Rodney the runaway emu takes Suffolk break while owners on holiday

Suffolk police officer Alex Hale popped by to check Rodney the emu had got home safely

A man had to return early from his first holiday in years when his emu decided it also needed a break - and went off on its own adventure.

Runaway Rodney, aged one, jumped a fence at his Suffolk home on Thursday after a pet-sitter had locked him in.

Owner Jon Cardy drove home to Chedburgh and spent the day reporting his pet as missing and scanning social media.

His "pet dinosaur", as he calls Rodney, was spotted about a mile away and he said he was "so relieved" he was back.

Mr Cardy, a former consultant in anaesthesia and critical care medicine, and his wife, Laura, a former frontline NHS nurse, and now a nursing lecturer, took in Rodney when the emu was just two weeks old.

Rodney the emu was taken in by the couple when he was a baby

"He grew up in our kitchen and he is like one of the family," Mr Cardy said.

The couple have a variety of animals including a two-legged cat, a pig, a tortoise, several ducks and geese, a "lot" of rabbits - and Rodney - Mr Cardy's "favourite".

"Rodney is definitely a character," he said.

The energetic emu has managed to jump the fence before but has usually been swiftly found.

The emu's escape was "a bit embarrassing", his owner admitted

Mr Cardy reported Rodney's disappearance to the RSPCA and RSPB, scoured social media groups and even informed the police - "in case anyone called them to say they'd found an emu".

"I didn't expect the police to go and look for him.

"He's a big running bird and can cover a lot of ground quite quickly, so we didn't know where he might be," said Mr Cardy.

"I think he might have been spooked by the storm overnight, and while he's very friendly, he's also very large and inquisitive - and he has a very large beak.

"Rodney is fascinated by anything shiny like rings and earrings and I was worried that if someone saw him coming towards them at high speed they might be a bit freaked out."

Rodney only likes cameras because they are "shiny"

Eventually Mr Cardy spotted a video posted in a local group, asking if anyone was missing their peacock.

"I thought, that's not a peacock - that's my little Rodney," he said.

With the help of a friend he found the feathered fugitive and brought him home.

Many of the couple's rescue pet menagerie are used as therapy animals.

"Rodney is adorable but not too smart," he added.

"But he loves to be cuddled, and when he lies down he's like a four foot-long feathered draught excluder.

"In our jobs, my wife Laura and I were used to mending people's bodies - now we try to help mend broken minds with our animals," he said.

"My own health is not that good, but Rodney? He is like my therapy."