'Family Guy' dog is expected to return Dec. 15

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Brian, the Griffin family's recently deceased dog, will be returning shortly to the U.S. animated series "Family Guy," EW.com reported Friday.

Brian died in a car crash in the Nov. 24 episode and was quickly replaced by a new pet named Vinny, who is voiced by Tony Sirico.

Brian is expected to reappear in the Dec. 15 installment, however, exactly how he is to return is unclear, the report said.

"We thought it could be a fun way to shake things up," executive producer Steve Callaghan told EW.com about the decision to kill Brian. "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."