Battersea Dogs' Home furious over Emmerdale's controversial attack scene

Emmerdale has come under fire from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home after an episode aired of village vet Paddy Kirk (played by Dominic Brunt) getting mauled by an Alsatian in distressing scenes on the ITV soap.

Michael Webb, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Battersea, told us: "Although the dog bite incident portrayed was thankfully fictional, it highlights the importance of responsible dog ownership, understanding a dog's body language, and what may happen if a dog is not properly socialised or trained."

He added: "Whilst Battersea welcomes this issue being platformed to such a big audience, we were disappointed to see that the choice of dog breed reinforced the stereotype that particular types of dog are inherently 'dangerous', when in reality any dog - no matter its size, shape or breed - has the potential to bite if not properly cared for by responsible owners."

He said this is why Battersea has long campaigned for better public safety, effective preventative laws around dog control, and harsher punishments for the irresponsible few who allow or encourage their dogs to behave dangerously.

An Emmerdale spokesperson said: "When selecting a dog for this storyline we didn't specify a breed, but needed a highly trained animal that could perform in various ways. The dog that we chose from a credited supplier, was a cross breed and fully trained in all of our requirements, most comfortable on set and therefore the safest for us to work with."

The storyline continues into next week's Emmerdale, when a traumatised Paddy has to put on a brave face in front of Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) as he prepares to manage a day in the vets alone.

At first, he's pleased to be coping well until a client with a huge pooch arrives through the doors. Struggling to contain the panic, Paddy's unable to treat the dog, and he shuts the surgery for the rest of the day as he's incapacitated with fear.

The following day, a fearful Paddy calls in sick, but the lovable Emmerdale character opens up to Mandy about his fear of dogs. Will a meeting with Vinny Dingle's (Bradley Johnson) friendly dog Chip help Paddy overcome his fears?

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV and ITVX.