THEY say dogs are a man’s best friend. But in the case of Poole resident Peter Palladino, his loyal companion is a parrot.

The 61-year-old electrician’s unique bond with his green-cheeked conure Charlie has even baffled vets. The inseparable pair go everywhere together, with Charlie favouring Peter’s shoulder above any other perch.

“She comes with me every day to work – my colleagues call her my ‘right hand girl’ because she’ll pick up pencils and small screws for me,” Peter said.

“I take her out everywhere, even to the shops where I’m allowed. Everyone who meets her falls in love with her.

“She’s five years old now, and I got her when she was 13 weeks. When I saw her in her cage at the pet store, we just had this connection.

“The vet said it was unusual to be that bonded with a bird. They don’t know why it’s happened.”

Peter, who lives in Organford with his wife Lindsay, said having Charlie was like having a child in the house - and he has to keep an eye on her when he has a drink.

“She loves the taste of Disaronno and Pimms. If you bring a drink in, no matter where you try to sneak it away, she’ll be on it immediately.”

He continued: “When we got her, we didn’t expect her to be like this. Now, I know all her mood swings, and I know if she’s in a good mood or not.

"Whenever we go on holiday, after we come back and pick her up from my daughter’s, she will shun me for a week. She’ll go into her cage and actually turn her back to me if I try and talk to her.

“She can be a pains sometimes, like children,” he added, “but she’s a lovely little thing and I love her like a child.”

Another one of Charlie’s unusual traits is her tendency to sleep in Peter’s hand rather than in her cage.

“It’s quite unusual for a bird to sleep on their back like that,” Peter explained. “Charlie will sleep in my hand for around half an hour sometimes – if I’m at work I have to type on the computer with one hand.”

With a life expectancy of between 25 and 40 years, there is a chance Charlie could outlive Peter. He has had to nominate both his daughter and Lindsay as Charlies’ next of kin should the worst happen.

Fortunately, Lindsay is “very fond” of Charlie, despite the bird’s close bond with Peter. “I’m used to Peter having two ladies in his life now,” she joked.