Season 1 · Episode 7 · First aired 16 May 1999
Brian: Portrait of a Dog
Episode 7 of Family Guy season 1 (S01E07), the 7th Family Guy episode overall. Written by Gary Janetti and directed by Michael Dante DiMartino. First broadcast on 16 May 1999.
Story
A heatwave hits Quahog and the Griffins have no air conditioning. Peter talks a reluctant Brian into a dog show with a $500 prize. Brian performs his tricks but refuses to balance a biscuit on his nose, finding it demeaning, and walks out. They argue, Brian is fined under the leash law, and Peter brings up finding him as a stray. Brian leaves home and ends up sleeping in a bus shelter. After attacking a man who took him for a drunk, Brian is arrested and sentenced to death. He studies law and pleads his case before the city council, which will not listen to a dog. Peter makes an emotional appeal and then bribes each councillor with $20. Brian is freed and drinks from a public fountain. Back home he licks Peter's face and warns him to keep it quiet.
Production and reception
- Gary Janetti wrote the episode, his first for the series, and Michael Dante DiMartino, who later co-created Avatar: The Last Airbender, directed. Wikipedia, Brian: Portrait of a Dog
- Guest voices included Mary Scheer, Dick Van Patten, Joey Slotnick and Rachael MacFarlane. Wikipedia, Brian: Portrait of a Dog
- Brian's attempt to cite Plessy v. Ferguson and his drink from the fountain are references to the US civil rights movement and to The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Wikipedia, Brian: Portrait of a Dog
- Ahsan Haque of IGN rated the episode 9.6 out of 10. Wikipedia, Brian: Portrait of a Dog
- The episode was released with the rest of the first two seasons on a four-disc DVD set in the United States on 15 April 2003. Wikipedia, Brian: Portrait of a Dog
Voices
| Voice | Characters |
|---|---|
| Seth MacFarlane | Peter Griffin, Brian Griffin, Stewie Griffin |
| Alex Borstein | Lois Griffin, Liza, Girl in Commercial |
| Seth Green | Chris Griffin, Manager, Officer #2 |
| Lori Alan | Diane Simmons |
| Butch Hartman | Charles Montrose, Vet |
| Rachael MacFarlane | Girl in Commercial |
| Mary Scheer | Ann Landers, Mary Bradford, Mother |
| Joey Slotnick | Cashier, Officer |
| Dick Van Patten | Tom Bradford |
| Wally Wingert | Bus Station Manager |
Principal voice credits as recorded by IMDb, which lists up to ten credits per episode, so recurring characters can be missing here. Guest voices below come from Wikipedia and TVmaze.
Guest voices
- Lori Alan as Diane Simmons
- Butch Hartman
- Rachael MacFarlane
- Dick Van Patten as Thomas Bradford, Tom Bradford
- Mary Scheer as Mary Bradford
- Joey Slotnick
- Wally Wingert
Season 1: episode 7 of 7
- E1Death Has a Shadow
- E2I Never Met the Dead Man
- E3Chitty Chitty Death Bang
- E4Mind Over Murder
- E5A Hero Sits Next Door
- E6The Son Also Draws
- E7Brian: Portrait of a DogYou are here
SourceFacts from Wikipedia: Family Guy season 1 and the episode's article (CC BY-SA 4.0). Spotted an error? See corrections.
Provenance
Facts only- Sources
- Data refreshed
- 6 September 2026
- Verification
- Checked against Wikidata and IMDb: title, date, numbering and credits agree
- Licence
- Facts are not copyrightable. Source text on Wikipedia is CC BY-SA 4.0; Wikidata is CC0; IMDb data is used for verification under its non-commercial terms.
- Note
- The story summary and notes were written for this site from the sources listed, by Claude in Claude Code on 2026-09-08, awaiting editorial review. Facts only; no dialogue is reproduced. Voice credits: Information courtesy of IMDb (https://www.imdb.com). Used with permission. Guest cast data from TVmaze (https://www.tvmaze.com), CC BY-SA.