Chewy was found wandering in a field outside Nashville, TN by a farmer who thought he was a bear (?!) and was prepared to shoot him. Luckily he left him with the Humane Society where he was neutered and almost died after the vet discovered he had a M1-mutation which caused him to be severely allergic to certain sedatives. However, after recovering, he found a loving foster home with Ingrid Thompson who has been fostering OES for 20+ years.

In the Keiter home, we had been enjoying our female, Dolly who was 4. Dolly is the reason we became members of TOESR. Although we didn't know about the organization when we bought her from a breeder, we supported the organization with our donations and presence at the picnics starting in 2007/2008. We were so blessed to have Dolly, and my husband kept talking about rescuing a male OES. I had never been around male dogs (we always had females growing up) so was a bit reticent. After a while, we let Belinda know our intentions and to keep an eye out for us. One day we received a call from her about a male found in TN. They thought he was a couple years old and may be a good fit for our family, but there was a catch; he was in Clarksville, TN (18 hour road/round trip) and we would need to adopt him without seeing if he got along with Dolly. We spoke with Ingrid and decided to make the trip out there. When asked his size, I was told he was maybe about 75 pounds – a bit larger than Dolly's 60 pounds. Once we decided to adopt, we picked out his name (he had been Earl at the Humane Society which didn't seem to fit his pictures). My son had a choice of Wooky, Ewok or Chewy. He chose Chewy. I booked a hotel room, took my son and stepdaughter out of school for a couple days, drove my husband's pickup truck with a bench front seat and set out west from Charlotte, NC. It was November so was a beautiful drive and we had a good time along the way.

When we met Chewy, he put his paws up on top of the backyard fence and stood about 5 feet tall. After the initial hellos/wags, I went to sit down on some steps and he came up to me and stood in front of me giving me kisses. I was so moved that he was so willing and ready to give love and kisses after God knows what he had been through; the manifestation of God's forgiveness is in a dog's heart and soul.

We brought Chewy home – he insisted on sitting on my lap the first hour of the trip – he was immediately harassed by Dolly. She didn't let up for 3 weeks and kept standing next to him when he would lay down, barking incessantly in his ear. She wanted to let him know who was boss –he let her. I think he was just happy to be in a loving home. Upon meeting Chewy, my husband's friend stated, 'Chewy you've found the Shangri-La of dog homes you lucky boy!'. Upon taking him to the vet, he weighed in at 120 pounds (and eventually became a healthy 130).

Not knowing his background or training, we immediately enrolled him in obedience class at Petsmart. He was the star pupil and all the other dogs seemed to pale by comparison – he was so smart andpicked up on commands so quickly. He eventually got his certification as a therapy dog from Therapy Dogs International. Another little known fact is Chewy won 'Best in Show' in Charlotte Pride's 2015 Canine Couture event.

Anywhere we went, Chewy quietly commanded attention and stood in the limelight, giving kisses and leaning up against those who were most unsure about him – as if to be an ambassador for the breed, demonstrating the caring, quiet, protective, non-aggressive sensitive nature most enduring in OESs. His size and his warmth won over skeptics again and again. I always said, taking Chewy for a walk anywhere was like going on a walk with Elvis.

He was always most spry when the weather turned cool and crisp, lifting his big head and bouncing along the sidewalk like a teeter totter – although I would have to stretch my 5'10' frame to run just to keep up with his gait.

I was his favorite human. He would follow me wherever I went in the house, look out the window when I left and be the first head to look for me through the window when I came home. I miss his soulful eyes, his funny sense of humor, his calming demeanor and yes – even his mischief. I know though that my boy is up running with his Dolly and that she was bouncing up and down in anticipation of his arrival over the rainbow bridge. Until we meet again Chewy . . . we love you.