Tom King sank to another low by attacking Belle Dingle’s dog Piper last week. This Monday, Emmerdale viewers were furious when the beloved pooch died off-screen.

Livid Emmerdale viewers threatened to switch off following the devastating death of Piper.

Belle Dingle’s beloved pooch was recently mowed over by her abusive husband Tom King, leaving her at death’s door during this Monday’s trip to Emmerdale (August 19, 2024). The villain portrayed by James Chase has been trying to exert control over his estranged wife’s life and used her trusted companion, her only source of comfort during their marriage, to manipulate her back into his arms.

During this Monday’s instalment of the ITV soap, Tom made the decision to put Piper down himself at the vet surgery, in a supposed bid to stop her from suffering any further, to which Belle (played by Eden Taylor-Draper) agreed with great difficulty.

Tom encouraged Belle to stay by Piper’s side in her last moments but unable to face the dog’s death, the Take A Vow wedding planner dashed out of the room, allowing Piper to die off-screen. Numerous viewers of the Manchester-based drama were left livid as it was later confirmed by Tom that Piper had passed without any suffering as he tried to cast doubt over Belle’s ability to recover from her death alone.

“Nooo not Piper, Tom I hate you”, one of them wrote, while another added: “More animal cruelty. Miserable characters. Switching over to Netflix now.” A third continued: “Thats it im done with this s*** my kid is freaking out.”

One fan chimed in: “Don’t think I’m emotionally stable enough to watch #Emmerdale tonite lol!! wish they didn’t use the dog in this storyline!!”, just as a final fan echoed: “Really s*, exploitative storyline with the dog. Stay classy #emmerdale.” Another then concluded: “OFFCOM!!!! Poor Piper, did she really have to die for us to know Tom is a bastard!? My heart is breaking for Belle.”

But while Tom managed to successfully pull Belle and Piper apart, his plan spectacularly backfired when a clear-headed Belle stood her ground and refused to allow him anywhere near her. Belle, who is no stranger to Tom’s evil ways, put two and two together, figuring out that Tom had savagely driven his car over Piper, inevitably killing her as the pooch died from her injuries.

Tonight’s trip to the eponymous Dales ended as Belle maintained she had no interest in amending their marriage, admitting to her estranged husband that she finally saw him for who he really was. A jilted Tom addressed a sinister warning to Belle as she finally called time on their marriage, letting her know that she may come to regret her decision down the line.

Tom, who returned to Emmerdale last year after a decade in Saudi Arabia with his mother and sister, quickly renewed his romance with ex-girlfriend Belle, with their relationship rapidly evolving into an engagement. While red flags had appeared throughout their early days, it wasn’t until earlier in 2024 that viewers realised how sinister he really is as he relentlessly bullied, gaslit and intimidated Belle, before punching her in the stomach in brutal scenes.

While Belle wanted to focus on her budding career, Tom tried to convince her into getting pregnant and building their family but when Belle found out that she was pregnant, she opted for an abortion, unable to contemplated her life with Tom.

After a trip to Wales, which led Charity and Cain Dingle to get involved, Belle decided to pull the plug on their marriage, and the pair had been living separately while she took a break in Scotland, where her father Zak Dingle and niece Debbie Dingle reside. But what will Tom have in store for her after deciding to get a divorce?