A Message from Animal Farm Foundation

Animal Farm Foundation 
posted on Facebook 11 July 2012

Our hearts go out to the family of Lennox, a family dog who was executed today by the Belfast City Council under the Dangerous Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1991. This law discriminates against "any dog of the type known as the pit bull terrier," a determination that is made by the court based on the dog's physical characteristics, not his behavior or, more important, the owner's behavior. 

Wherever breed discriminatory legislation (BDL) has been tried -- abroad and in the US -- it has consistently failed to enhance public safety and protect the public from reckless owners. This paper from the National Canine Research Council outlines the worldwide failures of BDL: http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/World-wide%20Failure%20of%20BSL.pdf

BDL not only fails to meet its objective of public safety, it also wastes precious taxpayer dollars and resources that could otherwise be used to build better communities for people and pets alike. Imagine what could have been accomplished in the two years Belfast spent targeting Lennox? Imagine the improvements that could have been made to the Belfast community, had its leaders invested in effective dog laws instead of being guided by fear?

We hope everyone who advocated for Lennox will continue their efforts for dogs here in the US. Every day places like Denver, Miami-Dade County, Prince George's County (Maryland), and small towns across the country execute family pets like Lennox just because of the way they look. Every day US taxpayer dollars are wasted, US families are torn apart, and US communities fail to thrive because of needless hysteria and ineffective legislation. Every day there is a need -- and an opportunity -- to "Save Lennox."

But let us not lose sight of the significant progress being made. As of 2012, more communities are rejecting or repealing BDL than are passing it. The current industry standard is to evaulate dogs as individuals and hold humans accountable for their actions. Most animal shelters provide "pit bull" dogs with the same treatment and opportunity as other dogs, based on their individual behavior. The overwhelming majority of "pit bull" dog owners -- like all dog owners -- are responsible people who care deeply about public safety and their pet's well-being. And as a result, dog bites throughout the US are at historic lows and communities are safer than they've ever been, despite increases in both human and canine populations.

The story of Lennox came to a tragic and cruel end today. But together we can start a new chapter in the human-canine bond so that history stops repeating itself and the human-canine bond continues to thrive.