The owners of Dotty the barn owl who went missing last week have thanked the people of Norfolk after reported sightings helped to bring her home.

Megan Burr and Ben Gulliver were devastated when their pet owl got spooked and flew from her aviary in their garden in Attleborough on Thursday, May 12.

Ms Burr, who had owned Dotty since she was 15, feared she would not survive out in the wild, with no access to food.

Facing an almost impossible task to try and locate her, the couple turned to social media to ask people to keep their eyes on the skies.

And after an influx of emails and messages online, on Saturday, May 15, they finally pieced together Dotty’s whereabouts.

Mr Gulliver, 26, said: “We had sightings all over Norfolk.

“But obviously there are lots of wild barn owls about, so it was difficult to decide which ones to pursue.

“The response was fantastic. We had an overwhelming amount of support and kindness, which was lovely.”

A sighting was reported in Queen’s Square in Attleborough on Saturday, May 14, then later that day heading towards Old Buckenham.

Finally, by Saturday night, she was seen by an estate in London Road.

Mr Gulliver added: “We got there and Dotty flew over Meg’s head and she was fairly certain it was her.

“Dotty must have seen us because on our way back to the car she was sat on the fence for Rosecroft Primary School in London Road, just staring at us. It was quite funny.

“Meg called her to the glove and she came straight to us, probably because she was so hungry.”

Dotty is now recovering from her adventure back in the comfort of her aviary.

Apart from losing a bit of weight, the bird is in good health.

Ms Burr, 25, and Mr Gilliver have said they will now invest in a tracker just in case she ever gets out in the future.

He added: “It was a massive relief to bring her home.

“We spent days just looking aimlessly at the sky, trees, and houses. We had to double-take when we actually spotted her.

“We just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who shared our posts online and got in contact with sightings.

“I don’t think we would have found her without their support.”