"Family Guy" fans aren't giving up on dog Brian Griffin, who was killed off on Sunday's episode. Viewers were shocked by the unexpected death, and fan Aaron Thompson of Tuscaloosa, Ala., started a petition on Change.org Monday to urge Fox and show creator Seth MacFarlane to bring the talking, boozing pooch back.
"The writers of 'Family Guy' didn't just kill off one of their creations, they killed off the dog who has lived in our homes for the past 15 years," the petition states. "They killed the dog we have all come to love. They killed America's dog!"
As of Tuesday morning, the petition had gathered more than 30,000 signatures. The Facebook page R.I.P. Brian Griffin From Family Guy, which the petition links to, already has 344,000 likes.
MacFarlane, who voices Brian and other characters on the show, has not yet spoken out about the character's death.
But executive producer Steve Callaghan told E! Online that they chose to kill Brian because it was more realistic than killing off either Chris or Meg, the Griffin family's kids. It's a point that some fans would disagree with. After Brian's death, many tweeted that they wished it had been Meg, often portrayed as a loser and the butt of jokes, who had died instead.
The producer also noted that he wasn't worried about any fan backlash. "Our fans are smart enough and have been loyal to our show for long enough, to know they can trust us," Callaghan told E! Online.
But viewer reaction hasn't been very positive so far.
Fox had no comment.