It was self defence..I think the "dogphobic" thing is a little silly.

Posted by: Courtney | July 21, 2008 07:43 PM

Personally I applaud the movie for actually showing how vicious mistreated dogs can be. I think in a movie this good it would have been a cop out to have Batman pull out his anti-dog spray. I also find it funny that people are offended that he punched dogs but the hundred of criminals and police officers beaten and killed in the movie are just fine.

Posted by: Nilus | July 21, 2008 08:18 PM

Still no Catwoman??!! WTF?!

In other news:

I'm heartbroken to hear this about the new Batman film. As a big-time Christopher Nolan fan, I was really looking forward to seeing this one. How disappointing.

Posted by: Bill | July 21, 2008 08:19 PM

Don't know if he counts as a superhero, but I love Avatar, the last Airbender who is a vegetarian and tries to protect all living things.

Posted by: Stacey | July 21, 2008 09:40 PM

o come on i mean ur making the post like a bat man walked up to the dog and beat the shit out of it..if something is attacking me imma beat it up dog or human..i mean u try reasoning with the dog while its tryna go at ur throat

Posted by: jonathan | July 21, 2008 09:54 PM

And why use Rottweilers? Isn't there enough prejudice?

Posted by: Sapna | July 21, 2008 11:48 PM

NOOO, i saw Batman the dark night this weekend to, and was so sad when he attacked the dogs... But it was the jokers fault... Hopefully the dogs didn't really get harmed in the making of the film...BTW heath Ledgers performance was awesome, I wouldn't have liked the movie was it not for Him, he should defiantly get the oscar. R.I.P Heath!

Posted by: Brendan | July 22, 2008 01:42 AM

I can't believe you took Batman off the list! And then he is replaced by Hellboy! I saw The Dark Knight and I don't think there was reason to take him off the list.

Posted by: Lila Vixen | July 22, 2008 06:01 AM

Don't forget Striperella!

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/3245/stripperella1450fg2.jpg

Posted by: Curtis | July 22, 2008 06:30 AM

Oh seriously, this has to be the lamest complaint I've ever heard, he was being attacked by savage dogs, it's not like he's just gonna stand there and take it while The Joker kills hundreds of people on the ferries. How is that a sidestep? Encouraging people not to defend themselves when being attacked borderlines on the stupidity of attacking Steve Irwin after he died like cowards. Sometimes I wonder whether PETA are more interested in actually helping animals, or whining about bullshit to get news coverage. You know, there is such thing as bad publicity, perhaps you should look at Michael Jackson.

Posted by: ExplodingClowns | July 22, 2008 07:13 AM

i'm still gonna go see it.

it's just a movie.

Posted by: brandie r | July 22, 2008 09:14 AM

Pathetic, really. I guess if it were you, you would just let the dog kill you. Oh, no, take out some peanut butter, right? As the dog is gnawing into your arms like a trained killer, you are fumbling around with peanut butter. Nice. After the dog kills you, I am sure he will enjoy the peanut butter as a nice treat.

Posted by: Anonymous | July 22, 2008 10:43 AM

I don't think he attacked the dogs at all. He didn't seek them out so that he could injure them. He wasn't unusually cruel.

I appreciate the vigilance but think this may not be a good example.

Posted by: Jim | July 22, 2008 11:44 AM

Honestly I have to agree with everyone disagreeing with these posts
i have dogs specifically 3 rottwielers and ya know what even i wasnt offeneded by the movie
the dogs were trying to KNAW ON HIM LIKE HE WAS A BACON STRIP!!!
I'da hit them damn thing too
it wasnt like he was beating innocent harmless puppies here folks
they were supposed to represent trained attack dogs
and i happen to know none of the animals were injured
so honestly hush
i love dogs
and i love batman!
and i betcha batman loves dogs when they arent trying to EAT him!

Posted by: Jess | July 22, 2008 11:47 AM

I haven't seen the movie yet but with that scene? Not sure I want to see it! I know it's just a movie but you do know there's some creep out there who will think "Batman did it so can I". Don't people think when they write a script? And I thought I was nuts when I scolded my son for his character hitting a dog in a video game...

Posted by: Isabelle | July 22, 2008 12:28 PM

I was sad in a way when batman killed the dogs, but please dont be ridiculous! Of course you are going to defend yourself when someone either human or animal is attacking you! I agree with everyone else. And, it's JUST A MOVIE!

Posted by: Bianca | July 22, 2008 12:40 PM

It's just such a bad stereotype, and so predictable. I didn't see the movie, but rottweilers? Yawn! That's really contrived.

Of course people might have to defend themselves if they are ACTUALLY attacked by a dog, but in this case the producer made a choice to make these dogs look vicious. Could have done better.

Posted by: Maya, CVT | July 22, 2008 12:43 PM

Um...where he was gonna put the peanut butter in those tights?

Posted by: Tabitha | July 22, 2008 12:44 PM

This is just silly. Clearly, Peta is more concerned with trying to get some small mention in all of the Dark Knight-related press than in making logical or legitimate points and being responsible with its time and efforts that use members' money. I hope Christine is a volunteer so that Peta members didn't just pay her salary for the time she wasted thinking up this desperate ploy for attention.

Posted by: John Q | July 22, 2008 01:55 PM

I won't be seeing this movie after hearing that Batman hits dogs...very uncool. Dogs that are trained to attack humans are no different than children trained to attack and kill (Blood Diamonds). They have no clue what they are doing, so every effort should be made to not harm them regardless of their HUMAN TAUGHT aggression. Batman should be punching the jerks that trained them to attack humans. Batman is so overdone, I'm sick of it anyway. I prefer Superman anyway, he can fly around the Earth and reverse time, what's better than that?

Posted by: vegan4animals | July 22, 2008 02:00 PM

lol Anonymous.

Posted by: S.Q. | July 22, 2008 02:30 PM

I saw The Dark Knight and found no reason for taking him off the list. And of all the people to replace him with you pick Hellboy! This is ridiculous!

Posted by: Lila Morson | July 22, 2008 03:03 PM

The PETA Files....

say it out loud, kids.

Posted by: Seth | July 22, 2008 03:56 PM

I think you are being a little dramatic. I as sad to see the dogs in this movie get punched, especially since my best friend is a rottweiler. We all know that these dogs were not actually harmed during the making of this movie. If they had, I think it would have made news by now and have caused a total uproar.

I agree with some of the other posts. I wouldn't sit there and let a dog kill me. Most people who have any sense, know that the movie is portraying badly mistreated dogs who were taught to attack. The Batman character didn't seek out dogs to punch. Nothing about the movie made me think,"animal cruelty", and I am hyper aware of animal cruelty.

I think that when blogs like this are written by someone on behalf of "PETA", you make PETA look bad. The preception of PETA is already scared. I believe in the true mission of PETA and believe that they do actually do good work....but this article is dramatic. If there were true animals harmed during the making of this movie, than an article like this would be well received. I do not believe that anyone will go out and punch a dog, just from seeing Batman. Please, I beg of you PETA bloggers....pick your battles wisely, or eventually, NO ONE will listen anymore.

Posted by: Nic | July 22, 2008 04:43 PM

how lame is this?? It is a MOVIE!!! none of them are being hurt, geez, i saw the movie and honestly, it was AMAZING!!! and seriously, had i been attacked by dogs i would have beat the crap out of them or shot them. I would NOT sacrifice my life so they could eat me.

Posted by: aj | July 22, 2008 09:38 PM

So you do know the Dogs kill people right so should they get away with murder

Posted by: michael | July 22, 2008 10:15 PM

Are you serious?

No animals were harmed in actuality, and the dogs were ATTACKING Batman! I hold animals near and dear to my heart, but I'm sorry, if a dog came at me, I'd defend myself, too.

Posted by: Nai | July 23, 2008 01:00 AM

In Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" series (books) yes, I'm a sad geek into fantasy fiction!

The main character discovers a power within him, he becomes a deadly killing machine, but eats no meat due to having to balance out his bloodletting, meat makes him physically sick. There are 12 books in the series and if you have a spare couple of months I suggest you check them all out..

Posted by: Matt | July 23, 2008 05:35 AM

if you're as big a fan of batman as you claim, i'm wondering why you didn't include the TWO disclaimers the movie made, BEFORE and AFTER the showing. it specifically said that no animals were harmed in the making of the movie. it's called computer animation, and it was clear those dogs were computerized, my god.

honestly, write about something more interesting.

Posted by: kyrie | July 23, 2008 11:10 AM

two words here-computer animation. the dogs were not real during any of the sequences where batman hit them. grow up PETA, seriously.

Posted by: Onai | July 23, 2008 11:15 AM

oh please, it's just a movie. if you can read, you saw that no animals were hurt. and if a vicious animal were to attack you, you're telling me you wouldnt defend yourself? right.

Posted by: heather | July 23, 2008 04:19 PM

You need to get over yourself and just enjoy the movie. The dogs are perfectly fine and are probably very loved by their owner.

Posted by: Adam S | July 23, 2008 04:26 PM

I think you're overreacting. I'd like to see any member of PETA scale a huge building, save a bunch of innocent people, try to stop the Joker, and manage to humanely stop vicious dogs from tearing him to shreds without pissing his pants.

I am starting to lose some respect for PETA, which is sad since PETA is the reason I went vegan in the first place.

Posted by: Alex | July 23, 2008 04:32 PM

it's just a movie. if you watch the credits, it clearly says the animals were not harmed in the making of the movie.

Posted by: caitlin | July 23, 2008 04:32 PM

At the end of the film, there is a disclaimer, all actions were monitored and no animals were hurt making the film. Let's be realistic, it is a movie. No one is going to punch a dog because batman did it, and if they do they were just looking for an excuse and are crazy anyways. Secondly, if he had have done anything other then physically protect himself, he would have died, assuming he was a real person. But, if we're going to live in a pretend land where Superheros really do change lives, remember, Batman does not kill, and never hurts anyone unless it's in self defense. Take it for what it's worth.

Posted by: Mika | July 23, 2008 04:34 PM

so the hundreds of innocent people and police officers killed mean nothing in a movie, but Batman tossing the three dogs aside, not beating them,while the joker beats him with a lead pipe is completely horrible, i sure hope this blog post is a personal view and not a short sided view of the PETA organization

Posted by: dark knight fan | July 23, 2008 04:39 PM

This is part of the reason why our country is falling apart more and more every day. Don't you people have anything better to do with your day then to pick on a MOVIE about a scene where dogs are being hurt but not really. Do us all a favor GO GET A LIFE!

Posted by: Michael Higgins | July 23, 2008 04:47 PM

You people are beyond ridiculous. Several of these comments truly show how hypocritical many peta supporters are. Firstly, it's a film. I understand you probably think that many people will not be able to distinguish a film from reality, but if there is someone who goes into Batman thinking there is really a billionaire playboy that dresses up like a bat at night, then we have much bigger problems. Unless they are holding screenings at mental institutions, there is a slim chance of that happening. Secondly, it's a small part in a two and a half hour long movie! I also noticed someone in the comments asking why they chose that particular breed of dog for the scene and that they are giving it a bad rep (due to stereotypes that already exist). I will retort with, why did they hire black people to play gangsters? Isn't that along the same lines? It's offending someone in some way. The only difference between everyone else and you is that they understand it's a film and they don't complain. Therefore, the only people that can't distinguish between a film and reality are the same people writing about it. Move along and do something productive for this world.

Posted by: Sirus Valderag | July 23, 2008 05:15 PM

Sorry to tell you this... most movies are not reality, including the Dark Knight.
I'm sorry Batman was so 'awful' to defend himself when he was getting attacked by vicious dogs.
THINK BEFORE YOU WRITE. And... READ BEFORE YOU POST.

Posted by: Kelly | July 23, 2008 05:50 PM

I also agree that this just seemed like a desperate ploy to cash in on the Batman success. I am going to assume that if Christine was being attacked by dogs, she would not whip out the 'peanut butter treats' she carries around for such events. I'm also going to assume that she would do whatever was in her power to fight for her life, including hitting a dog or two.

I love my dog, and would never hurt her, but in Batman's case, he was justified.

PETA's just looking for a little bit of attention, which is sad, but quickly becoming commonplace.

Posted by: Miranda | July 23, 2008 06:19 PM

Is this a joke? Dude, the dogs FUCKING ATTACKED HIM! Get attacked by a rabid, sharp-toothed animal and see how well your peanut butter treats work.

Posted by: HarveyStewart | July 23, 2008 06:35 PM

the dark knight was one of the best action movies I have ever seen. I'm a big time animal lover but you gotta draw the line some where. PETA is getting way to carried away about batman beating up dogs. Its a freakin movie for crying out loud. All of you guy need to relax and take a chill pill. get a life!!

Posted by: sally | July 23, 2008 06:37 PM

Peanut butter? Are you stupid? In the movie, the dogs were obviously trained to attack/ kill people. I highly doubt that the dogs will fetch after peanut butter rather than gnawing batman alive. Plus, like everyone else mentioned... IT'S A MOVIE. No dogs were actually harmed. PETA, stop being lame and ridiculously ignorant. Of course, if a dog came after you and wanted to eat you alive, I'm sure you'll be willing to sacrifice your body for it. Mmm...delicious.

Posted by: Anonymus | July 23, 2008 06:52 PM

You do realize this is a movie, right? I'm sure the dogs they use in the film were treated well and are in all likelihood still alive and doing well.

It's apart of the frickin story. The dogs were sent to attack him and he defended himself. Would you have the Joker or the gangsters use harsh language or hit Batman with a pillow?

Posted by: Lori | July 23, 2008 07:00 PM

Sirus, LOL I like your comment about people taking the film literally - it would be quite something to have guys in capes "flying" around the cities.

Please try to understand why PETA did this. They initially nominated Batman as an animal-friendly movie. They regretted it after they saw the dog scene.

I was attacked by a German Shepherd when I was 11 years old, he bit me beside my spine twice and caused terrible nerve damage in my arms. It was a family friend's dog so we just let it go.

That poor dog was so aggressive because the owner tied him to a doghouse outside 24 hours a day in all kinds of freezing weather. He never got walked or anything.

After he bit me his owner still left him tied on a short rusty chain to the dog house (in the driveway, no less!) but he now kicked the crap out of the dog every day until the poor thing died of old age, 9 years later.

I can never forget the agony of seeing that dog be abused and neglected and the stereotype of bad dogs does not help the cause. I'd rather have PETA overreact than fall into the same old pattern of treating large dogs as evil.

PETA accomplishes things by questioning our attitudes, just like they did in the civil and women's rights movements.

Posted by: Maya, C.V.T. | July 23, 2008 07:07 PM

Are you kidding me?

First off, It's a movie.

I.e. it's not real.

Now I love animals and I have two dogs but come on this is a bit silly. And if you are going to argue this in the movie "batman's" actions were self-defense. You wouldn't react if a violent dog was attacking you?

Again as much as I love animals if a dog is attacking me I am going to react and protect myself as well as those around me.

Stop this bullshit. You're wasting your time.

Go help real animals!

Posted by: Annie | July 23, 2008 07:08 PM

YOU'RE OVERREACTING (as usual).

Stop trying to get PETA mentioned in all this Dark Knight press, K? It's not your time to be in the spotlight for something amazing, and nor will it ever be.

Posted by: the joker | July 23, 2008 08:39 PM

Yeah...
let's all tell everybody to NEVER watch this movie!!!

C'mon... people on PETA is so paranoic and irritating! This is just a movie... why in the world people would be influenced by it? (I mean sane people, not all of those mindless fat americans who would grab a gun and shoot anyone)

I really think that you guys should be more ETHICAL and respect other people. Batman is a great movie and it is surrounded by the tragic death of Heath Ledger. I think PETA should be more respectful and try not to avoid people from watching his great art!
And OF COURSE: if PETA is aware of those scenes in the movie, is because you've seen this movie.
Please, let's discuss all the other scenes that makes the movie so awesome!

Posted by: Karina | July 23, 2008 09:04 PM

Omg!! i really cant believe that some idiot, wasted there time to talk about this. This is the one thing i hate about PETA, sometimes they bitch for the stupidest reasons. Its a movie!!! i mean yeah, for like 2 seconds he hurts 2 dogs, but its not like they really died and that scene is gonna have a serious affect on ppl, there are so much memoribal things in that movie. So for once in life, can we just all enjoy a nice summer movie without complaining for stupid reasons?

Posted by: Joe | July 23, 2008 09:32 PM

PETA is overreacting yet AGAIN.
What's next, complaining to Disney because Mickey makes Pluto sleep outside?
This is ridiculous!
Keep up being unreasonable and you'll lose all your brainwashed supporters.

Posted by: Hannah | July 23, 2008 10:14 PM

Please, please, this is so terribly ridiculous. Honestly, I've been a vegetarian for 6 years now and I hate all these stupid over-reactive PETA people. They're insane. I'm not sure if rational thought is something that members of PETA actually subscribe to, because I've had friends who are PETA fans and they're just about as ridiculous as this. I think Curtis up there said it best. And so, I will QFE (Quote For Emphasis) for your enjoyment.

"Oh seriously, this has to be the lamest complaint I've ever heard, he was being attacked by savage dogs, it's not like he's just gonna stand there and take it while The Joker kills hundreds of people on the ferries. How is that a sidestep? Encouraging people not to defend themselves when being attacked borderlines on the stupidity of attacking Steve Irwin after he died like cowards. Sometimes I wonder whether PETA are more interested in actually helping animals, or whining about bullshit to get news coverage. You know, there is such thing as bad publicity, perhaps you should look at Michael Jackson."

'Nuff said?

Posted by: Brent | July 23, 2008 10:47 PM

PETA bites in the first place. There's a reason why people use animals for stuff: Because we need to! It's all part of the food chain. Helloooooo!

Batman is fucking awesome! No doubt about it. He's ultimately the best superhero and secondly, it's called defence. Who the hell cares if three dogs got hurt? It's a MOVIE! Jeez PETA, relax. First Pamela Anderson blows a gasket over Jessica Simpson's tee, now you guys are blowing a MOVIE out of proportion. Hahah, losers! All of you!!

If something is attacking you, ready to bite and kill you, than NO, you DO NOT have time to pull gadgets outta your belt to use. You use reflexes which are your hands. Survival of the fittest, y'all. Batman was stronger than the dogs and did what he could to survive. Simple as that.

Posted by: JWood | July 23, 2008 11:16 PM

this is the stupidest thing ever he didnt really hurt them im sure he didnt plan on seeing dogs there and he didnt have neat er anything in him would u ppl are fuckin retards

Posted by: jessica | July 23, 2008 11:30 PM

Now, I realize the lack of protein going to your brain from not eating meat may impair your thinking, but let's stop at think here.

If you were being attacked by a wild dog, what would you do? Embrace it? Fight for its rights?

You'd get it the heck off of you.

Don't you think its more cruel that the dogs were trained to be attack dogs in the first place?

Posted by: Keith Novak | July 23, 2008 11:48 PM

okay yeah animal testing is bad u talk about animals dying in cages but yet what does that have to do with batman the movie not actually hurting a real dog but punching a fake dog in a movie im 13 and i know that its self defense and if u were to say something like oh throw a steak yeahh who carries 16 GOD DAMN steaks on them no one wants to hear opinion about un realted topics were talking about a fc movie
Love Jessica XD

Posted by: Jessica | July 23, 2008 11:50 PM

And this is why Peta can never be taken seriously. Because they live a joke life.

Posted by: Jessica | July 23, 2008 11:54 PM

i used to like this association, then you all got arrogant, and became a mass of people ignorant and intolerable.

i love animals. i wouldn't mind working with them for the rest of my life.

but seriously? making a big fucking deal about batman punching a few out of control dogs...you honestly think that batman using some of his gadgets on the dogs would be way better...riiiight. he'd throw one of his throwing bats at them and kill one and then you all would be in a huge bitch fit because batman killed the dogs instead of punching them...

SERIOUSLY GET OVER IT.

you want your name associated with one of the best movies of all time. that's all.

check yourselfs though..for people that pride themselves on the ethical treatment of all things with a heartbeat...you should watch your spokespeople..

calling a normal person a whore and dumb bitch because she eats meat isn't very ethical what-so-ever. way to have a classy organization though.

Posted by: mika Renee Boles | July 23, 2008 11:56 PM

COME ON, IT'S JUST A MOVIE. I'VE SEEN FAR WORSE.

Posted by: CAROL | July 24, 2008 04:12 AM

Batman doesn't throw dogs off him, ferries explode, gallons of oil spills into the harbours and kills hundreds of marine birds.

Throw a dog to save hundreds of people and animals?

As far as I'm concerned, he was helping animals.

Posted by: ExplodingClowns | July 24, 2008 07:12 AM

http://youtube.com/watch?v=G4v1hAnfy1I - Batman risks his life to save six ducks.

Posted by: ExplodingClowns | July 24, 2008 07:22 AM

I was under the impression that this was a superhero movie, i.e. fiction. I mean, I know you PETA guys are all off your rockers anyway, but I didn't know you were so delusional that you couldn't determine movie from reality.

Posted by: Derek | July 24, 2008 11:07 AM

PETA...what if you are batman? then dogs out there to tear you apart...sweeshhh... hey you don't have to e the batman in leathers...you hate leathers...you always try to get naked on the streets and owsss...or try putting vegetables to make you guys go for vegetarianaddicts...LET THE DOGS COME AND TEAR YOU APART...just let them...tear you death? won't you fight back or defend yourself? think first as a human and not animals...you're comment to batman is animal-like...no brains at all...why so serious?

Posted by: pa | July 24, 2008 11:39 AM

Wow.

You guys must of run out of things to complain about.

Posted by: Nel Mek | July 24, 2008 11:42 AM

So, batman hits a few dogs. Hellboy kills something that is "the last of its kind" yet is at the top of the list. I'm all for protecting all living things, but get your facts straight.

Posted by: drew | July 24, 2008 12:42 PM

I've lost all respect for PETA now. This is just ridiculous.

Don't you have something better to do than complain about movies and make stupid lists about fictional pet-friendly superheros? Like I don't know, adhering to your mission statement and rescuing REAL LIFE abused animals?

Obviously no animals were harmed in the making of the film. It's all theatrics and it was done ethically as well. Batman was DEFENDING himself. He didn't just punch a Rottweiler for no apparent reason.

Get over it and stop whining PETA.

Posted by: Brittany | July 24, 2008 12:50 PM

Is this actually a story??

PETA ought to just take down Loony Tunes and Disney altogether. Irresponsible cartoon portrayal of animals. Scooby Doo obviously is handicapped in some way, yet he is endlessly mocked for saying “rut roh” instead of “uh oh.”

Mickey Mouse’s ears are way too big. I’ve been told by the mouse in my pocket that mice are quite literally afraid to be seen in public, for fear of angry mobs making derogatory comments about their ears. Have you seen an actual mouse’s ear? Rather proportionally shaped. Yet Disney keeps perpetuating this “big ear” stereotype.

And don’t get me started on Bugs Bunny, that racist rabbit. “‘What’s up’ doc?” Why is he mocking urban speak? Couldn’t he just say “How are you doing, doctor?”–it would be much more racially sensitive. And “doc”? Clearly some sort of derisive comment about the low percentages of African Americans in medical school.

When does it end, people?

When?

Posted by: KEJ | July 24, 2008 01:02 PM

Is this article a joke? For the sake of any respect PETA has, I seriously hope so.

Or is this a case of what current media bandwagon we can jump on today? Get it together and do your organization's principles some justice for once.

Posted by: Hey Nonny Mouse | July 24, 2008 01:27 PM

you guys make vegans/vegetarians look like crazy ass people.

the movie is FAKE. do you know the definition of FAKE? hold on let me get it for you.

'One that is not authentic or genuine; a sham.'

The dogs weren't really beat up. God don't you people have better things to do then to complain about some movie that is waaaaay better then anything PETA will ever do?

Oh yeah, and i'm pretty sure that if you were in Batman's place and thsoe dogs attacked you wouldn't be reaching for doggie treats to fend them off, you'd be cutting up a bitch too.

Posted by: brittany | July 24, 2008 01:48 PM

Um, weren't there lots of grisly human murder scenes in that movie? You know that's not real, right? See a "movie" is where actors PRETEND stuff is happening that actually isn't.

PETA do you ever worry that all your belly aching over everything is going to distract from the bigger issues? You're becoming a joke and harming your own cause.

Wait, you should go after Leatherface next! How dare he wear dead cow? Oh wait, those are HUMAN skins? Oh okay, carry on!

Posted by: Dani | July 24, 2008 02:05 PM

People like yourself disgust me. Batman assails numerous humans in the film but the only time you bat an eye is when he attacks a dog. I guess by that reasoning, it's ok to beat the crap out of you... just not your animals. ::rolls eyes::

Posted by: Javan | July 24, 2008 03:40 PM

Just in case you aren't keeping track, that's like 3 positive and 68 negative comments. I think those numbers speak to the ridiculousness of this article.

Posted by: itsalljustaride | July 24, 2008 04:00 PM

So people getting killed is A-OK, but defending one's self against animals is wrong? That's the most retarded logic I've ever heard. You clearly didn't watch the movie at all. He didn't have anytime to pull anything out of his belt AND he clearly didn't anticipate being attacked by animals.

Also Hellboy has killed animals many times, yet he's on the list?

And this is why PETA is laughed at.

Posted by: Victor | July 24, 2008 04:24 PM

Alright this is going too far. Because I guess Batman was suppose to negotiate with these dogs, right? God these PETA idiots are getting worse and worse.

Posted by: TheJawsThemeSong | July 24, 2008 04:47 PM

I could rant and rant about how ridiculous this article is. I'll spare you the additional waste of time by summing up my response.

Get over yourselves. It's a movie.

Posted by: Josh | July 24, 2008 04:54 PM

Yeah, gee. You really think Batman would carry around peanut butter dog treats? And you actually think dog treats will ward off an attacking dog? HA HA! Wow, you really are stupid!

Posted by: Honey | July 24, 2008 04:56 PM

Wow, you are an complete and total ass. When a dog is coming at you and is trained to kill... I am sure the animal loving PETA would be like "Oh my body will nurish his hungry soul. :3" While the rest of us would be like "Oh Crap! *punch and flee*"

Posted by: Linzee | July 24, 2008 10:44 PM

Oh man, you are really reaching to find something wrong with this film.

PETA at it's best. OVERREACTING

It's truly pathetic.

Posted by: mike | July 24, 2008 10:52 PM

You have WAYYY too much time on your hands.
1. It's a fucking movie
2. What the hell are people supposed to do when getting attacked?
3. Animal friendly super hero lists? Ah, yeah, too much time on your hands.
4. Wile E Coyote was mean to the Road runner, are you going to go after him too?
5. This is why no one takes PETA seriously

Posted by: Chantelle | July 25, 2008 09:25 AM

Ok yeah seriously. I agree with most people's comments on this silly rant about a fictional character, fictionally punching and killing fictionally dangerous killing maching dogs. I support Peta, but there were good points made here. ITS NOT REAL,... WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE BEING KILLED IN THE MOVIE,....and just WTF would YOU do in a situation like this? Screw the peanut butter, I want to LIVE!

Posted by: Amanda | July 25, 2008 09:32 AM

When I saw the headline "Batman beats dogs on Dark Knight" i thought like "Wow, they sunk that low on that film? Batman now beats defenseless mutts around the streets, that sucks".

After really seeing that it was self-defense against ferocious dogs, I'm more like "PETA should focus on serious stuff instead". Seriously, HE WAS GOING TO GET CHEWED BY THEM! HE DIDN'T KILL THEM, HE HURT THEM ENOUGH TO GET FREED FROM THEM, GET A CLUE"

Posted by: Alan Beling | July 25, 2008 10:27 AM

Why so serious? PETA is a joke. "Punching out dogs left and right?" The movie is two and a half hours long, dogs were featured in two scenes lasting all of about 6 minutes. "Peanut butter treats and deflecting devices?" I'd love to see you fight off 3 ravenous rottweilers with some doggy treats. I'm glad you removed Batman from your list, give his spot to some pansy superhero who values an animal's life more than a person's life like you do.

Thank you for giving this spectacular movie even more publicity. I'm sure after reading this ridiculous story even more people will see it just to spite you. I've already seen this movie three times and hadn't planned to see it again but since you got me all hyped up I might just go see it a few more times after all.

Posted by: bgates87 | July 25, 2008 03:21 PM

Think before you speak. Instead of calling batman an animal abuser, ask yourselves, WHY did batman hit those dogs.

1. Those dogs were about to chew his face off, he had no choice, he had to fight back.
2. Batman's gadgets are designed to subdue PEOPLE, not dogs.
3. The dogs had been trained (read: brainwashed) so they would attack batman. Whats worse, forcing animals to attack people or defending yourself from said animals. The answer is clear to me (I'm not called Lord Common Sense for nothing, I earned this title) but seeing as you cannot think for more than 5 seconds I'll tell you the answer, The brainwashing is much worse, forcing animals to do something against their will, thats animal abuse like you wouldn't imagine.
4. It's not like batman was trying to kill those dogs. Sure, maybe he caused some damage but it was nothing compared to what some other superheroes would do (try to imagine a 'take no prisoners' superhero like The Punisher in that situation, the dogs would be freaking slaughtered!)
5. It was one scene, lasting about 5 minutes. The movie was 2 hours 30 minutes long.
6. He's a fictional character. Get a grip.

Alright, if you can get this through your thick skulls then my work is done here.

Posted by: Lord Common Sense | July 25, 2008 04:40 PM

dude your a dumb ass! I mean come on its a damn movie there CGI! and also I love animals and I think nothing bad should happen to them but if a dog attacks me I'm going to kill it! You need to chill.

I do have a question, if your walking down a road and a dog comes out of know where and starts attacking you... what you do? let them tear your limbs up? or are you going to fight back?

Posted by: batfan | July 26, 2008 02:39 AM

It was actually pertinent to the plot though, the gangsters in the beginning of the movie trained those dogs to hunt Batman (in particular) and Joker took over that specific mob boss’ mafia, dogs included. Ultimately, it was to show how much he was up against, and one could venture to say that those dogs were representative of the corrupt people out to stop Batman from saving the citizens of Gotham (think about it: loving dogs that fall from grace due to their environment to kill a righteous vigilante for their own vices, i.e.: meat). Or maybe it's because Nolan wanted to show how ruthless the mob world was, I mean, even if you're not a PETA member, most people understand that dog fighting is bad and thus they lose any sympathy they might of had for the Joker.

And there were quite a few good points brought up, I mean, why is there nobody saying how disgusted they are that somebody TRAINED THESE DOGS, only that Batman harmed them? And furthermore, this has been said countless times; he was defending himself, he didn’t really think when he was suiting up, ‘Okay, grappling hook… check, batrangs… check, peanutbutter snossages… check.’ Ultimately, he was trying to save an entire city (animals included). If gangsters and thugs had overtaken the city, (and I’m trying to reach to the astronomically ridiculous PETA members), all the ducklings and bunnies in the parks would have died too.

Furthermore, I think it’s disgusting how Peta belittles the lives of numerous individuals in that movie. I mean, countless people are killed and beaten in that movie, people are tortured and the Joker murders a woman to psychologically maim a man… Where are the angry (and albeit ridiculous) blog posts about that? Way to jump the gun PETA!!! Douchenozzles, it's disgusting how they ignore the loss of human life.

Posted by: James | July 26, 2008 04:17 AM

I am an animal activist and I think this is hysterical. Forget that they blew up a hospital, Batman hit a vicious dog! Uh-oh! It looks like we might need to get our priorities straight before we keep going with our campaigning. For example, I'm pretty sure we don't want the public to think we're a total joke. Christine, you're great, but think about the affect this has overall on the cause! Big booboo!

Posted by: Humancompanion75 | July 26, 2008 04:47 AM

People...

You are delusional... Seriously... All this because a man dressed as a bat (How pro animals must he be?) gets in a fight with a few dogs in a film? Lets imagine for a second you are all not a bunch of middle class people with nothing else better to do...

I mean come on there are people saying they wont see the film because a dog gets killed... what about all the PEOPLE that get killed?

I have been attacked by a big german shepherd in my time and its not a pleasent experience. I have quite a lot of scars and lost some feeling in my hand because of nerve damage and I still like dogs... I wouldnt judge them all on one bad one... but do you think i was all that worried about beating that dog off me with a spade? By that stage of the fight it had already ripped off my tracksuit bottoms at the crotch too... Put yourself in a running battle with something as primal as a big angry dog and see how you react...

Moreover... Batman was trying to get to a man who was going to blow up 2 boats with about 3000 people on them... Let me think... a dog or 3000 people... A no brainer!

Posted by: Barr | July 26, 2008 07:34 PM

i love animals more than people and more than life itself. but this is taking it too far. the movie didnt really happen, in case you didnt know. you people can be really disturbingly ridiculous and you wonder why the media doesnt often take you seriously in certain situations! because you give people who stand up for animals a bad name! thanks jerks

Posted by: N | July 26, 2008 10:41 PM

Think of something better to do than badmouth a good movie you ignorant jackass. I havent seen it yet but i bet there is a caption in the movie saying animals were not actually hurt during the making of this movie

Posted by: Smith | July 27, 2008 11:25 PM

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet but Christian Bale is a vegetarian and a member (even a founding member) of several animal rights groups, so I have serious doubts that he would take part in anything that involved causing harm to an animal. As for the character Batman and the scene itself, he got attacked by the dogs and had to defend himself as he could. I'm pretty sure no animals were actually harmed! Come on PETA, you're getting way too anal about these sort of things. Instead of just bashing the movie (which, for the record, is one of the best movies I've ever seen), get in contact with the people responsible (the studio, director, etc. and even Christian Bale) to clear your doubts about the animal treatment in the movie instead of jumping to conclusions.

About that list of animal-friendly superheroes, I'd just like to point out that Wolverine ain't all that friendly towards animals, since he has on several occasions fought and killed animals, he has hunted and wore animal skins. It's cool that he did what you mentioned though, and the others having done those things too. I was especially pleasantly surprised by Thor because for some reason I just didn't expect that of that character. In my opinion though, Captain Planet's the best. =)

Posted by: Ricardo Petinga | July 28, 2008 07:32 AM

This is really unbelievable.

I was there when they filmed those scenes! The Rots were really playing tug of war with their master who was one of the fake batmen and when the real Batman throws the dog over the concrete embankment its actually a very expensive prop, stuffed but had electronically moving parts.

Get a grip folks!

Posted by: john | July 29, 2008 03:41 PM

I have two puppies and one adopted dog, but if one of them attacked (which they probably wouldn't) yes i would push them away, but i would never kill them.

Batman was a good movie, it was an amazing movie, but if one or two three seconds scenes are going to ruin a movie for you than there is something wrong with you.

plus batman never really beat the dogs he just got them out of his face. it is not like batman goes around gotham and beats the crap out of civilians dogs. he doesn't tie dogs down to a chair and throw the bat knives at them. and what was he supposed to do give the dogs a bone and a pat on the head.

this is crazy i don't have a problem with people speaking there mind but what you are talking about were probably cgi dogs. no dogs were attackly hurt. so stop messing with hollywood and go bitching about real people hurting animals and not a fictional superhero that has a fan base of millions upon millions of people backing batman up.

P.S. i think batman would look stupid with peanut butter on his utlilty belt.

Posted by: nero | July 31, 2008 01:45 AM

ok lets compare. thousands of people dying, or a few vicious dogs being hit out of the way. GET FRIGGEN REAL!!! the lives of thousands arent likely to be wasted just so batman can whip out a jar of peanut butter as a distraction! im sure that he would have found a different way to handle a similar situation if he werent so pressured, but he does what is best for the city, and what was best for the city was to move on as quickly as possible to SAVE THE LIVES OF HUMAN BEINGS

Posted by: amy | August 1, 2008 04:28 AM

OH, like doggie treats would ever sway a trained-to-kill dog from attacking you??!

You're worried about what the kids will think? What about the kids that are attacked from those dogs, should they be packin' milkbones to "protect" themselves.

It was a movie. If real dogs were actually hurt, I'd be outraged.

I am never donating to Peta again- this is how you spend my last donation, by making a fuss over a FAKE FIGHT WITH DOGS??!

Posted by: Shannyn | August 3, 2008 03:50 PM

No one likes a scene where dogs get beat; I know they did it to add to the darkness of the film. Also, most of the shots in these scenes made it obvious that the dogs weren't really being hurt. What I think the REAL issue here is that they used Rottweilers. I'm sure some other animal, or even non-purebreads could have been used. With all of the bad press that rottweilers and pitts get, lets not villanize them in the movies! It takes any steps forward in their reputation right back to square one!

Posted by: Meredith | August 5, 2008 08:31 AM

is that for real?

Have you ever known anything about self defense?

Its ridiculous to question the reasons of someone who hurts in self defense.

Posted by: Eduardo | August 25, 2008 12:05 PM

you do know that the dark knight didn't happen in real life right?

Posted by: batman | August 27, 2008 06:49 PM