Santa's Little Helper

Santa's Little Helper, also known as No. 8, is the Simpson's family dog. He is a greyhound.

Racing Life
Santa's Little Helper raced frequently at the Springfield Downs. On Christmas Eve, after being fed up with his loss streak, Santa's Little Helper's owner disowned him outside of the stadium. Running to the first person he saw, the greyhound leaped into an angry Homer's arms and kissed him, calming him immediately. Homer and Bart brought the dog home, where he was accepted as the family pet alongside Snowball II.

History
In his first appearance in Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, Homer was relying on a Christmas bonus to buy presents, but didn't get it. He was relying on this bonus because the jar of Christmas money that Marge accumulates for the family's Christmas treats was disposed of to pay for the removal of a tattoo that Bart got on his arm. Homer took the small amount of Christmas money he made working as a Santa at the Springfield Mall and bet it at the dog track. He had inside information on what dog was going to win, but instead bet on the "long shot," Santa's Little Helper, believing his name to be a sign. Santa's Little Helper finished last (apparently, it was the latest in a long string of last-place finishes), and his frustrated owner abandoned him. Homer and Bart brought him home, and everyone was so happy with him that it was a merry Christmas after all.

In various episodes, Santa's Little Helper can be seen chewing on the newspaper and other objects in the Simpson's household (sometimes ignored or tolerated by the family), tearing up the furniture, digging holes in the backyard and eating food from the living room table.

With a few exceptions, Santa's Little Helper doesn't make any sound that resembles a bark. However, he does have an ability to think just like a person. In the episode where Homer becomes a food critic, he makes a sound similar to "chewy", and Homer writes it down in his review, unamazed that the dog spoke English. He is also shown to have ridden a circus ball on his hind legs and utter the phrase 'We love... you!' in an attempt to be given some attention from the Simpson family. In addition, he was mascot of Duff Beer, and was known as Suds McDuff (a reference to a similar, real life mascot Spuds MacKenzie) in "Old Yeller Belly."

Santa's Little Helper's life with the Simpsons was not always easy. He nearly died of gastric torsion (referred to in the show as a "twisting of the stomach") during the third season because Homer initially couldn't afford $750 for the required operation; and he also broke two legs when Bart's treehouse was demolished by Mr. Burns' oil well ("Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)").

In the episode The Canine Mutiny during the 8th season, Santa's Little Helper was shortly abandoned by Bart for Laddie, a purebred and very well-trained dog he bought from a mail-order catalog together with various other expensive gifts and gadgets. To do that, Bart used a credit card he applied for under the name of his dog, yet the credit card company misread the form and issued a card to Mr. "Santos L. Halper". Laddie learned many tricks that Santa's Little Helper was completely unable to perform (most notably a back flip, CPR and using a toilet). The Simpson family nearly forgot about their old pet, and Bart eventually gave him away instead of Laddie when repo men take back everything he fraudulently purchased. Feeling guilty about this disloyalty and bored with his too perfect new dog, Bart tried to get Santa's Little Helper back. When he finally found him, Santa's Little Helper was serving as a seeing-eye dog for a blind man named Mr. Mitchell, but eventually decided to return to his former owner, Bart.

In the episode Stop, Or My Dog Will Shoot!, he becomes a great hero after he saves Homer in a cornfield maze, and then becomes enrolled as a police dog, teamed up with Officer Lou. Both Lou and Santa's Little Helper make a good team, foiling crimes together. After biting Bart's left leg (due to the fact he got angry when the court stated that he violated one of the police codes while catching Snake Jailbird), Santa's Little Helper is sent off by the Simpson family to live with Lou. Later on, once Springfield Elementary is in danger and Bart isn't able to escape, Santa's Little Helper comes in to save him, and goes back to living with the Simpsons. Unlike in Old Yeller Belly (which depicts the dog as a coward), Santa's Little Helper is depicted as a very brave and smart dog.

Santa's Little Helper is implied to be bisexual in the episode Jaws Wired Shut. In the episode, the Simpson family is watching a gay pride parade marching down Evergreen Terrace, and one of the groups marching is the Gay Dog Alliance. The marching dogs are clothed in a series of typically camp gay costumes, and Santa's Little Helper, showing excitement by panting, shows an interest in several of the dogs, one of whom winks at him. Santa's Little Helper's attempt to join the dogs is thwarted by the fact that he is currently on a leash, noticing his interest, Homer decides to take the family away from the pride parade.

Offspring
He sired twenty-five puppies with "She's The Fastest" in Two Dozen and One Greyhounds, as well as another litter with Dr. Hibbert's poodle, Rosa Barks in Today I Am A Klown.
 * 25 offspring with She's The Fastest: Rover, Fido, Rex, Spot, Rover II, Fido II, Rex II, Cleo, Dave, Jay, Paul, Branford, Dave II, Jay II, Paul II, Branford II, Sleepy, Dopey, Grumpy, Donner, Blitzen, Grumpy II, King, Queenie, Prince and The Puppy Formerly Known As Prince.
 * a litter of puppies with Dr. Hibbert's dog Rosa Barks, these puppies were given away to townspeople, these include Willie, Krusty and Snake.

Appearances
Santa's Little Helper