Related: “Special Announcement From Brian” Follows ‘Family Guy’ Pooch Passing

Family Guy fans are up in arms this morning over the shocking death of the show’s talking dog Brian, hit by a car in last night’s episode. There is already a petition calling for the dog’s resurrection. While Brian was definitely positively dead and buried by the Griffins in the episode, some fans are suspicious. After all, Stewie is in possession of a (temporarily not working) time machine he and Brian had frequently used. If they were able to prevent a cataclysmic event like 9/11 in the controversial 2011 episode, altering the circumstances that led to Brian’s death should be a piece of cake once the machine is working again. Complicating the matters is the introduction of Brian’s “replacement”, new Griffin family dog Vinny voiced by Tony Sirico. The Sopranos alum was tapped for a slew of episodes — six so far, with a possibility to do more or even become a regular, which would make Vinny a permanent fixture on the show. Still, Brian has been one of Family Guy‘s most popular characters, and along with Stewie, is probably the show’s top merchandise property. It doesn’t make a lot of business sense to kill off one of your top cash cows. Asked about Brian’s long-term prospects on the show, 20th TV would not elaborate, instead opting for “no comment”. Truth be told, it would be a financial boon for 20th TV to reap the benefits of the inevitable spike in sales of Brian-themed toys and other collectibles in the wake of his death and then have the character come back. Here again is Family Guy‘s Brian tribute video: