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Page last updated at 11:09 GMT, Thursday, 26 June 2008 12:09 UK
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Soap dog Wellard to be killed off
Wellard
Wellard needed a new home after Keith Miller kicked him out

The canine actor who plays Wellard in the BBC One's EastEnders is to retire from the show, it has been announced.

Viewers will see Wellard killed off later this year. The Belgium shepherd, a bitch called Kyte, has featured in the soap for 14 years.

Wellard has, in fact, been played by three different dogs from the same family - Kyte, her mother and grandma.

Wellard arrived in Walford in 1994 when Robbie Jackson, played by Dean Gaffney, found him wandering the streets.

After learning the newcomer had been mistreated by his owners, Robbie took the dog in and named him Wellard for "well hard", meaning very tough.