wellard was briefly written out of the series under executive producer matthew robinson, but returned when robinson was succeeded by john yorke. wellard's owners for the majority of his duration in the soap are robbie jackson (dean gaffney) and gus smith (mohammed george). he was voted "best pet" at the 2008 digital spy soap awards, and named the uk's favourite soap opera pet in a 2009 "inside soap" poll. wellard was a fan favourite, and although a storyline that saw him threatened with euthanasia for biting local café owner ian beale (adam woodyatt) was poorly received by critics, his death drew generally favourable reviews.