The pet I’ll never forget: Chewy the dog, who loves gardening – and saving lives

I got Chewy, short for Chewbacca, when he was eight weeks old – he was this giant ball of a newfoundland puppy. I live in North Carolina and we drove five hours to Georgia to get him. It was love at first sight, but I never expected how much of a role he would play in my family.

Chewy on the school run

Chewy was the craziest puppy, very clumsy and goofy. He grew so quickly – he went from 10lb (4.5kg) to 100lb (45kg) in the first 10 months. Now aged four, he’s calmed down quite a bit and looks like a big, fluffy, long-haired bear. He’s enormous – you just want to hug him.

‘He’s a big part of her longevity and he adores her’ … Amy Savino’s grandmother Barbara Collins and Chewy. Photograph: Courtesy of Amy Savino

His personality depends on the person he’s with. When he’s with my grandma, Barbara, who’s 96, he is soft, gentle and slow. When he’s with me, he is needy. He wants me to take care of him and give him cookies. When he’s with my kids, he is hyper, especially with my eldest daughter, who is 15. They like to tackle each other.

Chewy with Barbara

Newfoundlands are traditionally water rescue dogs. When we’re at the beach, my kids and I will play games, and we’ll push each other in the water. Then he will come up and save us. You have to grab on to his back, and he will bring you all the way to shore. He will not let my kids swim. He just wants to save them. We never taught him that – it’s just an automatic instinct.

Chewy to the rescue!

He can dig on command, too. In April, my grandma wanted to do some gardening – she would point to a spot, he would dig the hole, and then she’d put in the plant and fill it in with dirt. He’s so intuitive: he knows she is older and doesn’t have as much strength any more, and the ground was really hard. He was helping her. I filmed it and posted it online – I didn’t expect the video to do so well.

Chewy and my grandma see each other multiple times a day, because we live next door to each other. We’re always doing something with her. I think he’s a big part of her longevity: being able to stay active and care for him gives her purpose, and he adores her.

‘He’s full of compassion.’ Photograph: Courtesy of Amy Savino

I have three children. Chewy is like the fourth child because he’s such an important member of our household. It’s so inspiring to see how he acts – he’s full of compassion and so loving and caring. I never thought I could love a dog as much as I love him.