Celebrating National Pet Day with Robbie – a cheeky Tom Jones loving budgie

The Manor House is celebrating Robbie the pet budgerigar and his owner, in honour of National Pet Day on Monday 11 April.

Robbie has become a bit of a legend at The Manor House, where he has lived with his owner resident Gill Storey, since May last year. Since his arrival, he has delighted everyone with his antics!

Robbie is a wonderful companion to Gill and brightens her day and the day of everyone else at the home with his singing and playfulness. Robbie spends his days enjoying attention from other residents and colleagues and eating special treats like Honey Bells and orange slices!

He is well known for his love of music, enjoying the dulcet tones of Tom Jones most of all. Along with his music taste, Robbie enjoys watching TV and is a keen fan of sports, particularly football and rugby. Surprisingly, despite his love for Tom Jones and rugby, Robbie is not Welsh. 

Robbie has become a beloved fixture at The Manor House care home and has received recognition from outside the home as well. Just recently, Robbie was named as our Pet of the Month for March voted for by colleagues and residents across the organisation. 

Sharon Harrison, Manager of The Manor House care home said:

Robbie is an absolute star. He’s a sweet bird and cheers up everyone who comes to see him. He’s been a wonderful companion to Gill, it’s incredible how he recognises her voice and responds! The way he sings back to her, it’s almost like they’re having a conversation sometimes.

We love animals like Robbie at The Manor House. They bring a lot of happiness to our residents and our colleagues as well! We’ve a few other resident pets like Robbie, but we also have regular visits from the pets of colleagues and other visitors too.

Gill – Robbie’s owner, said:

Robbie’s a real joy. I love him, and he makes me very happy. It’s nice to have company and he always cheers me up. I’ve been an animal lover all my life. I’ve had all sorts of cats, dogs and birds over the years, but Robbie is a really special character!

I got him after a wild canary accidentally flew into my room one night and I looked after it until the morning. I realised how much I missed looking after my animals and mentioned it to Sharon and she suggested getting a budgie. It’s great that The Manor House is so pet friendly!

The Manor House encourages older people to bring pets with them when they move in.

For more information on The Manor House click here.