Why is Clifford the dog so big?

Emily Elizabeth told Clifford one night that he just had to grow for her. So her love and hope, and Clifford's will to please her and be a good dog made him grow, and grow, and grow some more. Eventually they had to give him away because he got too big for the house, but when Emily met him again, he was bigger than a house and still growing. read more

Clifford's parents and four siblings (two girls, two boys) were all normal-sized dogs, according to What About Dogs. While he was born a normal size, the reason why Clifford grew so big is because his Emily loved him so much, according to Today I Found Out. read more

Clifford the Big Red Dog is an American children's book series about a giant red dog named Clifford. It was first published in 1963 and was written by Norman Bridwell (1928–2014). Bridwell himself had a dog he based the stories on, however his pet canine was neither big nor red. read more