On Sunday night's episode of Fox's Family Guy, the show surprised viewers and killed off the character Brian the dog.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the long-running animated show wrote off one of the show's main characters, which has since sent fans into a tizzy.

Fans of the show evidently haven't taken the news well that Brian is dead and so some have started a petition on Change.org over the matter.

The petition, which started Monday, was posted by fan Aaron Thompson and begs that the show bring Brian back and it already has over 2,500 signatures. The petition simply asks that Family Guy bring the character back.

"Brian Griffin was an important part of our viewing experience. He added a witty and sophisticated element to the show. Family Guy and Fox Broadcasting will lose viewers if Brian Griffin is not brought back to the show."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the episode, "Life of Brian," featured Brian getting hit by a car while in the middle of the street. The family rushes him to the vet, but his injuries prove too severe and he lives long enough for the family to say goodbye.

A Facebook page about Brian's death, which is linked on the petition, already has more than 100,000 likes.

image: Fox