BBC Radio Manchester DJ Mike Sweeney has revealed that he bitten by a dog while out in a pub in Oldham over the weekend.
But in a strange turn of events, the dog owner blamed Mike for walking past it.
The Salford music legend was at a pub in Saddleworth with his wife Viv, and was walking to the bar inside the pub when a terrier-type dog bit him on the leg and ended up breaking the skin and leaving teeth marks – but Mike explained that the dog owner said it must have been his fault as the pet “had never done that before”.
Not only that, but Mike said the dog owner also blamed him for “looking like a post man” as he was wearing a red t-shirt.
Mike – who hosts BBC Radio Manchester’s mid-morning show – was also annoyed to discover after he got home that being bitten by a dog is against the law and a crime that can be reported to the police, but he was instead made to feel guilty for what happened.
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The DJ took to social media to vent his frustrations after the incident.
In a post on his Facebook page, 73-year-old Mike said: “Don’t normally post stuff like this on social media, however, I got bitten by a dog in a pub at the weekend and I’ve only just found out that actually it’s a crime.
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“I love dogs and most dog owners, but the attitude from the two of them in charge of this irascible little animal was really shocking… “It’s not bitten you”, “it’s never done that before”, “it’s your fault for walking past it”.
The Salford music legend was at a pub in Saddleworth with his wife Viv when the incident happened / Credit: Unsplash (Amie Johnson)
He continued: “Although the woman was quite apologetic, the man wasn’t.
“I felt that they thought I shouldn’t be near their dog and what had happened was an inconvenience that had spoilt their day.”
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Mike said that he immediately left the pub after the incident occurred so that he could properly tend to the wound at home with antiseptic wipes, telling the MEN: “I’m just hoping it doesn’t get infected as I’m going on holiday soon.
“But I’ve potentially got a dog bite scar on my leg forever.”
Since sharing the incident on social media, Mike said his post “exploded” with about 100 comments from shocked people – “and not had one person who says you shouldn’t walk past a dog in a pub,” he added.
After having been advised to report it to the police, Mike explained to the MEN that he’s reflecting on what to do next.
Mike was annoyed to later discover that being bitten by a dog is against the law / Credit: Facebook (Salford Lads Club)
“I only found out yesterday from a friend that it’s now a crime, I thought it was a civil matter,” he said.
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“But you are advised to report it on 101 so that the owners can be contacted to say ‘look your dog has bitten someone you maybe need to review how you deal with that and what control or not you have over the animal’.
“I’m having a think about what to do next.”
Featured Image – BBC Radio Manchester
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Ruben Amorim reportedly paying for staff members flights ahead of the Europa League final
Danny Jones
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is reportedly covering the cost of flights for several staff members and families around the club ahead of this month’s Europa League final.
Taking place on Wednesday, 21 May, Man United take on Spurs in UEFA’s second-string continental competition, giving the Red Devils a chance at lifting the trophy for the second time and, more importantly, getting into the Champions League next year.
Not only is this European final in a United manager’s maiden season a feat only previously achieved by Jose Mourinho, who also won it in his inaugural campaign at the club, but it also happens to be the first of Amorim’s career full stop.
With that in mind, the Portuguese head coach is hoping to rope in as much positivity and support as possible, so despite cost-cutting measures around the club over the last 18 months, Amorim is reaching into his own pocket to pay for staff and some of the family members to be at the final.
Ruben Amorim has paid for 30 of his Man United backroom staff to take their families to next week's Europa League final in Bilbao, Spain, after being told by the club that his coaches, physios and support team would have to pay for their own tickets, sources have told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/rC2GkGsvZb
Now this is the kind of leadership supporters like to see.
According to ESPN sports writer Mark Ogden, at least 30 members of his backroom staff have seen their travel to the final paid for after the club said they would not be covering the increasingly inflated prices, with flights to Bilbao unsurprisingly skyrocketing.
The Athletic‘s Mark Critchley has gone on to detail that “coaches, physios and support staff would instead be able to purchase up to two tickets”, while only two complimentary family tickets have been granted per player.
If you’re wondering why fans continue to make his name echo around the Theatre of Dreams in spite of poor performances, gestures like this should tell you why.
The 40-year-old’s debut Premier League season might be one to forget, with his team set to record United’s worst-ever finish, but a final at the first time of asking, even with a squad that’s visibly struggling to adjust to yet another period of overhaul, is still an achievement – especially a European one.
In addition to admitting that he’s been left “embarrassed” by the league form, he says one of his biggest fears is that everyone around Old Trafford is “losing the feeling of being a massive club”, both inside and out. Obviously, he’s hoping that potentially winning another European title will help fix that.
United played out a forgettable 2-0 loss to West Ham this past weekend in what should have felt like a bit of a free hit, but ultimately resulted in starting centre-back Leny Yoro picking up another injury and key players exerting a lot more energy than many would have hoped.
Most fans were expecting to see the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, Amad Diallo and so on rested to keep that balance between sharpness and recovery, but many first-choice players played far more minutes than was arguably necessary.
Whether or not this is all in line with his thinking, we’ll have to wait and see when the Reds rock up to the Basque Country a week from now
Announced on Tuesday, 13 May, ITV confirmed that work on the first-ever Coronation Street and Emmerdale collaboration is now underway.
The flagship serial franchises both have huge nationwide followings in their own right, attracting more than 8 million viewers every week.
Moreover, with both Manc’s much-loved Corrie and its Yorkshire counterpart having faced financial struggles in recent months, this announcement couldn’t have come at a better time.
Writing in an official joint press release, the two shows revealed they will “join forces in an unprecedented, one-off special episode to launch the broadcaster’s new power hour of soap, which begins on ITV1 and STV in January 2026.”
The ‘power hour’ is part of the channel’s plans to readjust its approach to its regular programming laid out earlier this year, with this serving as an eye-catching way to promote the new schedule.
Put it this way, provided they keep the crossovers up North and avoid you know where, this is the kind of thing we can get behind…
Corrie characters reacting to the mere thought of heading to London 🤝 Manc parents whenever one of their kids mentions leaving 0161. 😂
The statement goes on to read: “The distinctive worlds of Emmerdale and Coronation Street will merge for one night only in a ‘mash-up’ of our two favourite communities.”
ITV believe they have come up with an “ingenious way of linking the two universes” before having them return to Greater Manchester and the Dales, respectively.
The episode will be a self-contained one-off special, but one that sees them canonically grounded in the same entertainment world forever and, you never know, if the idea is a hit then it could be the first of many to come.
As if that wasn’t enough, to make the prospect even more interesting, the producers are inviting members of the audience to choose which two characters they would like to meet and interact with in the scene – keep your eyes peeled on their social media for more information.
Coming in January 2026 (specific release date yet to be confirmed), this is not one you want to miss.
We’re also glad to see the pair of long-standing soaps and institutions of British telly have got off to a strong start this year, raking in 124 million streams on ITVX with each episode now available on the streaming platform ahead of each night’s episode.
You can expect a big viewer spike when this one goes out, that’s for sure.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd September 2021 
