A Belfast woman has failed in a final attempt to spare the life of her pit bull terrier-type dog. Northern Ireland’s most senior judges rejected Caroline Barnes legal bid to overturn an order for the destruction of her pet, Lennox.
The seven-year-old animal, which was seized by city council officials in May 2010, has been on death row for more than a year and has been the subject of a massive online campaign to spare him. Two lower courts have already ruled that the dog should be put down because it poses a risk to the public under dangerous dogs legislation.
Ms Barnes (35) had accepted that her pet was a pit bull type, but claimed there had been a failure to properly consider a possible exemption scheme.
Her legal team went before the Court of Appeal seeking to compel the County Court judge who confirmed the destruction order to state a case on points of law.