Natalie J Robb, who plays Moira Dingle in the ITV soap, opens up about the death of her ‘soul mate’ Bronson, as she and three other stars reveal how much their rescue dogs mean to them
To celebrate National Dog Day on Tuesday, four members of the Emmerdale cast are sharing heartwarming stories of the pooches that have touched their lives.
“It was love at first sight when I saw a picture of my rescue dog,” Jonny McPherson, who plays Dr Liam Cavanagh, says about his lurcher, Molly.
Jonny, 43 – one of at least 13 million UK dog owners, according to The Dogs Trust – first started looking for a rescue dog during the pandemic. He wanted a pet to keep him company on the canal boat he then lived on in Yorkshire.
And in January 2021, the RSPCA in Doncaster sent him some pictures of lurchers looking for a new home.
“I approached five different rescues before I got Molly,” he tells The Mirror. “It was lockdown and they all kept telling me I hadn’t made the shortlist.
“But when Doncaster RSPCA sent me Molly’s picture, it was love at first sight. She is a cross between a whippet and a bearded collie and was four-and-a-half when I adopted her.”
And Jonny’s bond with Molly, now nine, has deepened.
“She is possibly the most intelligent and well-behaved dog I have ever encountered,” he enthuses. “And I have met a few in my time! I never have to have her on the lead even going through the centre of Leeds.”
Molly also reminds him of the cartoon favourite Gromit, from Wallace and Gromit.
He explains: “Like Gromit, she doesn’t bark or make any noises and she has got this characterful face with extraordinarily large eyebrows!”
Jonny, who now shares a flat in Leeds with Molly, recalls some mishaps when they lived on the boat.
“Molly did fall into the canal a few times,” he confesses. “She didn’t really like the water and would much rather sit on top when we were chugging along!
“We’ve had so many adventures together.
“If you are contemplating getting a rescue dog, then do it.vThey are just sat there waiting for a home.”
Jaye Griffiths, who plays the soap superbitch Celia Daniels, pines for her two rescue dogs when she is filming. .
She says: “I miss my dogs awfully.”
Jaye, 61, and her husband, Paul, adopted whippet Ernie from a whippet rescue centre eight years ago, after two hospital doctors were forced to give him up because of hectic work schedules.
“He was nine months old and he was with this gorgeous couple who adored him and gave him the best start,” she explains.
“But they were doctors and their shifts changed after they moved hospitals. They couldn’t make it work anymore.
“Giving him up was an act of self-sacrifice. The day we took him away, they were broken.
“We still send them photographs to show he is safe and loved.”
When Jaye and Paul heard that another dog was looking for a home, they didn’t hesitate to take him in, too.
Elsie, an Italian greyhound, was 12 weeks old when she was rescued two years ago.
“We got an email about this tiny little blue and white thing,” recalls Jaye. “A woman had got a puppy and hadn’t realised how much work was involved.
“She put her up for sale. The Italian Greyhound rescue centre saw the ad and stepped in to try and help. We took the puppy and Elsie is two now.
“I think the right dog does find you. Dogs are incredible I miss them both terribly when I am filming.”
The first time Jaye travelled to Leeds from her home in Hertfordshire to film her soap scene after getting Elsie, she made the mistake of talking to her on the phone.
“It was an absolute disaster,” says the star. “Paul says she spent the next four hours running around the house trying to find me. We never did that again!”
Actress Eden Taylor-Draper bonded with a dog on the Emmerdale set.
Playing Belle Dingle, she bravely stood up to her abusive husband, Tom, by sharing her haunting experience in court.
And her dog Piper played a very important role.
Tom is now serving three years after being found guilty of coercive control and assaulting Belle.
Meanwhile, Eden says it was Belle’s love for her dog, Piper, played by a Shih Tzu called Minnie, that gave her character the strength to escape his clutches.
“After Tom first hurt Belle, he got her a dog,” says the star. “He knew Belle would do anything to protect Piper. But when things got bad, he would hurt Piper to, in turn, hurt Belle. At one point he even tried to have Piper put down. His jealousy became horrendous.”
Consulting closely with the charity Refuge, Eden, 27, says both she, James Chase, who played Tom, and the soap’s bosses wanted to show how Belle knew she had to stand up to her cruel husband if she was going to protect her dog.
Eden says: “Belle wanted to save Piper.
“It’s great that Emmerdale highlighted how animals can get caught up in domestic abuse cases. People got in touch throughout the Belle/Tom storyline to say they left their own abusive relationship for their dog. Viewers were sadly relating to it.”
And working with Minnie was great fun, according to Eden.
She says: “Minnie was just amazing from day one. She was great and so comfortable on set. She got on with James and me. There were scenes where James had to shout or scream, but because Minnie knew him and he always made a fuss of her after the scene, she was never scared.
“It was lovely having her around.
“Belle does still have Piper, but she isn’t on screen at the moment. I can’t wait to work with her again and when the time is right, I’d love to have a dog of my own.”
Natalie J Robb, who plays Moira Dingle, is delighted to have a new rescue dog, Buddy, two, after losing her first dog, Bronson, 18 months ago, aged 15.
The Scottish star, 50, known to millions as Moira Dingle, says Bronson’s death in February 2024 hit her hard.
Single and childfree, Bronson, a cross breed of Japanese Akita and Rottweiler, was her soul mate when she rescued him, aged two.
“I hadn’t experienced grief like it and it was awful,” she confides, remembering his death. “I missed him so much.
“I found it particularly hard coming home from a day’s filming and him not being there.”
Friends encouraged Natalie to get a new dog, but she needed time to grieve.
“It was tough,” she adds. “I had a necklace made with his chest hair inside and he is by my heart. I never take it off other than when I am playing Moira.”
But in the summer, fate played its part.
“One night I woke up crying,” says Natalie. “I’d had a dream with this big blonde dog running through the woods with me. He had black eyes and a black snout. Bronson was there and he came and looked at me. But I woke up because it wasn’t Bronson.”
Two weeks later, Natalie spotted an advert from a Spanish rescue centre.
“I spotted this photo of a mastiff dog looking exactly the same as the one in my dream” she says. “It was as if Bronson was telepathic and sending me a message. I rang them up and while I couldn’t meet him because of work, I saw lots of videos of him.
“Because of the dream, I knew this dog was for me.”
Four-and-a-half months after her first enquiry, Buddy arrived by boat in the UK last November.
“It was about 3am when he was brought to my house,” she recalls. “He was seven- months-old and I could see these big legs like Bambi! He immediately came and lay down by me and we cuddled. He is so affectionate and gentle.”
While Bronson will never be forgotten, Natalie is overjoyed to have Buddy, now one.
“Dogs give out so much love, it’s so rewarding,” she adds.
*If you would like to rescue and/or adopt a dog, contact your local rescue centre, The Dogs Trust or the RSPCA.