Campaigners have made a last ditch appeal to save Lennox, the dog on 'death row' in Belfast after a judge ruled the pet must die by lethal injection next Monday.
Members of the Save Lennox group told The Huffington Post UK that Belfast council is ignoring offers by Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, and Victoria Stilwell, host of 'It's Me Or The Dog' , to pay the expenses to relocate Lennox from Northern Ireland and bring him to the US to a sanctuary and freedom.
The seven-year-old canine was confiscated from his owners more than two years ago after Belfast council officials judged the dog to be a breed banned under the UK's Dangerous Dog Act (DDA).
Lennox is an American bull dog Labrador cross, but council dog wardens ruled that because he was a "possible pitbull type" he must be destroyed for the safety of the community, despite no one making a complaint about the pet.
Lennox as a puppy: picture is taken from a Save Lennox campaign video and can be viewed below
Since his removal from the family home, Lennox has been locked up in a "secret location," The Belfast Telegraph reported, as his owners tried desperately to fight his fate.
A bitter legal battle has been fought at a cost estimated to be around £22,000, with the money mostly coming out of the public purse, according to the Irish Times.
However it seems the final death knell has tolled for poor Lennox.
On 12 June, a ruling made by Belfast's Court of Appeal deemed Lennox was a danger to the public and should be put down.
Although his owner Caroline Barnes has relentlessly campaigned to save her family pet since his confiscation, a statement on the Save Lennox Facebook page late on Monday announced she would not be fighting the issue any further in the courts.
Lennox with his family: picture taken from the Save Lennox campaign: video can be seen below
The sad post from the Save Lennox campaigners declares that though there "may be errors in the Judge's ruling from a point of law this has little bearing on whether we can or should progress by taking the case to a higher court."
Stressing the importance of Lennox's welfare, the post admits they are "distraught" but said that they "have to consider the impact that any future lengthy legal battle would have on Lennox.
"We cannot subject him to any more as there are no grounds for a further appeal and we do not wish to prolong his suffering any longer by engaging in a battle that we simply cannot win," it adds.
Belfast City Council are not able to comment on the matter as the length of time able to appeal the decision has not yet run out.
However there is hope. Though the matter is no longer to be appealed in court, it seems that Lennox-lovers are taking matters into their own hands. A Facebook group organised by Save Lennox campaigners is arranging protests outside Belfast town hall, with many Facebook users flying into Belfast especially for the poor pooch.
"How many will be attending from the USA?" writes one user.
"How long does it take to get to the protest area from the airport?" writes another Lennox supporter, travelling specially to Belfast for the occasion.
The Save Lennox campaign on Facebook has more than 70,000 likes on Facebook. Take a look at a video from the Save Lennox campaigners below.