Emmertails...

Soap stars' moving stories about their beloved dogs

- BY CHRISTINE SMITH

Emmerdale actress Natalie J Robb was too sad about the death of her dog to get another one but a dream helped her realise how to move on.

To celebrate National Dog Day today, Natalie and three of her co-stars from the soap are sharing heartwarming stories of pooches that have touched their lives.

Natalie, 50, who plays Moira Dingle, lost her beloved hound, Bronson, 18 months ago, aged 15.

She says: "I hadn't experienced grief like it, and it was awful.

"I had a necklace made with his chest hair in and he is by my heart." She had the rescue dog, a cross between a rottweiler and a Japanese akita, for 13 years.

Pals encouraged her to get a new dog but she needed more time to grieve. Fate played its part about five months after Bronson died.

Natalie says: "One night I woke up crying. 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 saw an ad from a Spanish rescue centre.

She says: "I spotted this photo of a mastiff dog looking exactly the same as the one in my dream.

"It was as if Bronson was sending me a message. Because of the dream, I knew this dog was for me."

Four months after Natalie got in touch with the centre in Spain, her new rescue dog, Buddy, arrived in Britain by boat.