The family of Lennox, the dog who was seized and sentenced to death in Belfast for resembling a Pit Bull, have decided not to pursue further legal appeals of his sentence. Over the course of the last two years, Lennox's family have been defeated in every sense of the word. They request a chance to say good bye to their beloved pet, that is all. His death by lethal injection could be scheduled any time. Celebrity dog trainer Victoria Stilwell and Cesar Millan advocate for Lennox. Expert testimony has been rejected by the Belfast City Council.
The only option that has any hope is to re-home the dog in another country. There is a valid offer to re-home Lennox in the United States that is on the table. Worldwide support for Lennox continues to grow, a petition to spare him has over 168,000 signatures to date. A protest in Belfast is being organized. I fear this could be a perfect storm for Lennox though, should any public disturbance occur, there may be a decision to kill him sooner rather than later.
What can we do? I visited Belfast last year; American tourists have slowly resumed visiting since the "troubles" seem contained and Belfast could become a tourist destination for Americans. So many of us are of Irish descent with ties to Belfast. The only leverage Americans have with Belfast let them know we will not be visiting the city. I let them know that by a letter to their to the Irish tourist board:
Irish Tourist Board
345 Park Ave., New York, NY 10154
(tel. 800-223-6470 from the U.S., or 212-418-0800; fax 212-371-9052)
