Squirrel barred from local

Matt Davis

June 17, 2009

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BEER lover Tony Hattersley has been driven nuts - after his new drinking partner was barred from his local.

Tony, a builder and regular at the Smithy on Grove Lane in Cheadle Hulme, rescued a squirrel after it fell from a roof he was working on.

And after naming it Nutty he now takes the little animal everywhere.

The 61-year-old, from Bramhall, takes Nutty to work and the animal even joins him in the shower, but Tony has been banned from going inside the pub with his new pet friend.

He now has to enjoy his regular pint after work in the beer garden - where he can also treat Nutty to a packet of peanuts.

Tony said: "Nutty is so friendly and tame, we have become quite attached.

"I like having him around. He comes to work with me and will sit on the headrest of my car while I drive.

"If I am in the shower, he will follow me in and sit on my head, he loves the water.

"He is great with children and has quite a reputation at the pub.

"He doesn't bite, he's very playful and the children love him - they all want a squirrel now.

"He even gets on with my Alsatian dog and they play together."

Tony added: "I take him straight from work to the pub to feed him and give him some nuts and he has a run around in the beer garden.

"I understand why he isn't allowed inside, he is classed as vermin and they don't want a squirrel running around where they serve food.

"Hopefully Nutty will gather enough strength and eventually leave, but he just keeps coming back to me.

"He has come to rely on me. I let him roam free - I couldn't keep him caged up."

A spokesman for the Smithy said: "We ourselves haven't any objections to the squirrel being in the pub. It's the hygiene regulations, that's all - we're not allowed.

"But I'm glad to say summer's here, and the squirrel and its owner, who is a regular of ours, are more than happy to enjoy a drink in our pub garden. And maybe some nuts."

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| Submit Comments | Comments (22) | Previous | Next

Showing comments 1 to 22 and replies | View All

Al Capone of Atherton, Atherton (17/06/2009 at 08:47)

Nice one Squirrel.

want to leave, Stretford (17/06/2009 at 08:58)

Wild animals can carry diseases fatal to humans, if this squirrel bites someone...

Mark,Radcliffe. (17/06/2009 at 09:10)

Listen to Prince Charles,and 'eliminate' it !

Ace Shakespeare , manchester (17/06/2009 at 09:32)

I can think of some humans who are vermin? who should stay out of the pub.

manchester girl (17/06/2009 at 10:02)

nice to see someone with some compassion
good on you tony

The Very Cheeky Monkey, in the trees (17/06/2009 at 10:16)

OMG - there's a whole load of health & safety issues here, not to mention the effects of salted roasted nuts on the squirrel ...

Good for you Tony - nice to see someone looking after animals for a change rather than mistreating them. You have assured your place with St Francis.

Barney Gumball LLB Hons (17/06/2009 at 10:47)

Has anybody ever tasted squirrel...? It's a bit like chicken but anybody who's got a nut allergy should be careful because squirrels may contain traces of nuts...

Guten Tag, Manchester (17/06/2009 at 11:02)

What a nice story! I used to have a mother squirrel that would come into my living room through the patio door and I'd feed her nuts and corn flakes. She was raising a large brood and every morning she'd be there at the window waiting for her free feed. Then my neighbour shot her with an airgun because her young had chewed into the loft space of his new kitchen extension. he bagged the lot. No more squirrels.

Blue,Reid, warrington (17/06/2009 at 11:03)

This just goes to prove all the nuts aren't in Brazil

Jay Me (17/06/2009 at 11:08)

How can this be a hygiene issue when they would have to let in a blond persons guide dog?

And what about the old law of King Charles Spaniels?

"He made a decree that King Charles Spaniels must be allowed in any public place, including the House of Parliament. This decree is still in the law books today."

Sarah Bellam, Woodhouse Park, Wytheshawe (17/06/2009 at 11:12)

I hope Prince Charles doesn't call in for a pint. It might mean squirrel pie on the menu tomorrow.

Mr Manchester (17/06/2009 at 12:44)

I recognise this love-rat. My wife took one in as well. I caught them in the shower together, and then a few weeks later I came home from work and the locks were changed, and my bags on the driveway. It answered the door and said: 'Don't make a scene'.

Don't say I didn't warn you...

Jo14, Somewhere on planet Earth (17/06/2009 at 12:58)

Isn't it a bit dangerous having him loose in the car? What if he decides he wants a go a driving - it could cause chaos!

The Very Cheeky Monkey, in the trees (17/06/2009 at 13:08)

Jay Me said "How can this be a hygiene issue when they would have to let in a blond persons guide dog?"

Fancy that. I never knew that. So what about brunettes' guide dogs? or more likely, grey persons' blind dogs? The MEN need to investigate this bias towards Jean Harlowe look-a-likes.

Brock, Hulme (17/06/2009 at 13:13)

I hate Squirrels, there vermin! Take away the fluffy tale and what have you got left? A tree rat! Thay kill off trees, have burnt down houses and are rapidly killing off our own native squirrel nutkins. Thay do have one thing going for them, apparently thay are delicious to eat, that would be one of getting them back in the pub, on the menu!

dickdasterdly, stockport (17/06/2009 at 14:17)

shoot it and put it in a pie

Abi Fallows (17/06/2009 at 14:34)

That squirrel is older than 5 weeks (my guess is about 10 - 12 weeks old). Also, it should not be fed a diet comprising mostly of nuts - it should be fed a wide selection of vegetables and fruit. Also, baby milk? PUPPY FORMULA! Believe it or not, squirrels require more than can be provided from regular formula - just because they're called 'kittens' doesn't mean they ARE kittens - they require much much more than kitten formula.
For all you out there decreeing 'kill it' - think about other animals that 'destroy woodlands' such as deer, woodpeckers, an assortment of insects and fungi and of course, the biggest destroyer of all wildlife habitat - MAN.
This is not anywhere near a red squirrel area and if conditions permit, the man can apply for a one-off licence to ensure his li'l buddy gets to be released.
However, it does look like Nutty is perfectly settled where he is lifing the high life, so lets live and let live yeah? squirrels don't breed in their first year anyway and even then, twice a year to one or two kits is much more appreciable than what some humans breed and put out!
If we were all as compassionate about wildlife as Tony, we wouldn't have a problem.
I'm so against the culling of greys - it's almost as though by culling, you're supporting genocide... you're supporting the BNP...
For some people, it's the nearest they get to wildlife and they bring so much pleasure if you stop and observe them and feed them once in a while.
For the supporters of the reds - they do just as much damage as greys anyway! You'd only be wanting slaughter if we were over-run by reds! (which we won't, we've lost the will to plant red friendly habitat..)
So good on you Tony, even though Nutty doesn't look like he's wanting to leave home right now!

Brock, Hulme (17/06/2009 at 14:58)

Compering culling squirrels with genocide cheapens the word, do chicken farmers commit genocide everytime thay kill chickens? Gray squirrels are an evasive spieces, at one time there were red squirrels in heaton park, not anymore. If this fluffy little rodent had scales and a forked tongue the sentamentalists would not want them anywhere near them, oh and squirrels will eat small chicks and each other at a push.

sugar n spice, manchester (17/06/2009 at 21:54)

what a lovely picture its so nice to see someone appreciate wildlife instead of the morons who go around destroying it.

The Allseeing Crystalchild (19/06/2009 at 15:41)

Stupid spoilsports for not letting the squirrel into the pub! Classed as vermin, it's a health risk - puleese! What about all the germs that humans carry, particularly children, and ESPECIALLY with the latest pandemic scare? Tell you what, I'd rather have a squirrel on the table next to me in a pub than a family with squealing & snotty nosed kids any day of the week.

The Allseeing Crystalchild (19/06/2009 at 15:44)

"Wild animals can carry diseases fatal to humans, if this squirrel bites someone...
want to leave, Stretford"

Well I wish you would leave with silly comments like this, or is it meant to be humour?! In my estimation it's humans who're dangerous to every day life and 90% should carry a Government Health Warning!

CommonSense, Manchester (19/06/2009 at 21:22)

I think Nutty is adorable and it must be great to be able to interact with an animal that normally scoots away when humans are near - though I do remember my friend had befriended a squirrel when she was 10 and that one would jump on her shoulder looking for treats. It is also good to see a positive story about a human/animal relationship for a change.

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