KILDARE ANIMALS IN NEED: Tales of a cockatiel and a chihuahua

A lovely little cockatiel called Nino was enjoying life with his family in Athy.

He spent his days singing and entertaining the two small children in the house, a young baby girl and a three year old boy.

He was regularly let out of his cage to fly around the kitchen.

Even though the back door was always open he never flew outside.

Until a few weeks ago when he was flying around the kitchen, the baby made a loud scream giving him such a fright that he disappeared.

His owner spent three hours walking around her estate with her two children, pushing a buggy and carrying a cage while whistling a song that she knew he would recognise.

She said she got some strange looks from her neighbours and eventually with a heavy heart, gave up the search.

Nino was posted on Facebook but there were no sightings. Cockatiels can fly up to thirty miles per day and can quickly lose their sense of direction.

A week after his disappearance he was spotted on the other side of the town in a tree.

He was rescued and is now back home after his adventure and still singing.

This stunning 10 week old Chihuahua Cross puppy named Javier created a lot of interest when we advertised him for adoption last week.

He spent his first few weeks in the home of one of our volunteers where he adored the garden and the resident cat.

He is full of fun, loves playing with his toys and is a true lap-dog when he decides he wants a cuddle.

We were delighted to see him going off to his forever home at the weekend with his new family.