Shenley the owl had a hoot when he found himself in Nancy Knight’s back garden – because the 84-year-old great grandma fed him grub bought for her pet shih tzu, Mac!
Nancy found the barn owl outside her Selly Oak home after being alerted by Mac’s howls. “At first I thought someone had thrown a brown paper bag into my garden – but then Mac started barking,” she said.
“The owl must have hurt himself and was exhausted when I got to him, but he was in great condition, which made me think he must be someone’s pet.”
The widow named him Shenley, after Shenley Green, where she lives – and, on the advice of welfare experts, fed dog food to her feathered friend.
“Once he had food and water on tap, he didn’t seem in any great hurry to leave, so I made a cage for him,” Nancy added.
“I’d never see an owl up close before, and he was absolutely beautiful. It’s an honour, because they are normally such timid creatures.”
A space was quickly reserved for Nancy’s visitor at a rescue centre in Henley-in-Arden, but the rightful owner has since come forward – and Shenley has flown his new nest!