Old Yeller-Belly

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“Old Yeller-Belly” is the nineteenth episode of The Simpsons’ fourteenth season. It aired on May 4, 2003, was written by John Frink and Don Payne, and directed by Bob Anderson.

Plot in simple terms:
- Santa’s Little Helper can’t save Homer when Homer is trapped in a house fire. The family blames the dog, but Snowball II the cat saves Homer. Homer starts to see Snowball II as a hero and sees Santa’s Little Helper as a coward, which makes him leave the dog out in the cold.
- Bart and his friends try to listen in on Lisa’s tea party from Bart’s treehouse, and their spying leads to a fight that destroys the treehouse. The Amish rebuild a new one, but they wire it wrong because they don’t understand electricity. A fire breaks out at the completion party, and everyone escapes except Homer.
- Santa’s Little Helper is left tied up in the yard with an empty beer can. He balances the can on his nose and drinks the last drops. A photo of this appears in the newspaper, which catches Duff Beer’s attention. They declare Santa’s Little Helper the new mascot, Suds McDuff.
- The dog’s original owner comes back and tries to take the dog back. The Simpsons try to get Duffman to replace Suds so they can get Santa’s Little Helper back. At a Duff Beer–sponsored beach event, Homer pretends to drown. Santa’s Little Helper doesn’t save him, and when Duffman is asked to save, a shark shows up and bites the beer, becoming Duff McShark as the new mascot. In the end, Santa’s Little Helper returns to the Simpsons.

Reception and viewership:
- The episode was watched by about 11.59 million people, ranking around 32nd for the week.
- Reviews were mixed. Some liked the jokes and the return of Santa’s Little Helper’s original owner, while others felt the references to Spuds McKenzie were dated or rated the episode as just okay.