A dog stolen from her family’s home in March was found and reunited with her owners just in time for Christmas.
Minnie the French Bulldog was sadly found abandoned at the side of a canal in Liverpool Road, Hapton, near Burnley – 170 miles away from her owner Staci Day’s home in Gloucester – by a woman walking her dog, and after noticing she had some severe leg injuries, the RSPCA was thus called to help Minnie, who needed life-saving surgery to amputate her leg.
The leg wound had been bandaged, not by a trained professional, and was severely infected.
Minnie had no feeling in her severely damaged limb, and a vet decided an emergency leg amputation was needed to save the pup and provide her with the best chance for a happy life.
She was then taken to the RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital where she had to have her leg amputated further, and it was here that a microchip was found which revealed her owner’s details and the fact she had been reported as missing in March.
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All was healed and Minnie was returned home where she immediately recognised her emotional owner and ran up to fuss her.
PA News / Staci Day
Owner Staci Day said: “We weren’t sure we would ever see her again when she went missing, so we are over the moon to have her back in time for Christmas.
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“We reported her missing but thought she may have been involved in a road accident as there is a busy road nearby. We thought we might not ever find her, especially as time went by.”
She said the family were “shocked” to get a call from the RSPCA to say Minnie had been found.
“It is so sad she had been neglected and has lost her leg but she doesn’t seem to be letting it bother her and she is back to her playful and loving self,” she added.
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The animal charity has launched an investigation following reports that a dog had been found abandoned with a severe leg injury at 11pm on 28th November.
PA News / Staci Day
Ryan King – Inspector at the RSPCA – has launched an investigation to find out who dumped Minnie, saying: “It was great to see such a happy ending after all Minnie has endured.
“She was so excited to see her family.
“As soon as I got her out of the van and started walking towards the house, she started pulling me as she knew where she was going. She rushed straight over to Staci with her tail wagging and jumping up at her.
“She looked so happy to be home – and was enjoying getting lots of fuss and love.
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“This really does highlight why microchipping your pet is so important and it is vitally important to tell the chip company yourself if any contact details change.”
Anyone who knows about the whereabouts of Minnie during this period is encouraged to contact the RSPCA appeal line.
You can do so on 0300 123 8018.
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Erling Haaland has named his four favourite films… and fans have a lot to say on it
Emily Sergeant
Erling Haaland has answered the all-important question.
The question heard around the world, the question on everyone’s lips, a question that has absolutely nothing to do with football whatsoever… that’s right, he’s answered Letterboxd’s famous question of ‘what are your four favourite films?’.
If you’re unaware of what Letterboxd is, it describes itself as being an ‘online diary platform and app for film lovers’ and it gives users the chance to display their four favourite films at the top of their profile for all to see (and judge).
An extension of this has then been Letterboxd asking celebrities in press junket interviews and on red carpets what their ‘four faves’ are – and it’s gone on to become something of a phenomenon in the film world.
Everyone from massive A-list movie stars, to indie darlings and up-and-coming names have answered this question before, and now (it appears) to be Erling Haaland’s turn.
He’s not the first footballer to be tasked with question though, as the entire Spurs team was ambushed with it by former player – and famously massive cinephile – Alfie Whiteman last year, but it’s fair to say that after the summer he’s had with Norway at the World Cup, achieving international fame in the process, that Haaland is one of the most high-profile to answer it in a long while.
So, what’s on Erling’s list then?
Well, to self-confessed ‘film bros’ out there, you’re not going to find any deep cuts in this selection unfortunately, and you’re probably not going to get any recommendations for movies you haven’t seen before either, but come on, he is only a footballer after all.
Erling Haaland has named his four favourite films… and fans have a lot to say on it / Credit: Letterboxd
First up for the Manchester City striker is a pretty common pick by straight white men, it’s The Wolf of Wall Street, and he doesn’t give much of a reason for it, other than just suggesting: “I think you understand why”.
He then follows that up with Ridley Scott’s classic Gladiator, calling it ‘amazing’, before naming 2004’s epic Troy, and then rounding it out with a Christmas favourite for many, Home Alone, adding that he ‘watched it a lot as a kid, and then again now’.
As for fan reaction to Haaland’s four favourites, let’s just say it’s been mixed.
Among the 1,000+ comments on the Instagram video, you’ll find just as many people called him ‘king’ and saying he has ‘goated’ taste, as you will comments like this: “He has the most male gazed top four in history of Letterboxd.”
Noel Gallagher reveals his and Liam’s children are now ‘best friends’ after the Oasis reunion
Emily Sergeant
Noel Gallagher has revealed that his and Liam’s sons had never met each other before the Oasis reunion last year.
But now? Well now they’re ‘best friends’, apparently.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, then I’m sure you’ll know by now that Oasis reunited last year for the first time since they disbanded back in 2009 to bring the world the long-awaited Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour – including five nostalgia-drenched gigs here in Manchester at Heaton Park, which saw more than 300,000 people descend on our city.
It was undeniably one of the biggest cultural events of the 21st century so far, given the fact most fans presumed the Gallagher brothers‘ feud meant they would never meet each other again.
Now though, it’s been revealed that some Gallaghers actually hadn’t met before last year.
According to those lucky fans who have already had the chance to see the Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger documentary concert film – which premiered first at the 2026 Venice Film Festival this past weekend, and then had its world premiere in London last night (7 September) – Noel Gallagher shares a story about how his two sons, Donovan and Sonny, had never met Liam’s sons Lennon and Gene prior to the reunion tour.
Noel Gallagher reveals that his and Liam’s sons had never met before the Oasis reunion:
Noel has three children – 26-year-old daughter Anaïs from his first marriage to Meg Matthews, and then two sons, 18-year-old Donovan and 16-year-old Sonny from his second marriage to Sara MacDonald.
Liam, on the other hand, has four children – daughter Molly, 28, two sons Lennon and Gene, aged 26 and 25 respectively, as well as a 13-year-old daughter named Gemma, who he is yet to meet.
Speaking on the relationship between his kids and their cousins, Noel said: “When my kids met his kids they didn’t know each other.
“Donovan and Sonny had never met Gene and Lennon. Lo and behold they’re best friends now.”
Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger is set to show the meteoric rise of Oasis through rare footage and untold stories as the band reunites for Oasis Live ’25, chronicling their journey from Manchester streets to global rock stardom.
It releases in cinemas nationwide, including in IMAX, this Friday 11 September.
Emily Sergeant -
28th December 2020 
