Nobody likes to see their favorite character removed from a show and when that character is killed off, it can be even harder to deal with. Brian Griffin may have just been a dog on Family Guy, but he was an essential character and a viewer favorite. But Family Guy writers decided that Brian’s character had ran its course and decided it was time for this old dog to stop learning new tricks.

Brian was killed off during Sunday’s episode when he was unexpectedly hit by a car. Brian died at the vet’s office surrounded by his family and fellow Family Guy characters. Although Family Guy is usually a show that is full of laughs, random moments and nonsense punchlines, the passing of Brian was a sad moment for fans.

Family Guy viewers didn’t take Brian’s death lightly and many were angered by it. Some fans went out of their way to get their opinion heard and soon a RIP Brian Griffin Facebook page was created. It got over 120,000 Likes within a couple hours. An online petition on the Change.org website was also created for fans to sign if they thought Family Guy was wrong in killing such a beloved character.

The show’s executive producer said that he knew killing Brian would bring on some criticism but felt that the show needed a change. He said,

“Well, this was an idea that got pitched in the writers room and it sort of caught fire, and we thought it could be a fun way to shake things up. As soon as this idea came up, we started talking about what the next couple episodes could be and we got very excited about the way this change will affect the family dynamics and the characters.”

Even with the explanation, it seems that Family Guy viewers just aren’t ready to see Brian Griffin go to dog heaven.

Image from YouTube.