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People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

Lennox the dog death sentence is a complete farce -- Neither rhyme nor reason to the Lord Chief Justice’s decision

Posted on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 08:41 AM
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Brooke and Caroline Barnes with pic of Lennox

So Lennox the Belfast dog will be executed the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland has ruled.
More like the Lord High Executioner from a Gilbert and Sullivan farce.

Lennox will essentially be killed for looking like a pit bull not actually acting like one. By all accounts Lennox was a pretty ordinary dog owned by the Barnes family.

He even served as a comfort for a special needs kid the Barnes have,

But Lennox fell foul of a new law that pit bulls are no longer allowed in Northern Ireland because they are violent.

But Lennox may not even be a pit bull as his breed has never been properly determined.

Either way it didn’t matter-- the poor mutt was measured and pronounced a pit bull.

Lennox will not be executed for what he did but rather for what he resembles.

It is like saying every Catholic in Northern Ireland should be jailed because some in the ast were violent.

The scarlet letter was placed on his forehead, the execution order upoheld now by three different courts.
He has been confined for two years away from his family while the court system creaked and clattered and finally delivered its absurd verdict.

Kafka couldn’t wrote this script-- guilty for being a pitt-bull lookalike.

So now Lennox will be executed, a family left bereft and a world left scratching is head.

This is Orwellian to say the least -- a terrible disgrace that defies description.

Who or what will they be coming for next?

As Gilbert and Sullivan wrote in the Mikado: “Defer, Defer to the Lord High Executioner.”


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26 comments

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braxton | Jun 13, 2012, 09:06 PM EDT
Mismanagement, Incompetence, Inefficiency, Misrule, Corruption, Blundering, Bungling, Malpractice, Dishonesty, Malfeasance (Law), Misgovernment, Misfeasance,Perjury..That's what l think about this case.Shame on Belfast!!

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NYMare | Jun 13, 2012, 08:24 PM EDT
Citizen69, America here--no one is allowed to come into our homes and take our dogs from us. Just saying. You really ought to do something about this. Worse than Orwellian. No place I would ever visit. Disgusting.

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Pat F | Jun 13, 2012, 06:35 PM EDT
Lennox has been condemned to death because (A) he looks like a Pit Bull or a Pit Bull type; (B) he might be dangerous in the future; not because of anything he has ever done in the past. This is wrong on so many levels; and I am so sorry for the Barnes family, not to mention the poor dog. I am also glad that I do not live in Belfast; and feel sorry for all the dog owners who are at the mercy of corrupt bureaucrats and unjust laws.

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citizen69 | Jun 13, 2012, 05:10 PM EDT
@Redbranch: Yeah, a lot of people here seem to think it's an execution. There's more outrage here at a dog being put down than there is at most of the murders in Ireland. And seeminly Patrick Roberts doesn't bother to check the statistics in his own country. He's obviously just jumping on the bandwagon of a popular story.

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Gil-Ann | Jun 13, 2012, 04:56 PM EDT
I am a devout animal rescuer. I love animals and can book a ticket right now, fly over there and bring Lennox back to the USA. I would immediately take him to my Vet. and take him to Cesar Milan. Please do not kill this dog. I will be happy to go and get him out of there if they will release him. I am in North Carolina, USA but have traveled to the UK many times. This boy deserves to live, NOT DIE! If his owner will give me temporary custody I'll go and get him. PLEASE I WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES.......PLEASE DO NOT KILL THIS DOG.

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RedBranch | Jun 13, 2012, 03:34 PM EDT
I didn't know you could 'execute' animals. My gosh you learn something new on this site every day. I wonder what Lennox's last request would be?

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lindanewman | Jun 13, 2012, 02:46 PM EDT
Dogs are put down in the US everyday but the police and the dog warden do not have the right in the US to walk in to someone's house and take their dog for no reason, pit bull or not.

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ohpleasethink | Jun 13, 2012, 02:23 PM EDT
citizen wrote: In the USA pit-bulls and other breeds are put to sleep at the rate of 4000 EVERY DAY for being so-called dangerous dogs!! While I agree with the numbers, I disagree with the cause of their death. They are not being killed for their breed. They are being killed BECAUSE CRUEL breeders (negligent and intentional breeders) created them. Because they are breeding like flies, they MUST DIe like flies. The fault is NOT with those who finally kill the pits bulls, the fault lies with those who produced them. Only when society chooses to place the blame with those at fault will the killing be reduced. Pit breeders and pitmongers are the cause of the overpopulation of pits, not the "pit haters." Those who refuse to accept breed specific breeding bans as a solution for this breed specific crisis have the blood of the dead pits on their hands.

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citizen69 | Jun 13, 2012, 12:09 PM EDT
While i also wish this dog be allowed to live, let's get something into perspective here... In the USA pit-bulls and other breeds are put to sleep at the rate of 4000 EVERY DAY for being so-called dangerous dogs!! There are 75 banned or restricted dog breeds in the States. So Patrick, please stop trying to portray Northern Ireland as some kind of 'Orwellian' moral basket case, because in the 10 minutes it took you to type this article 27 so-called dangerous dogs have been needlessly executed in your own country.

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jamieLM | Jun 13, 2012, 11:01 AM EDT
@ohpleasethink, very well said, unfortunately. %Mr. Roberts, agree with your well written article. I hope these twits will be tossed out of office as soon as the opportunity arises. As if there wasn't any other solution than killing this dog. Pathetic.

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ohpleasethink | Jun 13, 2012, 08:48 AM EDT
This week tens of thousands of pits will be killed in the US, most of they innocent of any crime. Some communities have ended the killing of adoptable dogs (other than pits) because many of the non-pits are spayed or neutered, and therefore their breeding is controlled. This is because many pits are acquired for reasons other than companionship, and therefore the welfare of the dog is not of importance to the owner. Most of these dogs are therefore not spayed or neutered, so they breed and die like flies. Oddly, this is acceptable to the pit monger adovacy.* Proof is that they refuse to offer and refuse to accept any breed specific solutions to this breed specific crisis. Some even deny a crisis exists. I suppose if you don't care that too many pits, tens of thousands of pits too many, are being produced, and therefore MUST be killed, there is no crisis. Thousands of Lennoxs will be killed in communities, without breed specific laws, all across the US. More pits are killed because of careless pit breeders and uncaring pit mongers than ever will be killed due to breed specific laws. Pit mongers are like "good" gamebred pits. They love a fight. They love the adrenaline rush. But consistent, positive communicate, working together safely without a fight, to solve a problem? Not so much. *Note: I did not say Pit Bull Advocacy. Pit mongers do not actually care about pit welfare. They care about themselves and their ability to breed and own pits. The welfare of pits is not their goal.

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