Spencer Kirby of Blackpole and his adopted dove Boris. 12344603

IT's an unusual piece of headwear, but this animal lover is rightly proud of his pet dove after rescuing it from heartless thugs.

Spencer Kirby was outside the shops in Cranham Drive, Warndon, Worcester, eight months ago when he saw a gang of teenagers kicking and throwing stones at a black object.

When he looked again, he saw the charred thing was in fact a baby dove.

Incensed at the cruelty, Mr Kirby marched over and rescued the bird which had been set on fire.

"The teenagers were giving it hell for leather," he said.

"I thought it was a kitten at first, I could not believe it so I picked him up and bought him home and slowly nursed him back to health.

"I was a bit nervous going up to the teenagers, but they would have kept abusing it until it died.

"I cleaned him up and put some cream on his feet because one was badly burnt."

Mr Kirby, aged 37, of Ryeland Close, Blackpole, Worcester, feared the youths may have left the bird with fatal injuries. "I did not think it was going to pull through," he said.

"We built him a little cage because he could not fly for months, now we have a big parrot cage for him."

The dove, which Mr Kirby and his wife Suzanne have named Boris Pecker, is now back to full health and enjoys chasing the family dog around the living room.

Mr Kirby said he has no time for people who abuse animals. "I think they are disgusting," he said.

"To hurt an animal like that, I have got no time for them."

10:17am Wednesday 26th March 2008

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