Dog Names Meaning Knowledge

Santa's Little Helper is owned by the fictional cartoon family "The Simpsons."  The pooch has a consistent reoccurring role on the show. In the very first episode, Bart and Homer head to the dog track to make some holiday money. Unfortunately, Santa's Little Helper finishes last in the dog race and is abandoned, so Homer and Bart adopt the scared and lonely pooch. After that initial introductory episode, Santa's Little Helper gained rapid knowledge. He goes to the police dog academy, dog obedience school, becomes a mascot for a beer company, and fathers innumerable puppies.

The Animal Planet Channel ran a poll and found out that Santa's Little Helper is one of the most recognized dogs in the world. The pooch's popularity is widespread. Unlike many cartoon characters, Santa's Little Helper continues to act like a dog. Although, a highly intelligent one.

Unfortunately, the Simpson's don't always treat the Greyhound nicely. In one episode he becomes deathly ill with bloat. He almost dies, so the family pulls together their funds to give the dog a lifesaving operation. However, after the surgery, the family starts to mistreat the pooch because his surgery put a financial strain on everyone. The dog feels terrible, so he runs away. He is found by a man who trains him to be an attack dog, but eventually, Bart finds the Greyhound, and he is reunited with the family.

In another episode, Bart gets a mail order dog and decides the new dog is better than Santa's Little Helper. He gives Santa's Little Helper away. In time, Bart starts to feel wrong about his decision and realizes he isn't happy with his new dog. He wants his old dog back. He finds Santa's Little Helper who has been successfully trained as a seeing-eye dog. Even though the Greyhound has a better life working with the blind man he still decides to return to the less-than-ideal Simpson family.

Throughout the many episodes, there is one reoccurring theme, Santa's Little Helper is a very knowledgeable pooch who knows precisely what is going on and that the Simpsons are far from perfect. However, he continually follows his heart and returns to the family fold despite the many opportunities that his high intelligence brings him to have a better life elsewhere. 

The most appealing aspect of Santa's Little Helper is that he is in many ways a realistic canine, unlike other cartoon characters. Some viewers might find him a bit boring, but he is a critical player in the iconic series. Merchandise that features the dog is widely marketed and purchased, so his popularity is undeniable.