STEPHEN HOUSTON
‘Man’s best friend’ has a new contender with barn owl Sam
Buddies are being given a real hoot - thanks to an owl that behaves more like a dog.
Sam the barn owl regularly accompanies his master on coffee shop trips in Paisley.
And the handsome five-year-old has had more than 550 Facebook likes since arriving in the town just three weeks ago.
Handler Mark Dickey revealed he has plenty of admirers, and said: “My son takes his dog out for a coffee and now I take my owl.
“People are amazed and happy they can stroke him without getting a peck.”
Sam was born in captivity and so knows nothing of the nocturnal behaviour of his wild pals.
Dad-oftwo Mark, who lives near the Abbey, travelled to Durham to collect his new pal. He swooped on Sam, who had been owned by a professional falconer, after having a barn owl called Shadow six years ago when he lived in Dundee.
The 56-year-old nurse said: “I have been keen to get another owl for a while, but they are certainly not for everyone.
“You have to know how to handle and care for them and get to know the likes and dislikes of individual birds.
“And they poop at will. I have taken to always carrying baby wipes when I am out and about.”
Sam has become a bit of an attraction as he is walked - while perched on Mark’s special glove down to the Brew coffee house in County Square.
The stunning bird is about one foot high with a three foot wing span and he is likely to live until around 20 in captivity.
Barn owls don’t hoot, but utter a rather eerie drawn-out screech.
Mark said: “He tends to screech when he is hungry.
“During the height of Harry Potter there was such a lot of hype about owls, and people wanted them as pets.
“But many people don’t do their research and homework.
“Sam needs a lot of care and I would say he is not my pet, but my companion.
“The species as a whole are loyal and affectionate.”
Sam gets his food from an online suppliers specialising in frozen mice and day-old chicks.
Mark added: “Sam is loving being in Paisley and being a new Buddie.
“Most people would never see an owl up close in the flesh.
“And when they see him sitting beside me outside at Brew, it gets a great reaction.”