Season 5 of “Virgin River” has come to an end, and one of the surprises turned out

to be an adorable puppy that Mel got for Christmas. In season 6, however,

the dog will probably be played by a different “actor”. Season 5B of “Virgin River”

has been available on Netflix since last week, consisting of two holiday episodes. In them, Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) suggested to Jack (Martin Henderson) that she would like some jewelry for Christmas. Meanwhile, her beloved surprised her and in the finale we see how, in addition to earrings, he gives her a “pony” – a puppy named Pony. Where did this idea come from?

Virgin River season 5 – where did the idea for the dog plot come from?

Those familiar with the book original are certainly not surprised by the appearance of a dog in the series. In Robyn Carr’s novels, the characters find several puppies, and the creators decided to make a small Easter egg for fans of the books.

Apparently, the production initially wanted to introduce a plot in which Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) gives her dog to Jack and Mel. That’s when Alexandra Breckenridge stepped in, who didn’t like this solution.

The showrunner assured that the puppy will remain in Mel and Jack’s lives – but Pony will most likely not be “played” by the same dog. The reason? There are plans for a time jump in the 6th season of “Virgin River”, and dogs grow quite quickly – so Pony will be played by another furry creature.

What’s sadder, everyone on the set got attached to the puppy and even named him Doctor after the series character, played by Tim Matheson. One can only hope that the dog will return to the series – which the entire team would certainly be happy about.

And what awaits Jack and Mel apart from taking care of a new family member? Here you can read what will happen in the 6th season of “Virgin River”. You can also find out how much time has passed in the series so far.