Mitch Boyer and his ginormous dog Vivian

Last week my dear friend Ira Silverberg brought this very fun work to my attention - a boy and his dog story but this one has a special twist.  Mitch Boyer has a giant dog and that's dog's name is Vivian.  He is here to tell us a bit about his inspiration and the giant dog.

"My sister has a Dachshund named Gogo, and Gogo had a litter of puppies. I went over to the house the day they were born and fell in love with Vivian. The rest is history, haha. Vivian was the leader of the litter and quickly took command—Gogo still submits to her when we visit. She has a very strong personality and likes to be the one in charge.

When she was in puppy training, the trainer had a Bernese Mountain Dog, who Vivian loved. She was only the size of that dog's paw, but she thought she was just as big. She still does."

Mitch and Vivian true to size

I asked Mitch about his inspiration for the giant dog project that he is turning into a book aptly titled, Vivian the Dog.

"It was after finding Romain Laurent's work. He has this fantastically bizarre music video where a giant head is lying on the Coney Island boardwalk while singing. That image stuck in my mind and I decided to do something similar—with Vivian. She already had a giant personality, so making her a giant seemed like a logical step. 

The idea for the book evolved while chatting with my girlfriend about the pictures. I've moved around a lot—9 states, 15 cities, and 22 different houses or apartments—and by extension, so has Vivian. No matter how many times you do it, it's always hard to pack up and move to a new place, especially for kids. So I thought it would be great to tell the story of a big dog, moving to New York City. I loved the idea that she would misunderstand why it's called the "big city," and think that everyone there is a giant. When she discovers they're not, she immediately becomes homesick and wants to return home. I think everyone can associate with that feeling, losing the excitement of a new experience and immediately seeking comfort. But I also think it's important to push through those moments so you can grow, and that's really the idea behind the book."