Furious Emmerdale viewers threaten to ‘switch off’ after harrowing animal cruelty scenes
EMMERDALE viewers are threatening to switch off from the soap after harrowing scenes last night saw Tom King abuse dog Piper to control wife Belle Dingle.
The vile vet – who is played by actor James Chase in the ITV soap – left Piper outside in all weathers and without water in upsetting scenes.
Viewers watched as Belle finally snapped over what he was doing, rescued Piper and fled.
And while Belle escaped Tom’s abuse, the scenes of Piper being left tied up outside in all weather was too much for viewers and they have threatened to switch off.
One wrote: “#Emmerdale Banishing Piper is ONE. STEP. TOO. FAR. Switching over as we speak.”
A second said: “#emmerdale…the bully is torturing the little dog again ….sorry will not watch animal abuse & this horrific treatment of Belle ….”
Another added: “NO he’s so evil that dog has been outside all night! And now he’s locked her in the house so she can’t go and get her #Emmerdale”
Previously the ITV soap caused uproar amongst viewers with the sickening scenes that saw abusive vet Tom King harm his pet dog in an effort to bring his wife Belle back under his control.
Now it has been revealed that 876 viewers contacted the television regulator over the scenes.
In a hard to watch moment, he loomed over adorable pup Piper with a syringe in his hand.
He then bitterly said: “Don’t worry, this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you… then again, maybe not.”
The cameras cut away as the pup started whimpering.
Viewers were so distressed at the idea of the pet coming to harm, show bosses had to clarify the dog was OK on X (formerly Twitter).
“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.”
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
“First time ever i had to turn off emmerdale its hard to watch,” wrote one fan.
“You shouldn’t show such disturbing scenes, the Human abuse is bad enough, needs to be over asap,” complained another.