Emmerdale fans are still reeling after the cruel murder of Belle

Dingle’s beloved dog Piper, at the hands of her abusive husband Tom.

Poor Piper isn’t the first animal to meet a sorry end in Emmerdale,

though. We’ve rounded up the most heartbreaking (and shocking!) animal deaths over the years.

Clyde – Aaron’s dog

Aaron Dingle – who was then known as Aaron Livesy – adopted Clyde in 2009 when he found him starving. Aaron did his best to train Clyde, who was volatile and even attacked Edna Birch’s dog, Tootsie. But eventually Clyde got in a fight with a bigger dog and lost a lot of blood. Paddy put Clyde down with heartbroken Aaron by his side.

Daisy – Marlon’s dog

Marlon’s Dalmation Daisy originally belonged to his wife, Tricia. When Tricia died Marlon looked after the pooch though there was a hairy moment in 2012 when she was knocked over by Ashley Thomas.

That was nothing, though, compared to the shocking scenes in 2015 when alcoholic Laurel knocked over Daisy when she was drunk. Daisy died by the road, and Laurel tried to bury her to hide her involvement in the crime, only to be rumbled by Cain Dingle.

Batley – Edna Birch’s dog

Grumpy Edna could never hide her irritation at her fellow Emmerdale residents, and her disapproval of the antics in the village was clear! But Edna had a soft side and she adored her little dog, Batley.

Batley was a real character – much like Piper – and the fans were shocked when he was kicked by Edna’s horrible granddaughter Eve Jenson. Just a few weeks later, everyone was devastated when Batley fell ill and was put down.

The fans were so upset by the whole thing that Batley’s sad demise even scooped him Best Exit at the British Soap Awards in 2002!

Tip – Jai’s dog

Jai loved little rescue pooch Tip. But Tip met a sorry end when he was killed – accidentally – by Andrea Tate. Just like Laurel before her, Andrea tried to cover up the crime but was found out.

Bundle – Caroline Bates’s dog

In 1984, trigger-happy Jackie Merrick shot and killed Bundle in front of a group of horrified schoolchildren! Bundle had been bothering Jackie’s sheep but the Bates family were so upset they sued Jackie!

Dark Star – Kim Tate’s horse

Horse-lover Kim adored her beautiful horse Dark Star, but he was killed in 1993 when the plane crashed on Emmerdale  village – which was then called Beckindale.

Smokey – Seth Armstrong’s dog

Seth’s beloved pet Smokey also met his fate on the night of the plane crash when burning rubble destroyed the Pollards’ house. Elizabeth Pollard had been looking after Smokey that evening, but had stormed out after a row with husband Eric. Poor Elizabeth was also killed that night.

Hamish – Belle Dingle’s Shetland pony

Belle thought the world of her little pony Hamish. He had to be put down when he got ill, with Belle sobbing by his side. Piper is buried next to Hamish, close to the Dingles’ cottage Wishing Well.

Steve – Lydia’s cockatoo

Lydia’s cockatoo was fond of biting people and was known to be grumpy, but Lydia loved him. She was terribly upset in 2017 when he escaped through an open window and flew into some power lines, which killed him instantly. In fact, Lydia was so upset that she had Steve stuffed!

We’re not sure where he is now, which is probably for the best.

Minty the lamb

Young Isaac Dingle was horrified when he did a farm visit with his mum and discovered the runt of the lambs would be killed. He managed to persuade dad Cain to let him have Minty as a pet. Isaac grew very attached to him and the whole village joined in to search for Minty when he went missing.

Sadly, Minty didn’t make it, as Moira had warned, he just wasn’t strong enough to survive. Isaac was sure his mum had killed his pet, but she insisted she hadn’t. Though given Moira’s behaviour now, we’re not so sure!