Neighbours paid a heart-warming tribute to the legendary Bouncer the dog during Thursday’s (July 28) episode after Shane Ramsay (Peter O’Brien) named his new car after the iconic canine.
Bouncer was a Labrador who was on the show for six years from 1987 to 1993 and became one of the soap’s most loved and popular pets.
He was adored by the Ramsay Street residents as well as fans and was part of a number of eventful storylines, where he survived road accidents, being lost, a house fire and being poisoned by mushrooms.
One of his most memorable yet bizarre storylines saw him dream about marrying Rosie, the Border Collie that lived next door in 1990.
Bouncer’s legacy lives on in many Neighbours fans' memories and it was honoured during the episode when Shane revealed to Izzy Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaighte) that he had named his new car after Bouncer.
A horrified Izzy said: “That is a terrible name!” as they both laughed.
“It’s a tribute to a mate’s old dog,” he responded, before he revealed that he had also paid tribute to another beloved soap pet by naming his other vehicle Basil.
Basil was Lucy Robinson’s (Melissa Bell) who was a series regular from 1985 to 1987.
Sadly, Bouncer passed away from cancer in 1993, and following his death, he received a flood of tributes from around the world.
The cast were highly affected by the pooch’s sad passing with actor Ian Smith, who plays Harold Bishop, revealing that Bouncer's death hurt the most.
He said: “This sounds wrong, but the death that hurt me more than all the others was Bouncer. I mean that dear, lovely beautiful dog was wonderful and he got cancer off screen. It really affected us all, something awful.”
The Neighbours finale will air on Friday, July 29 on Channel 5 at 9 pm. Until then Neighbours airs weekdays at 1.45 pm and 6 pm on Channel 5. You can also stream on My5.
