Mr. Burns says in the episode that the puppy that stands up only on its hind legs reminds him of Rory Calhoun. George Meyer came up with the joke, but Matt Groening argued against it because he did not think the audience would know who Calhoun was. The writers decided to keep it in anyway, because it was later expanded into a key part of the episode's ending. Several years later, Groening stated that he was proven correct after pointing to discussions on the Internet about the episode asking who Calhoun was.
Matt Groening was happy with the episode because he thought it felt like a callback to the first episode, Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (1989), and because it features references to One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961). The Disney film thrilled Groening as a child, and was one of the reasons he was first interested in animation and cartooning. In the film, the puppies watch cartoons on television several times; the idea of a cartoon within a cartoon thrilled Groening, and said that this idea inspired him to create The Itchy & Scratchy Show.
The names of the puppies are: 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, The Puppy Formerly Known as Prince
When the staff discussed how they could gloss over the horrifying things Mr. Burns would do to the dogs, one of the writers suggested that if they communicated his plan through a song, it would stay "fun and light". Mike Scully, who agreed that the idea was good, came in the following day with complete lyrics that he wrote for "See My Vest", which was a parody of "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast (1991). A version of the song was also used for a popular Disney World TV commercial in the early 1990s.
The Rich Texan appears in this episode with chestnut hair. Later in the series, his hair changes to white.