Alfie

Alfie (the real life Alfie) would like you to know that he's very much alive and kicking so we thought we'd share a few facts with you.

Jimmy's Alfie was originally meant to be called Dolly! Named after Ms Parton, the dog was obviously meant to be female. However, when Alfie was discovered by Casting his gender, needless to say, meant a name change. Alfie is the dog's real name!

Alfie and his owner, Rachel, loved the experience and he's been recognised loads since appearing in River City!

The TV team loved working with him, too, and were sorry to see him go. The original intention was to keep Alfie around for longer but storyline changes meant his time had to be cut short. The Executive Producer, Sandra, sings his praises as a brilliant acting dog!

When Alfie (the TV character) was ill, Jimmy didn't want to take him to the SSPCA or the vet because he was worried the dog would be put down. We want to assure everyone that this was the view of Jimmy and not of the BBC! The story is, of course, fictional and Jimmy just panicked. As it turned out, poor Alfie really wasn't well at all and, in his anxiety to get Alfie better quickly, Jimmy chose the most expensive option. Apart from anything else, he saw Alfie as a kindred spirit - Jimmy is determined to walk again and he wanted to do all he could to get his dog back on his feet.

Obviously, in real life, if your pet is unwell the PDSA and the SSPCA would do everything they could to help you get treatment so you needn't fear a £3000 vet bill!

You might also like to know that Alfie the actor was a rescue dog. A lady found him, seemingly abandoned in a park, and took him to the vet. Luckily, he got a clean bill of health but nobody had reported him missing so he was taken in by Rachel, who used to work with Greyhound Rescue - they look after hundreds of dogs a year when they're abandoned after retiring from racing. The registered owner (on his microchip) failed to respond to any communication so Alfie now lives happily with Rachel and more than 20 other dogs!

So, in real life there's a happy ending. As for the storyline, Alfie's death has given Jimmy a bit of a setback in his progress and, after paying for Alfie's operation, Bob's now under pressure. You'll see that unfold over the next few weeks...