephone: 028 9032 0202

Rest in peace, Lennox.  May you find happiness over the rainbow bridge with Oreo, Lucy and Henry.