NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport

Missouri State quarterback suspended for 'punching dog in the face three times'

news.com.au
25 Sep, 2016 10:31 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Missouri State quarterback Breck Ruddick has been suspended indefinitely after allegations of animal abuse.

Missouri State quarterback Breck Ruddick has been suspended indefinitely after allegations of animal abuse.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

WARNING: Distressing.

A US college footballer has been suspended after allegedly punching his friend's dog in the face three times, breaking its jaw and knocking out its teeth, in a fit of rage.

USA Today reports Missouri State quarterback Breck Ruddick, 20, was benched on Friday night for "conduct detrimental to the team," hours after a post on Facebook claimed he bashed his friend's Australian Shepherd, Luca.

His accuser shared grisly pictures of "sweet, loving" Luca's fractured face after Ruddick "lost his cool" and "hit him in the jaw", before letting the bleeding 19kg pooch run off into the street.

Luca, the Australian Shepherd belonging to Katie Riggs.
Luca, the Australian Shepherd belonging to Katie Riggs.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Shelby Filbeck wrote on Facebook that Ruddick, who weighs around 90kg, was looking after his friend Katie Rigg's dog when he got "so upset" and lashed out.

"After 'loosing (sic) his cool' and hitting poor Luca he led him outside and let him run off, all alone and bleeding profusely," she wrote. "Breck told Katie that 'Luca had ran off' leaving out the part about him beating the crap out of Luca. She spent the whole night looking for her dog."

Filbeck said Rigg was reunited with Luca the next day, when someone found the canine in a carpark.

"He was then rushed over to the vet where they found that his jaw had been broken and he would need surgery," Ms Filbeck wrote.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The next day Luca went in for surgery where it was found that his jaw bones were shattered (not just broken), he had to have 6 teeth pulled, which will be permanently gone forever and they had to keep him at the vets for two days instead of one."

Luca has been on an oatmeal diet since, but his wounds are expected to heal.

Katie Riggs told KY3 her friend's written account on Facebook was accurate, but she couldn't comment further because she was taking legal action.

This is not my dog, but this story deserves to be heard. Earlier this week one of my close friends left her adorable...

Posted by Shelby Hartzler on Friday, 23 September 2016

Ruddick reportedly denied the allegations, saying on Facebook he "punched" Luca but did not break the dog's jaw.

"The story that's getting told is way out of proportion. I didn't break the dogs the [sic] jaw nor did I let him run away," he reportedly wrote on Facebook, KY3 reports.

"I was dog sitting him and he was on my bed, I wanted him off the bed so I gave him like a tap to try and get him off but he didn't move so I gave him a little push and he bit my hand not extremely hard but enough to shock me.

"I've apologised to her and paid all the bills because I felt so bad. I don't hurt animals that's not who I am. If you don't believe about what happened to the dog I have proof of the bill that I didn't break its jaw."

A petition on Change.org calling on Missouri State University football coach Dave Steckel to permanently remove Ruddick from the team has attracted more than 7000 signatures.

"If you feel as we do, that Breck Ruddick does not deserve the privilege of representing Missouri State University's athletic program, please sign and share this petition for his immediate removal from the team," the petition says.

The Office of Student Conduct is investigating the shocking allegations.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's obviously very serious," athletic director Kyle Moats said. "Not only athletics, but the entire university takes it very seriously. That's why there will be an internal investigation conducted by our Student Conduct office. We'll take it from there once we find out what the findings are."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Sport

Live
All Blacks

All Blacks team naming: Changes expected for third test

Warriors
|Updated

Tuivasa-Sheck in talks to join rebel rugby league R360

Herald NOW

Reporter with ringside seat at SBW-Gallen boxing bout gives his verdict on the fight

Watch

Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

All Blacks team naming: Changes expected for third test
Live
All Blacks

All Blacks team naming: Changes expected for third test

Scott Robertson names his squad for the third test against France.

16 Jul 09:52 PM
Tuivasa-Sheck in talks to join rebel rugby league R360
Warriors
|Updated

Tuivasa-Sheck in talks to join rebel rugby league R360

16 Jul 09:08 PM
Reporter with ringside seat at SBW-Gallen boxing bout gives his verdict on the fight
Herald NOW

Reporter with ringside seat at SBW-Gallen boxing bout gives his verdict on the fight

Watch
16 Jul 08:44 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP