Read How Lin-Manuel Miranda May Have His Dog to Thank for 11 Tony Awards

On June 12, “Hamilton” swept the 70^th annual Tony Awards, taking home 11 wins, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Lead Actor (Leslie Odom Jr.), from the record-breaking 16 nominations it received.

The mastermind behind the production, Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also stars in the lead role, created the book, music, and lyrics, which won him a Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Grammy earlier this year. And the fascinating way he gets his creative inspiration caught our eye:

“Lyrics tend to come when I’m on the train or walking the dog,” he told The New York Times in 2014, adding that he likes to spend his mornings taking his dog for a two-hour walk in Central Park.

His dog is named Tobillo, the Spanish word for “ankle,” because Tobillo nibbled on his wife Vanessa’s ankle when they first met. She’s frequently featured on Miranda’s Twitter account, where Miranda notes Tobillo likes to sit outside his office while he works.
 

Miranda also posts pictures of him spending quality time with his four-legged fan at home or out and about:

See clips from the show here:
 

Congratulations to the entire talented, hard-working cast of “Hamilton!”