<P> Back home, while picking up the broken pieces of the hockey net, Stewie blames himself and the time machine for Brian's death . Stewie then realizes he can rebuild the time machine and use it to save Brian . Unfortunately, his dealer is unable to supply him with needed parts due to his connection being killed for unknowingly drawing Muhammad . The family and friends hold a funeral for Brian where Peter gives a tear - jerking eulogy . At the funeral, Joe is pressured by a mourning black woman to find the man that killed Brian, and Quagmire, who hated Brian, does not pay attention to the service and he instead watches a video on his cellphone complaining at Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz to "stop swinging at junk". As Brian's casket is lowered into his grave, Stewie throws a final red rose onto the casket and he and the Griffin family watch on tearfully . </P> <P> A month later, the Griffin family still misses Brian dearly and Lois decides the best way for them to recover is to get a new dog . Peter chooses an Italian smooth - talking dog named Vinny at the pet shop . At home, Vinny offers to make dinner and ingratiates himself with the family . At the Drunken Clam, Peter introduces Vinny to Joe and Quagmire and they become drinking buddies . Stewie is still not happy with Vinny and decides to ruin him . Stewie feeds him some sad Italian news hoping to break his heart, but Chris ruins it for Stewie . Later, Vinny hears Stewie crying and finds he is still upset over Brian . Vinny offers some comfort, talking about the death of his previous owner Leo, and proving he knows what it is like to lose your best friend . Vinny says even in the pet shop, he felt a kinship with the Griffin family . Stewie finally accepts Vinny into the family . Later that night, Vinny goes to sleep beside Stewie's bed . </P> <P> In November 2013, Family Guy writer Steve Callaghan told E! about why they decided to kill off Brian in the episode, saying: "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 ." He also explained why they decided to kill off Brian and not one of the other characters, saying: "It seemed more in the realm of a reality that a dog would get hit by a car than if one of the kids died . As much as we love Brian, and as much as everyone loves their pets, we felt it would be more traumatic to lose one of the kids, rather than the family pet ." </P> <P> He also discussed how the other Family Guy actors reacted when they heard Brian would be killed in the episode, saying: "I think they were glad it wasn't them . (Laughs .) I think they were surprised, as anyone would be and I think they were pretty stunned especially this far into the show . They were as shocked as anyone ." He also explained why they decided to replace Brian with another dog, saying: "It felt like the way that this show was conceived by Seth all those years ago, was this entire family unit including the parents, kids and a dog . So by losing Brian, it felt like a void needed to be filled both comically, and also for the interpersonal relationships between all the characters . We felt that we needed to fill that role ." </P>

What season and episode does brian die on family guy