Hold the Ofcom complaints! Emmerdale has dealt a dramatic twist in tonight’s episode – revealing that Piper the dog wasn’t killed by Tom King (James Chase) and is actually alive.
Poor Piper has had a terrible few months in the village, used as a pawn in vile Tom’s abuse and manipulation of wife Belle (Eden Taylor-Draper).
850 soap fans wrote to the broadcasting regular earlier this year when he poisoned the pooch, and last week he sunk to another low when he mowed her down.
When Belle refused to accept his gift, a vintage Mini Cooper which he had rigged with a GPS tracker, he drove off in a huff and noticed Piper on the road outside of Holdgate Farm.
With nothing to lose, he accelerated towards her, and later carried her lifeless body into the vets.
![FROM ITVSTRICT EMBARGO - No Use Before Tuesday 6th August 2024Emmerdale - Ep 1006566Thursday 15th August 2024Belle King [EDEN TAYLOR DRAPER] stands in defiance of Tom King [JAMES CHASE] as he tries all his tricks to talk her round but Belle remains strong and tells him she doesn’t want to see or talk to him for a long time. She’s stunned when he agrees to her terms and leaves.Picture contact - David.crook@itv.comPhotographer - Mark BruceThis photograph is (C) ITV and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are avai](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SEI_215480760_8f020e.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&zoom=1&resize=540%2C360)
Following the canine’s death, Tom decided he would swoop in and comfort Belle over the incident, but she soon had a moment of clarity – he was the one who’d killed Piper.
It’s no surprise that more complaints then flooded in, as viewers of the ITV soap watched Belle bury her remains in a basket on some farmland near Wishing Well Cottage.
In tonight’s episode, she began researching how to access domestic violence records through Clare’s Law, in an effort to determine if her husband has a history.
After spotting her quickly closing her laptop in the cafe, he later let himself into Dale Head using the key he stole, and began trying to guess her password.
Several attempts later, he found that she had wiped her search history and began to upload malware onto the device so he could watch what she was searching remotely.
Back at Victoria Cottage, he saw that she had made a request to view any records, and had also looked up ways to tell her family she was a victim. When his friend Ollie arrived, he asked him for advice on the ‘lies’ that she was spreading about him.
As the episode came to a close, Belle sat beside Piper’s grave sobbing, whilst Tom drove to a cottage.
Climbing out of the car, a couple approached him… and he handed over a very much alive Piper, telling them that the ‘awful woman’ who owned her had tied her up 24 hours a day, and ‘won’t even realise she’s gone.’
Can Belle be reunited with her dog?
