Emmerdale fans are in uproar over scenes that showed Tom King (James Chase) preparing to kill beloved dog Piper.
As a nation of pet lovers, viewers of the ITV soap were understandably horrified at the scenes that played out in last night’s (27th May) instalment.
As viewers will know, Tom has emotionally manipulated his wife Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) for months, even turning violent on occasion. She’s currently spending time in a mental health unit as a result of his actions.
Last week we saw him push Belle to her limit, throwing insults about her late mum Lisa and winding her up so much she pushed him to the ground in the centre of the village – with Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry), Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) and Vanessa Woodfied (Michelle Hardwick) watching on.
After being admitted to the hospital, Tom was forced to come up with another plan to upset her. He headed home to Dale Head, and brought with him some equipment from the vets practice.
Chatting to Piper the dog about how much he needed Belle home, he began to prepare a syringe and headed towards the poor pooch.
Will she be okay?
Luckily for the four-legged actress Minnie, she will be completely fine. But Emmerdale fans were furious at the supposed animal cruelty and took to X/Twitter to express their views.
‘Was there really any need for this storyline with Tom and sweet little Piper, Belle’s dog? Twisted, sick and unnecessary #Emmerdale’ said one viewer.
‘If anything happens too Piper I will not be watching #Emmerdale anymore that was too far!!! You should be ashamed of yourselves those scenes aren’t suitable for 7pm viewing!!!’ added another.
One fan hoped that Tom would accidentally harm himself: ‘#Emmerdale I didn’t actually see Piper being injected by Tom this episode, so I’m hoping that as he approaches the sofa, he trips on a squeaky toy and injects himself in the knee….’
These scenes can be distressing to watch, but we want to remind you that Minnie (AKA Piper) is a very good actor and is always living her best life on set! We can confirm that no harm has come to her whatsoever 🐾 🐶 #Emmerdale pic.twitter.com/99UnWXlC77
— Emmerdale (@emmerdale) May 27, 2024
The backlash prompted the soap’s official social media account to post a video of the scene, assuring that little Minnie was okay.
‘These scenes can be distressing to watch, but we want to remind you that Minnie (AKA Piper) is a very good actor and is always living her best life on set!’ they said.
‘We can confirm that no harm has come to her whatsoever.’
Regardless, it seemed to be a step too far for some, who continued to reply with their disgust: ‘Nah I’m sorry but I draw the line at animal abuse. Terrible. A new low for this show.’
Another said: ‘First time ever i had to turn off Emmerdale it’s hard to watch.’
Emmerdale continues tonight at 7pm on ITV1.
