Not Content With Attacking Pit Bulls, Brian Rudman Now Turns on Americans
Last week New Zealand Herald columnist Brian Rudman urged Pit Bull owners to consider following the lead of a fellow New Zealander by cracking the skull of their dog and throwing it on the barbecue. The hapless hack has stirred up an international backlash and now he’s whining about people saying nasty things about him.In a piece in the Herald entitled Support for Rudman’s ‘pit bull on a barbie’ column – a piece which states:
The email feedback was almost universally opposed to Rudman’s comments until this article was published.
and contains one, solitary message of support from a well-educated Canadian who says:
“Hello From Canada, I agree 100% with your article. Throw all the pit bulls on the barbie along with similar attack dogs. These killer instinct dogs have no place in modern society. The owners of these killer instinct dogs should be held accountable for the pit bull attacks. I say in cases of unprovoked attacks force the owners to watch their pit bull roasting on the barbie.”
Rudman goes on to make a classic defensive move known as the “I know you are, you said you are” rebuttal. It is a strategic move often learned – and, to be fair, usually left – at nursery school, when, instead of addressing what he said, he simply castigates everyone who doesn’t share his brutal philosophy that cracking dogs on the head with a hammer and then cooking them is the sort of advice that should be offered in a national newspaper.
“If the abusive and threatening tirade from US pit bull owners is representative, then is it any wonder that their pets have learnt to be equally aggressive and life threatening?
“If they’d read past the headline they’d have realised my column wasn’t specifically about pit bulls at all.”
May we just remind you, in case you missed it, what Rudman opened his column with:
The SPCA and the Minister of Agriculture, David Carter, are baying for the blood of Paea Taufa for bopping his pit bull on the head and recycling it in a backyard umu. They should be giving him a medal. If every pit bull owner in the land followed his lead, New Zealand would be a safer place to live.
Funny how he singled out Americans. No mention of the UK, rest of the world or even his fellow New Zealander’s who have written things such as:
I disagree with Rudman’s comments completely If I ran the New Zealand Herald I would sack Rudman right away he is scum and the New Zealand media would be a much better place without the man
He obviously enjoys pointing the finger where it suits him. Ignoring the facts in order to just propagate hos own prejudices, hate and ignorant opinion wherever it suits. It’s not a totally new tactic. Many other groups share the same ideology.
Remember this though, people should look past the headlines and the calls encouraging Pit Bull owners to smash their dog’s skulls in, they should be prepared to realise that Crudman’s column isn’t about Pit Bulls at all!
Well, that’s fair enough. This column isn’t about Brian Rudman being a hate-filled, ignorant extremist with a shared ethos of the world’s most notorious, outdated hate groups. It’s not about that at all. No, it’s about chickens. See, I wrote the word chicken right at the end. So, hopefully Brian Crudman will understand this column is not about the fact that he has made a laughing stock of the New Zealand Herald, propagated the sort of hateful language usually associated with the KKK and other extremist groups and, more to the point, encouraged people to kill their own dogs via a national newspaper column. The New Zealand Herald, you can hardly turn the other cheek now, you commissioned this dolt. Err, I mean chicken. This column is about chickens, not Brian Crudman. Look past the headlines.
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Related posts:
- Brian Rudman on Pit Bulls: Kill Them All With a Hammer
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- A Ban on Pit Bulls ‘Is not the Answer’ Claims Official
- Pit Bulls: Show Them Respect or Something Inside Them Just Switches
- Official! The Montauk Monster is NOT a Pit Bull
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ok this guy is as bad as the two police officers on the london edition of send in the dogs one took a supposed pitbull type of a man in the streetgrabing the dog by the neck and walking it to the van on its back legs though to me it looked like mastiff cross staffie the other used two catch poles to grab a dog which he said was agressive but looked more terrified than anything else though he said it was a pitbull it must have been wareing a good disguise as it looked more like a staffordshire bullterrier to me
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Even though I don´t agree with the statement of throwing your pittbull on the barbecue. I don´t think that these breeds should be allowed at all. They are dangerous and are a liabillity as family pets. They are too dangerous. It is not the dogs fault they were bred this way for their abillity to fight and nothing else. Therefore they should be banned and strict laws should be insisted on where these dogs exist as family pets. Like leash laws and spay neuter programs and a ban on the importation of these breeds. If the owners will not comply confiscate the dog in question have it put to sleep humanely and give the owner a huge fine for noncompliance. Perhaps that will make peopel think twice about getting one of these fighting breeds.
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Brendan H. Reply:
September 15th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Lisbeth wrote:
“I don´t think that these breeds should be allowed at all. They are dangerous and are a liabillity as family pets. They are too dangerous. It is not the dogs fault they were bred this way for their abillity to fight and nothing else”
Looking at your name I will guess you’re either from Norway or Denmark. In which case since Pit Bulls are banned from both those lands, I would say you should not be so judgemental since you’ve probably never met a real Pit Bull before and therefore everything you have learnt about them probably came from media hype.
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Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen Reply:
September 15th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
In answer to you hype have never met a real pittbull anywhere I will have you know that eventhough this particular fighting breed is banned it has not stopped people from keeping these dogs it is unfortunate that you seem to think I hate this breed I do not but after having seen first hand what they are capabel of I would say that they require special knowledge and handling wich not a lot of the ones who own them have this is not a disney dog with sad eyes that just needs a cuddel it is a dogbreed bred for fighting wich means it is lethal in the wrong hands. I do not agree with breeders selling puppies as familypets because it shows a lack of understanding and respect for what this breed of dog intails. Therefore it is not a matter of media hype but basic knowledge and respect for what this breeds and others of its kind are born with. Some pittbulls are handicap helpers ect. those are dogs with owners who understands what they are capabel of doing.There have been so manny sad incidents over the summer where i live of pittbull and amstaff attack that a ban is going to be law on governmental level. Laws and legislation of the kind is not made unless there is a very good reason. It is a question of knowledge and respect of the breed manny love and others fear. I do not fear pittbulls but I do respect them as much as other strongwilled dogs. These just happen to have an added insentive to attack hence my opinion.
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Brendan H. Reply:
September 16th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
You say they’re not “Disney dogs with sad eyes” because of how you perceive them to be. History has a different view. Some of Hollywood’s earliest canine stars were Pit Bulls, and Buster Brown’s dog Tige is considered to be the first cartoon animal to be given a human’s voice. The most affectionate dogs I’ve known have been Pit Bulls, and many dogs from large to small have been bred for fighting other animals including Pit Bulls and the Jack Russell Terriers Gary mentions. Yet this is only brought up about Pit Bulls. Yes some Pit Bulls are used for therapy work, and they’re often used to demonstrate how prejudice and discrimination can be flawed. And what is the very good reason to ban Pit Bulls? To make sure nobody gets biten by a Pit Bull ever again? In New Zealand, 7 percent of people receiving medical treatment annually for dog bites are biten by Pit Bulls, with German Sheppards being responsible for slightly more attacks and Labradors slightly less. I bet if you search the archives of this here New Zealand newspaper you would find a whole bunch of Pit Bull attack stories and next to nothing on Labrador attacks. There’s a reason for that ban, and no doubt it has more to do with political point scoring than a geniune attempt at making the streets of Denmark safer. You say you have seen the damage Pit Bulls can do, and yet many MORE people have seen the damage other breeds can do, and yet their attacks are often trivialized in comparison. The part that I agree with you on, is these dogs aren’t for everyone. The last 20 years has proved that.
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lisbeth, please educate yourself before you make sweeping statements about a dog. many fighting pitbulls are starved and tortured to make them fight for thier lives BY HUMANS. many of them still refuse to fight and are then brutally murdered. banning pitbulls has done more harm than good as they are rarely family pets and are mostly kept by criminal scumbags who make them become agressive. yes some do attack but as millions are owned world wide i would suggest that the human poplation would have been wiped out by them if they were such a liability as you claim. they were bred to fight each other, not people. i regularly watch american animal cop programs and have never seen any of these dogs used for fighting attack the police raiders. they always come quietly showing gratitude to thier saviours. unfortunately they are all then uethanised as they are deemed too much of a risk to rehomed. please do some reaserch on the michael vicks fighting pitbulls who are now all gratefully rehomed in loving enviroments and doing a fantastic job of showing the amazing ability of a dog to turn its life around when nurtured. how many humans would you say makes such a miraculous change after years of abuse. i own 10 american bulldogs, 4 of which i sleep with every night. as soon as i stir in the morning, all 4 come up on the bed and lick me to death in greeting. i have owned these dogs for approx 8 years and in that time, not one has shown me anything other than love and respect. i can invite anyone into my home, child or adult and take incredible exception to peoples missinformed opinions on these most loyal dependable breeds.
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meee Reply:
September 7th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
.” banning pitbulls has done more harm than good as they are rarely family pets and are mostly kept by criminal scumbags who make them become agressive”
sorry im not sure what your saying, are you saying that criminals wont care if there dogs a banned breed or not.
and lots of people (helen keller, linda blair, theodore rosevelt, orlando bloom, jack johnsson, singer pink, woodrow wilson keep(ed) pit bulls as family pets,
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claire Reply:
September 9th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
to clarify, i am from england so pitbulls are not generally owned as family pets here, as by having one you are taking the chance of having your dog killed. something most of us are not prepared to chance.
for anyone that believes the media hype on pitbulls being the only dogs that kill please refere to this excellent blog. im sure you will be surprised. as has been said labradores attack regularly. dont believe us? please go to http://dogattacksyouneverhearabout.blogspot.com/
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meee Reply:
September 11th, 2009 at 3:37 am
tru, ut some people dont understand the law ( idont think anyone does”, and have a “pit bull type” without realising it.
did you know? there have been 8000-9000 dogs added to the index, of these 1000-2000 are still alive.
did you know? a there have been two “pit bull type” heros in this country, 1 a dog named bishop who saved his family during a house fire, and 2 a dog named redz who stoped his owner assulting his gilfriend infront of her 17 month old son.
did you know? Through being an Inspector at the time, Mike Flynn cheifinspector of the sspca, came into possession of a Pit Bull terrier two months before the enactment of the Dangerous Dogs Act.
and instead of putting it down, he decided to keep it and did everything to ensure the dog complied with the legislation,
i.e. speyed, microchipped, insured and registered with the Index of
Exempted Dogs. the dog who died 12 years later of kidney failure, the dog had never been trained to be aggressive and lived happily at home with another dog and a cat
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Well said Claire, In the UK Pitt bulls are a banned breed and the police have the right to take any dog they perceive to be a pitt bull type dog, I own a rottweiler x american bull dog and was questioned by an officer who believed him to be a pitt I have paid the RSPCA to do a DNA check on my dog which proved his heritage which i dont think i should have to do. My dog has never shown signs of aggression, he is well behaved and very social. Peoples attitudes are the problem not the dog. Dont ban a breed ban people simple, I have had rotties all my life and have never had an aggressive one. If a dog is socialised properly and raised right they will not be aggressive, I have found that the most aggressive dogs are small ones – but their aggressive behaviour is deemed ok because they dont have power in there jaws to inflict that much of an injury but they are still aggressive.
Laws need to change but not to ban dogs, people who mistreat animals in anyway (and that includes dog fighting) should be punished more severely than they are. Maybe licensing is an idea that should be implemented – reponsible owners would have no problems obtaining licenses then perhaps we can stop talking about banning breeds and sensational stories about “how evil this breed is” will stop.
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meee Reply:
September 7th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
“I have found that the most aggressive dogs are small ones – but their aggressive behaviour is deemed ok because they dont have power in there jaws to inflict that much of an injury but they are still aggressive.”
what do u mean they cant inflict much of an injury? they can still, and have killed people before.
I think part of a problem is some small dog owners see them as status symbols, and dont bother to train or exerisice them
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Mina said: “If a dog is socialised properly and raised right they will not be aggressive”
Mina, the fact is that most PEOPLE are not “socialised properly and raised right they will not be aggressive”. Do you think that the drug dealing gangstaz who own most of these dogs raise them to loving pets?
We have enough problems in this world and there are plenty of great breeds of dog available, why not own a normal dog who wasn’t specially bred to rip people or other dogs apart. How many people, especially children need to be killed or maimed before people like you stop being so selfish.
An aggressive Poodle or Jack Russel isn’t going to harm anyone, a less aggressive Pit Bull could easily kill someone.
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Brendan H. Reply:
September 15th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Gary wrote:
“Mina, the fact is that most PEOPLE are not “socialised properly and raised right they will not be aggressive”. Do you think that the drug dealing gangstaz who own most of these dogs raise them to loving pets?”
You just highlighted the fact that behind the so called Pit Bull problem is an ownership one. If media never made these dogs look bad ass to begin with, these drug dealing gangsta idiots would be wreaking some other guy’s favorite breed.
“We have enough problems in this world and there are plenty of great breeds of dog available, why not own a normal dog who wasn’t specially bred to rip people or other dogs apart. How many people, especially children need to be killed or maimed before people like you stop being so selfish”
Selfish? Put your money where you mouth is and show me proof real Pit Bulls where bred to rip humans apart. If you can’t do it, you shouldn’t be making things up – it doesn’t help. As for calling Pit Bull dog supporters selfish for keeping a dog YOU feel will likely end up killing or maiming people – why don’t you tell me how many people you’ve personally known killed by Pit Bulls? See by your logic you must know somebody as there are probably hundreds or thousands Pit Bull type dogs where you live. Your chances of being killed by ANY breed of dog in the US is roughly 1 in 18 million. How can these odds worry you?
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Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen Reply:
September 15th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Well said Gary.
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hopefully all of the “nuts” and close minded people in the UK stay there. here in the U.S. pit bulls are actually good family pets and are very loving. of all of the ones I have met are much more gentle than my German Shepherd Dog. Maybe one of these guys would like to come over & I can introduce my dog to them. He was imported from Germany with strong working lines, so I think he can have alot of fun chasing those guys around! Betsy
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To quote you Gary “the fact is that most PEOPLE are not “socialised properly and raised right they will not be aggressive”. Do you think that the drug dealing gangstaz who own most of these dogs raise them to loving pets?”
My answer is, is that the fault of the dog breed ? You can ban certain dogs all you want but these people will find another breed _ dont forget it wasnt that long ago Rotties were their choice of dog but as Pitts were seen as more aggressive due to articles printed like this one, they then became the dog of choice. How can you blame an entire breed of dog based on a few idiots who raise their dogs to be aggressive?
And what do you call a normal dog ? A labrador perhaps ? a breed that has been linked to more dog attacks than any other breed – is this your choice?
And from your last statement “An aggressive Poodle or Jack Russel isn’t going to harm anyone”
So that is ok then ? How is that responsible dog ownership? An aggressive dog of any kind is not a good thing so should we ban poodles and jack russells ? because at this rate your gonna run out of dogs.
Again I revert back to my original statement – ban the deed not the breed. Dont blame the Pitt bull breed for the bad press they get blame the idiots who raise these dogs to be aggressive or to fight, as people have already stated Pitt bulls can be as loyal and loving family pet as your cute little labrador, just as your lab can be as aggressive as any other dog.
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Since there is more than 300 diffrent breeds of dog to choose from the least likely choice for me would be that group of dogs the fighting terriertypes.However that being said any breed of dog has an element of unpredictabillity. However they are not all highly dangerous as is the case of the fighting breeds.Therefore all I ask is that people who choose to have these breeds respect what they at the other end of the leash and know how to handel these dogs. yes I have seen first hand what kind of damage a pittbull can inflict not through the media but in real life. A friend of mine has some galgoes she was walking in the park all of her galgoes were on leash when out of the blue this pittbull came flying into a direct attack. The result was devestating for the galgo in question half his ear was chewed of he had long gashes in his neck region he was stictched back together the owner of this pittbull was know for not caring what kind of harm his pitt did to others he has as yet not been perscecuted. not lack of evidence but time. This Galgo had his ear sewn back on and his neck stitched with more than 50 stitches the galgo is now fear agressive towards other dogs because of this attack. I have seen pittbull puppies aged 10-weeks so agressive that it leaves me in little doubt as to what traits these dogs have. It is sad that some individuals breed for agression but it is a fact therefore It is best all around that they banned and strict rules for keeping them in future is insisted upon. This is unfortunatly not media hype but facts sights like this is hard not to remember when you see these dogs. However to be fair If people know how to handel them and they respect what they are dealing with I have no objections to them having these breeds but the ones who are using them in the ways mentioned above should not be allowed to keep any dogs much less these dangerous breeds.
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Brendan H. Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Lisbeth:
When you said you had seen first hand the damage Pit Bulls can do, I guessed you were refering to an attack on another animal and not a human. What were the origional reasons for introducing a ban on Pit Bulls in Denmark? I understand they introduced the ban in the UK after someone was killed by one. In my country they introduced breed specific legislation after looking at what other governments were doing. We never had a fatal Pit Bull attack and many more less serious attacks were comming from other breeds. So did they ban the Briard in Denmark after a fatal attack a couple years ago?
And what level of defence does a Galgo have anyway? You mention the Pit Bull owner doesn’t seem to care what happens to other people’s dogs. Well I do. If that owner didn’t have a Pit Bull he may have another powerful breed that could have done the same thing. I once knew an old lady with a Pekingese that was killed by a farm dog. I have also seen a cat ripped open by another dog. It doesn’t mean farm dogs are dangerous, it just means the Pekingese had less ability to defend itself. Dogs do sometimes fight animals and other dogs.
You say your friend’s dog was on a leash and the Pit Bull wasn’t. It’s law to keep dogs on a leash where I live and it’s law to keep your dogs under control no matter where you live. Why should you expect responsible owners to pay with their dogs because one irresponsible owner happened to keep the same breed?
You may think Gary wrote a good post. But unless Gary’s internet has been disabled, he also can’t back up what he wrote. You wrote you have never met a real Pit Bull and then mention you have seen aggressive 10 week old Pit Bull puppies. Where were the puppies?
First you say Pit Bulls should be banned and then finnish by changing your tone by saying you have no problems with Pit Bulls in the right hands. I don’t get it. If you’re saying Pit Bulls should only be kept in the right hands, then we agree. All dogs should be kept in the right hands irregardless of breed. If you’re saying Pit Bulls should be banned? then bans are ineffective and rooted in ignorance.
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You are entitled to your opinion but to say that others are ignorant just because they do not agree with your point of view is not very productive. To start on other dogbreeds when the subject is pittbulls and fighting breeds then why not stick to the subject matter. yes I believe a ban of these breeds is the way forward simply based on the manny attacks by these breeds during this summer. It has been great being abel to read and discuss other points of view. I have not changed my mind about these dangerous dogs nor am I likely to in future. You are right in saying that all dogs regardless of breed need to be handled carefully and with respect. It is our duty as dog owners to see to it that our dogs do not harm anyone else animals or humans. I applaud the pitts used as search and rescue + handicap helpers. I applaud the owners of these breeds when they have the aquired respect and knowledge for their chosen breed. Dogfighting must be stopped because it is exeedingly cruel and should never have been allowed to take place anywhere for any reason. Owners of any breed who attacks other dogs should be prohibitted from keeping dogs of any breed and no dog should be let of leash unless it is in a fenced in padoc and no one else is present. In this way episodes like the ones I have witnessed first hand would not take place. It is a question of both knowledge respect and compassion.
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Brendan H. Reply:
September 19th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I never left the subject matter, Pit Bulls were always my focus. Whether you are supporting Pit Bull bans or opposed to them, you have to be able to put things into perspective by comparing them to other dogs otherwise you have no argument. It’s not good enough to say Pit Bulls should be banned because there were a lot of attacks this summer, when there were next to zero attacks 30 summers ago. The dogs didn’t change, the owners did, and the media did everything they could to encourage it. You can’t say Pit Bulls are unpredictable if you don’t compare them with other dogs. And when you do compare them with other breeds, Pit Bulls are a lot more predictable than your average dog. Please see ATTS for their statistics. We can’t say Pit Bulls should be banned because of their history as a fighting dog when other breeds were also bred for attacking animals, and in some cases humans. We can’t say Pit Bulls are only good for fighting when you know yourself people are starting to channel their energy into therapy work and search and rescue. They’re also being used as narcotics dogs and historically starred in children’s films. The traits that made them great at fighting, also make them very versatile dogs.
I didn’t directly call anybody ignorant for having a differing view. But it’s also quite apparent most vocal in their support for a Pit Bull ban are also those least qualified to do so. I’m assuming you like dogs since you’re here, but if people were calling for your breed to be banned without having known one before, I’m sure you would want them to have a good understading of what they’re talking about. Pit Bull – only one t.
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