EMMERDALE bosses have been forced to defend its animal cruelty storyline. Tom King ( James Chase ) recently ran over wife Belle's ( Eden Taylor-Draper ) dog, Piper. 8 Emmerdale bosses defended the latest animal cruelty storyline with a photoshoot Credit: Instagram 8 James Chase and Eden Taylor-Draper put the horrific scenes behind them as they glammed up Credit: Instagram 8 Nearly 300 fans complained to Ofcom when Tom ran over Belle's dog Piper Credit: ITV This was in a misguided effort to force her to come back after she attempted to end their marriage.
At his veterinary surgery, the little canine companion seemed to be in terrible shape after the incident , and Belle thought she had to put the dog down. She was left absolutely devastated by the death of her beloved pal , and remained adamant that Tom killed their pet on purpose. However, it was later revealed that it was a similar dog that died, and in reality, Piper was very much alive.
READ MORE ON EMMERDALE dales drama Emmerdale resident forced to quit the Dales after shock assault emmerwail Emmerdale fans rage as they slam bosses for ruining iconic soap family But sticking to his evil ways , Tom gave away the dog to another couple as revenge. Hundreds of fans made official complaints about the storyline as they slammed the depiction of animal cruelty. 282 fans previously lodged complaints to the industry watchdog Ofcom.
Taking to X - formerly known as Twitter - one fan fumed: "I am glad piper isn’t dead , but that sti.