Santa's Little Helper Santa's Little Helper Santa's Little Helper is a recurring character in the American animated television series "The Simpsons". He is the pet greyhound of the Simpson family. The dog was introduced in the first episode of the show, the 1989 Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", in which his owner abandons him for finishing last in a greyhound race. Homer Simpson and his son Bart, who are at the race track in hope of winning some money for Christmas presents, see this and decide to adopt the dog. Santa's Little Helper has since appeared frequently on "The Simpsons",
Bart's Dog Gets an "F" shorts, the characters spun off into their own half-hour prime-time show on the Fox network named "The Simpsons". Matt Groening, the series' creator, wanted Ullman to make a guest appearance in one of the shorts, but was told that she was too busy with the rest of "The Tracey Ullman Show". When her show was canceled in 1990, Ullman agreed to do a guest appearance on "The Simpsons" after being asked by Groening once again. The animal noises for the episode, including those by Santa's Little Helper, were performed by Frank Welker. It was the first "The Simpsons" episode Welker