DAVID and Tina Garton have a three-year-old son called Josh but he isn't the only one who thinks of them as mum and dad.

They have another family too - and they can't help get in a flap every time they see their 'parents'.

The couple have eight hand-reared owls, which they use as part of their business, Wildlife Experience.

It was set up to teach the public, particularly children, about how to look after animals.

While it may sound like the ideal job, the lives of David and Tina have been anything but idyllic.

Appearances can be deceptive and it was hard to believe, when I met David, a strapping six-footer, that he is in poor health.

But at the age of 11 he joined a medical elite by becoming one of a small number of children to contract Crohn's Disease, a devastating illness characterised by an ulceration of the internal lining of the intestine. As a consequence of his condition, the Warrington born 33-year-old developed arthritis in his hips and his knees.

This forced him to leave his work as a park ranger, a job he loved. Before the arthritis struck he was walking up to six miles a day. Once the arthritis took hold, he was struggling to walk 50 yards. A typical outdoor type, he felt like a caged bird.

Now he has chronic pain syndrome, which his physio once described to him as something akin to "having both legs broken permanently". On some days David's pain can be so bad he uses either crutches or a wheelchair to get from A to B.

As a park ranger, David witnessed numerous cases of animal cruelty and that was one of the motivations for both him and his wife, in forming Wildlife Experience.

Josh is a lovely, inquisitive little boy who keeps trying to usurp my attention as we chat in the living room of the Garton's Sale home. Are they able to explain to their son why daddy doesn't always feel very well?

"When David is having a really bad day Josh is really quiet. It does upset him - when daddy hurts, he wants to kiss it better," explains Tina.

Away from work, David's interests lie in computers and shooting. Although he was at pains to point out the shooting he's involved in is of the clay pigeon or target variety.

"Having worked in a park I've seen an awful lot of cruelty to animals caused by people with guns who were just messing about," he says.

Tina was born in Essex and jokingly describes herself as "an original Essex girl". There's no accent, because Tina moved to Warrington with her family at the age of three.

Five and a half years ago her mum was winning her battle against breast cancer and, thankfully, she's been free of the disease ever since. Supporting her mum through her illness presented Tina with a tough test.

Rather than putting her Christian faith under strain, Tina believes it was her belief in God which helped her get through a very difficult time.

"There was no way I could've survived without it - it was the only thing that kept me going. I'm not very good with people throwing up because I tend to join in. When you're taking someone for chemotherapy that's not a good thing," she says.

She shares her belief with David and both of them have been what she affectionately describes as "animal mad" since they were small. Tina grew up in a house with pets and firmly believes that children who don't, actually miss out.

"Children who don't have pets at home are missing out on a lot because they don't learn about the unconditional love you get from an animal. People can be very judgemental but as long as you treat an animal reasonably it will always be loyal to you," says the softly spoken 28 year old.

David used to work as a marine biologist but his wife went into a profession, which is as far removed from the animal world as you could possibly get. By accident rather than design, she became a dental assistant. She really wanted to be a midwife, but was forced to scrap that particular career plan after suffering medical problems of her own. An operation on her knee has restricted her ability to walk for prolonged periods of time.

Tina is a quiet lady with a gentle, unassuming disposition. It comes as no surprise to discover that one of her interests outside Wildlife Experience is embroidery.