Newfoundland Dog Helps 96-Year-Old Neighbor Dig Garden Holes

Chewy, a 4-year-old Newfoundland weighing 150 pounds, lowered himself beside Barbara Collins in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and dug where the 96-year-old pointed, making it possible for her to plant spring flowers without kneeling in the dirt. Collins said she did not have the balance and strength to dig the holes herself, so the dog’s help turned an ordinary garden chore into a practical act of independence.

The April 2 garden session was filmed by Collins’s granddaughter, Amy Savino, who lives next door and often captures the pair together. In the video, Collins and Chewy planted marigolds, Superbells, pansies and dianthus, while Collins praised the dog with, “You did a good job, Chewy.” Savino said the gardening moment was the first time Collins and Chewy had worked together in the yard, even though their bond had already stretched across years of small routines and shared affection.

That bond has also reached far beyond the fence line. Savino said she began posting videos of Chewy about two years ago, and the account has grown to nearly 500,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram. One recent video passed 11 million views and drew thousands of comments, turning a next-door friendship into a widely watched scene of everyday caregiving.

The appeal is simple and durable: an older woman who wants to keep tending her flowers, a neighbor’s dog trained to dig on command, and a granddaughter who is close enough to film the exchange. Savino said Collins often repays Chewy with grilled cheese sandwiches, ice cream, dog-friendly cupcakes and repaired toys, a reminder that informal support often runs on small acts of reciprocity rather than any formal system.

Chewy’s name comes from Chewbacca in Star Wars, but the larger story is about a familiar American arrangement. As more older adults try to remain at home, they often depend on nearby family members, neighbors and even pets for the kind of help that preserves routine, dignity and a sense of control. In Collins’s garden, that meant a Newfoundland digging just deep enough for roots to take hold.