"gorgeous grapes!"
Permalink Reply by pradtf on apparently it ain't over till the fat lady sings! aran has stepped up to the plate.
Dear Members, Supporters;
Supporters will be aware of the plight of the dog Lennox suffering a terrible fate. Since the beginning of his ordeal back in May 2010 we have been writing letters, emails and phones calls to authorities in Northern Ireland calling for his release and to support the official campaign ‘Save Lennox’ run by his supporters and family. Recently we stepped in to support the peaceful ‘Save Lennox’ protest in Belfast. ARAN’s representative at the event John Carmody, helped to coordinated the protest on the day along with doing TV interviews on BBC Northern Ireland and UTV live news that went out that evening to tens of thousands of viewers helping to shine light on the plight of this helpless dog who has been put through a gruesome nightmare all because of the ridiculous Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) that’s currently in operation in Northern Ireland. Click here for footage of the protest. The Belfast protest was organized by local Save Lennox campaigners and managed to attract a great upbeat group of supporters who held placards and chanted‘Free Lennox, Let Him Go’ outside the Belfast City Hall offices. Similar demonstrations have also taken place in New York, London and elsewhere. Thestory behind Lennox has been going on for over two years where the dog was taken from his owners on grounds of BSL. For more information and to learn how you can support Lennox, please log onto the campaign’s official website and do what you can or to get updates on Lennox's plight.
in friendship,
prad
Permalink Reply by pradtf on and more from sarah (www.cfawr.org):
The TRUTH COMES OUT ABOUT LENNOX'S EVALUATION JIM CROSBY CAN NOW SPEAK !!!!!!!!
text copied below.
in friendship,
prad
====
To all media who receive this... please could you possibly write an
article abut this?
Please scroll down to see the REAL truth of Lennox’s evaluation by a certified
expert He was a gentle loving dog !!!
This totally breaks my heart reading about Lennox’s “ Behavior Evaluation” He
was a friendly warm dog but the evaluator Jim Crosby had to keep quiet while
the fight for Lennox’s life was going on. NOW HE CAN SPEAK and thank God he
has spoken !!!
Can you believe that the BCC dog behavior evaluator was an ex cop !!! He had
no dog training , evaluation experience or certification whatsoever
Please read right through and get out there ASAP to all you know media FB and
TWITTER in Belfast and here in North America .Thank you on behalf of Lennox
Now we have ammunition for a court case . We need a Lawyer to take BCC to
court on the basis of what is called professional malfeasance `and get a court
order for all BCC internal video and documents This can be done If I were in
Belfast I would do it I am not a lawyer but have had 7 years experience in
court.
BCC OUT RIGHT REFUSED Caroline Lennox’s Mama to have a final visit with him
OR be with him when he died. They have REFUSED to return his body and REFUSED
to give her Lennox’s collar as a keepsake. This is nothing short of pure
malice !
PLEASE help Lennox to get this to happen for him
Thank you for Lennox !
Sarah West Founder/President
Canadians For Animal Welfare Reform (CFAWR) www.cfawr.org
Follow us on Twitter
Canadian Ambassador World Animal Day
Canine Aggression Issues with Jim Crosby
This blog looks at the facts behind canine aggression and fatal dog attacks.
The data used here largely comes directly from Jim's on-scene and personal
investigations into these cases.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Lennox: The gloves come off.
PRE-AFTER NOTE (It makes sense in just a second) IN RESPONSE TO CONCERNED
COMMENTS:
For those concerned about my comment that I had remained in the background on
this up 'till now: I was working along with Victoria for about a year. We
presented me as an independent, unallied and qualified expert to come
re-evaluate Lennox
. I kept my prior comments on this blog thoughtful and low key in order to try
and be able to do what I do-give a fair, balanced, and professional
assessment. Making a public fuss, even though I already had my reservations,
would not have helped to gain the possible access we sought. And in all
honesty (which was expressed to the parties in charge), if I had gone to NI
and evaluated Lennox and found him dangerous, I would have publicly said so!
Now I am able, since there is no longer a chance of coming in from "outside"
as a non-threatening presence, to put my feelings and the story of my/our
efforts out there. My prior reticence was in Lennox' interest; too much said
too soon without full access and information would have done nothing to help.
Please know that, out of the public spotlight, I have been eager, ready and
willing to step in at any point and bring my professional experience to bear.
Believe me when I tell you that I am sick thinking that, just maybe, if I had
gone sooner.....and then, as we all do, I guess myself into a corner. The BCC
has had the controls the entire time. We can only know go forward and try to
keep this from happening again.
Jim
First warning: This is going to be a long one. Grab a drink and settle back-we
have some talking to do.
From the beginning of my involvement with the Lennox case (which dates back
almost a year to when Victoria Stilwell brought me in) I have stayed as
neutral and professional as possible. I have resisted criticising the BCC and
their evaluator, as we were trying to get me to Northern Ireland and get
access to Lennox to give a fair, objective, and behaviorally sound evaluation.
Sarah Fisher had done a great job, but I brought extensive "Pit Bull"
experience coupled with unparalleled experience with "killer dogs" (dogs that
have taken human lives). So I kept my opinion considered and low key, hoping
that I could have come in as an "outside" expert, supplemented Victoria and
Sarah's efforts, and gotten the BCC to listen. Now that Lennox is dead and the
case is over, I no longer have to hold my tongue.
Let's look at the "qualifications" of the only evaluation that the BCC or
Court accepted. The BCC "evaluator" is, admittedly, a former police Constable.
So am I, except that instead of being a Constable, the equivalent here in the
US to a base Patrolman, I retired as a Lieutenant and Watch Commander, the UK
equivalent of a full Inspector with the Metropolitan Police. I am also a
certified Behavior Consultant (he has no such training), have been certified
as a Professional Dog Trainer, and am trained and certified as a behavior
evaluator by several organizations-and he is not. I have further, over the
years, worked with, trained, and evaluated what are probably over a thousand
Pit Bulls and other breeds prohibited in the UK, certainly more than the BCC
evaluator.
In fact, their evaluator, who's evaluation history seems to be summed up by
"knows a Pit Bull when he is paid to find one" isn't even a dog show judge.
Wouldn't a conformation expert such as a show judge have been a better choice
if we were going to see if a dog physically met a breed standard?
Sarah Fisher, a bona-fide behaviorist, issued her opinion as to Lennox' safe
demeanor, but her opinion was spurned. One suspects that the BCC had issues
with the opinion of a "mere woman" despite her clear qualifications.
So another outside evaluator, with credentials, was brought in by the Barnes
family, this time a man. David Ryans conducted a second evaluation, and was
also rejected by the BCC. Rumor had it at the time that they did not consider
Ryans experienced enough with prohibited breeds.
All that said, I have looked carefully at the video of Mr. Ryans, and would
like to walk you all through what I see.
The video I am referring to is posted online here: http://
lennoxsandielightfoot.blogspot.com/2012/07/
video-of-sandie-lightfoot-and-belfast.html The times given refer to the times
listed on the running video.
The test starts with Lennox on leash, held by a female Animal Control person,
with both the Animal Control person and David Ryans (presumably a stranger to
Lennox), a behaviorist, seated in chairs. Lennox is being petted by the
female. Lennox is seated and seems to be relaxed.
As Mr. Ryans is placing a notebook into a bag at his side, Lennox approaches
under Mr. Ryans' leg to see what he is doing. He shows no fear or reticence
towards Ryans, just mild interest in the bag. Ryans places his open hand
directly on Lennox snout to pet him and guide him back from under Ryans' legs.
Lennox returns to the seated female and seeks her attention (about 32 seconds
in). Mr. Ryans then proffers a treat repeatedly to Lennox, extending it and
then removing it from Lennox' reach. Lennox is focused on the treat, but
allows Ryans to take the treat back repeatedly with no sign of possession
aggression or reluctance. Lennox never snaps, lunges, or does anything other
than wait for Ryans to surrender the treat. Lennox does, for a moment, try to
get up and approach Ryans and the treat, but immediately returns to a sit when
asked. Lennox' responses are positive and he readily seeks appropriate,
positive contact with Ryans' Lennox does briefly try to get in Ryans' lap, but
responds immediately when asked to get off. Ryans appears to "pop" Lennox on
the snout several times with an open hand (about 1:27) to elicit a response.
Lennox briefly and calmly retreats, but continues to try and make positive
contact with Ryans with no defensive or aggressive display.
Ryans then stands up. Lennox continues to make appropriate positive contact,
and shows no negative response to Ryans despite his looming stance over
Lennox. Lennox watches as Ryans turns away and reaches for more treats. Lennox
makes no attempt to go after Ryans while his back is turned.
Lennox then allows Ryans to approach frontally and back him up, almost to the
wall, with Ryans maintaining a tall, directly frontal stance. Lennox sits
attentively. Ryans then challenges Lennox with a direct, frontal stare. Lennox
responds peacefully, turning his head, and remains calm, retreating briefly
and returning to the handler, then partially turning away to defuse the
challenge of Ryan's. At no time did Lennox show even the most remote
aggressive response to this stranger, Mr. Ryans.
Now, please compare my notes here to an evaluation I conducted regarding a
frankly aggressive animal we will call "JoJo" (not his name). Remember-these
following notes are an aggressive dog, NOT Lennox!
"JoJo did not allow me to make direct contact. JoJo is very suspicious of
others. When he was out XXX was holding him. JoJo was tense and alert. JoJo
reacted violently to sustained eye contact, in full lunge and attack mode,
teeth bared and barking/growling strongly. Once JoJo reacted to me he kept a
very wary eye on me and did not relax. WARNING: JOJO HAS DISPLAYED HUMAN FOCUS
AGGRESSION. JOJO MAY BE A THREAT TO HUMANS. JOJO IS A HIGH LIABILITY DOG.
Humane containment and management is the best strategy for him."
Does this look a little different from the objective appraisal of Lennox? I
certainly think so."JoJo" was clearly an aggressive dog, and reading my
assessment of Lennox, or watching the video, shows the reality of Lennox'
interaction with Mr. Ryans-completely non-aggressive.
For those wanting to see the evaluation of another dog accused of aggression
that turned out NOT to be an aggressive dog, please watch the following: http:
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHdpQP76WKs
You will see that this evaluation is far more extensive, and is conducted with
this "killer" dog unrestrained. Helo's evaluation included substantial direct
contact between me and the dog, and let me see far more of Helo's true
behavior. Mr. Ryan was operating under the constraints imposed by the BCC.
I will bet that the BCC evaluator never interacted freely with Lennox. I also
suspect that the BCC evaluator never grabbed Lennox by the face, never met his
gaze eye-to-eye, never tried to take a food bowl away-in fact, I would guess
that their evaluator's whole opinion was derived from a closely limited
situation like they imposed on Mr. Ryan. That is not a fair or appropriate
evaluation.
The evaluation for that dog, Helo, is summarized here:
"I first observed Helo inhis kennel. He came to the front of thekennel as I
passed and was alert and quiet. I then proceeded to the fenced play area at
the facility and had Helobrought out to me to interact and greet off leash.
Helo greeted me readily and appropriately,sniffing and alert. He approached
headup, with no show of shyness or aggression. He readily sought contact but
was also interested in checking out theimmediate area.
Helo readily allowed me topet him, and then allowed ready manipulation of his
head, ears, mouth, andtail. He allowed me to manipulate hisrear feet, but was
sensitive to handling of his front legs, consistent with theexpected behavior
of an animal that has recently received a leg injury. His right front leg
still showed visibleswelling. I grasped Helo by the sides ofhis face and, at
close range, met his gaze directly. Helo broke eye contact first and did
notgrowl, stiffen his posture, or show any typical signs of stress
oraggression. Helo repeatedly allowed meto grab his collar, stand over him,
and examine his bite and teeth formeasurements. I conducted a “squeezetest”
wherein the tester grabs handfuls of fur and skin and gently squeezes
todetermine the tested dog’s reactions. Helo did turn his head towards my hand
as I proceeded down his body, butdid not open his mouth, snap, nip, or
muzzle-punch in reaction. His body posture remained neutral during thistest.
I offered Helo high-valuetreats (Pupperoni) and he took them readily. Helo
allowed me to proffer the treats and then remove them from his bitewith no
resistance or attempt to guard or protect the treats. I also gave Helo a bowl
of food (he had notreceived his morning feeding yet) and he allowed me to
present and remove thefood repeatedly. Helo allowed me tomanipulate his face
while eating, and only gave a minimal grumble when Iphysically placed my hand
into the kibble he was eating while he ate.
Helo is fairly wellbehaved, sitting on command fairly often (approximately
70%) and has a lesserresponse to being called (about 30%).
Helo exhibited no sensitivity to loud noises or strange objects."
Note that my written evaluations of Lennox, "JoJo", and Helo never use
language such as "the most dangerous dog I have ever seen" or any of the other
nonsense that the BCC's evaluator has used. Such emotional language has no
place in a behavioral assessment. My evaluations never mention the dogs'
appearance, as physical appearance has absolutely no bearing on behavior. In
fact, "JoJo" wasn't even a breed banned in the UK. Neither was Helo.
Lennox certainly got short shrift in this incident. The evaluator that the
Court relied upon is clearly unqualified to assess temperament and behavior.
He doesn't even have the credentials to assess adherence to a breed standard.
And frankly, if their evaluator thinks that Lennox was the "most dangerous
dog" he had ever seen-please come meet some off the guys I have handled and
evaluated after they have killed humans. I have seen more dangerous Cocker
Spaniels. Please, if you are to be considered a professional, try not to
embarrass yourself with such twaddle.
I am so sorry Lennox. We tried to get you a fair shot. I just hope your death
serves to be the seed for change, and that your sacrifice motivates others to
fight unfair laws based in ignorance and hate.
Posted byJames W. Crosby CBCC-KAat1:11 PMht
Permalink Reply by pradtf on two items again from sarah (www.cfawr.org).
the present belfast city clowncil and others mindless entities like it are a blight upon civilized society. its members should be publicized, prosecuted and sentenced for their crimes.
in friendship,
prad
====
dogs are sentenced to death because of their looks ...
Star of ‘It’s Me or the Dog’ Says Council Members Threatened Her
Victoria Stilwell, star of “It’s Me or the Dog,” claims she has been both threatened and sued by members of BCC.
Let's look at the "qualifications" of the only evaluation that the BCC or Court accepted. The BCC "evaluator" is, admittedly, a former police Constable. So am I, except that instead of being a Constable, the equivalent here in the US to a base Patrolman, I retired as a Lieutenant and Watch Commander, the UK equivalent of a full Inspector with the Metropolitan Police. I am also a certified Behavior Consultant (he has no such training), have been certified as a Professional Dog Trainer, and am trained and certified as a behavior evaluator by several organizations-and he is not. I have further, over the years, worked with, trained, and evaluated what are probably over a thousand Pit Bulls and other breeds prohibited in the UK, certainly more than the BCC evaluator.When Lennox was assessed by Tallack, he was deemed a pit bull type based on measurements taken with a tape measure. But said Crosby, "their evaluator, who's evaluation history seems to be summed up by "knows a Pit Bull when he is paid to find one" isn't even a dog show judge," Crosby said. "Surely a "conformation expert such as a show judge" he added, would "have been a better choice if we were going to see if a dog physically met a breed standard?" Crosby then studies and breaks down the video of Lennox's assessment by independent dog behaviorist David Ryans. On the left is Ms. Lightfoot, the dog warden who testified in court that Lennox was so aggressive, she was scared to be around him. Yet she is shown sitting down, holding Lennox, and petting him, a year after he was seized. After viewing the video, another dog behaviorist commented on Crosby's article:
I'm not sure I have ever seen someone scared of a dog start an assessment sitting down. I know I certainly start ALL of mine standing, and I especially won't sit if I know the dog had shown aggression in the past. I'll only sit in a chair if I've had a lot of positive feedback from the dog. If they were so scared of him, why didn't they show a little self preservation?After analyzing Lennox's assessment himself, Crosby also concludes:
The evaluator that the Court relied upon is clearly unqualified to assess temperament and behavior. He doesn't even have the credentials to assess adherence to a breed standard. And frankly, if their evaluator thinks that Lennox was the "most dangerous dog" he had ever seen-please come meet some of the guys I have handled and evaluated after they have killed humans. I have seen more dangerous Cocker Spaniels. Please, if you are to be considered a professional, try not to embarrass yourself with such twaddle.Stilwell said that Crosby's report was "a window into how it should be done," and explained that when she received a "copy of the BCC's 'expert's' report," it was only "supposed to be an evaluation of Lennox's measurements to determine whether Lennox was of pitbull type (which is laughable in itself.)" The last paragraph of the report Stilwell reveals, "states that even though this expert knows that he has only been brought in to measure Lennox he still offers his opinion of Lennox's behavior, which he questions. That's it - one paragraph." The Animal Planet star, who had offered to take Lennox to the USA and pay all of the expenses incurred, also said that she has copies of the behavioral evaluation reports from both David Ryan and Sarah Fisher, two expert dog behaviorists. Both contain, Stilwell said, "pages and pages of detailed, intelligent, unbiased and thorough investigations of Lennox's behavior." But "the BCC" she added, "stand by their 'expert' and so did the courts, discrediting the evidence of two qualified behavioral experts. Is that justice? Is that fair?" the star said. Stilwell's criticism follows on the heels of Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson, who yesterday used Twitter to condemn the decision to put Lennox to sleep writes the Irish Times. "Destroying a dog that had no history of aggression is folly and shames society," the DUP leader said. Robinson had strongly urged Belfast City Council to seriously consider the re-homing option. "Why exercise the order" he said, "if there's an alternative?"
Permalink Reply by BigG. on Thanks,
Prad for exposing them.
I sent a email to the local news agency to investigate these scoundrels.
Take care,
Permalink Reply by pradtf on here is a victim:
Stop animal abuse by Regional District of Central Okanagan.
this is the latest effort sent by sinikka to help:
====
From: Sinikka Crosland [mailto:sinikka@defendhorsescanada.org]
Sent: December-15-12 4:00 PM
To: cfawr@telus.net
Subject: E-mail a message of hope to Diesel, an imprisoned dog
Thank you to those supporters who have sent holiday greeting cards to Diesel
via RDCO. You can also help Diesel by e-mailing your message to:
Robert.Hobson@cord.bc.ca
Cc: info@cord.bc.ca;
infodogcontrol@cord.bc.ca,mayor@peachland.ca,Robert.Hobson@cord.bc.ca,baker@lakecountry.bc.ca,Jim.Edgson@cord.bc.ca,
cbasran@kelowna.ca,patty.hanson@cord.bc.ca,wgray@kelowna.ca,
Doug.Findlater@districtofwestside.ca,andre@andres1.com,
ggiven@kelowna.ca,gzimmermann@kelowna.ca,Duane.Ophus@districtofwestside.ca
(Copy/paste the above e-addresses into the "To" and "Cc" fields.)
Please make sure that your message is for Diesel, not for the RDCO.
When similar actions were taken on behalf of Shadow, another dog incarcerated
at the pound, RDCO evidently received so many messages that their computers
shut down.
To read a great letter by Diesel (aka Al Vickers), go here: http://
www.kelownacapnews.com/opinion/letters/183441491.html ("Humanizing dog might
make CORD board melt"). Please make sure to leave a strong but polite
comment below the letter (the site uses a Facebook plugin).
More information on Diesel here:http://esoldieractivation.info/17.html
Thank you, on Diesel's behalf!
__________________________________
Diesel is on death row at the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) dog
compound. He has been incarcerated at the pound since March 11, 2011, while
caught in legal wranglings between the RDCO and his human companion, Dave
Smith. Offers to foster Diesel in the interim have been turned down. The dog
still remains in custody and upcoming court proceedings will decide his fate.
We invite you to send a message of peace and hope to Diesel (via the RDCO)
this holiday season, a message conveying your concern that the RDCO should
drop its order that Diesel be destroyed. Diesel is now approximately 7 years
old. An animal should never have to remain in confinement for months on end
while the legal system flounders.
In Diesel's case, his wrongdoing has not even been proven. Diesel allegedly
attacked a Shar-Pei dog, but when that case went to trial, the Bylaw officer
failed to come to court. The case was dismissed for lack of evidence.
A qualified trainer who assessed Diesel feels that the dog is not
aggressive. The judge who issued a preliminary death sentence in August relied
on the District's dog behaviour expert, as well as the bylaw officer's
opinion, while rejecting the evidence of Dave Smith's dog expert. The judge
willingly listened to the District's 9 witnesses and their own dog expert. In
order to save court time, only two of Mr. Smith's witnesses and the dog expert
were permitted to be present. Furthermore, the District had a lawyer while Mr.
Smith represented himself. Something is very wrong with this picture.
In the meantime, Diesel continues to languish in prison while a death sentence
hangs over his head.
Please consider sending Diesel your thoughts about his plight, along with your
fervent wish for his safety throughout this season of "peace" and into the new
year. The RDCO needs to drop their case against him and do the right thing by
releasing Diesel from prison and into a caring home. Further,
the district needs to end its persecution of all animals who cannot speak to
defend themselves.
To send a holiday greeting to Diesel:
Diesel, c/o Mr. Robert Hobson, Chair
Regional District of Central Okanagan
1450 KLO Road
Kelowna, B.C. V1W 3Z4
====
in friendship,
prad
ednshell replied to fig's discussion STOP MONSANTO protest this saturday, world wide! Please join us!ednshell replied to fig's discussion STOP MONSANTO protest this saturday, world wide! Please join us!
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