A woman has looked back at life with her 6-pound dog who helped save the lives of dozens of animals.
Claudia Papp told Newsweek has been fostering animals for years, and with her on most of that journey was her tiny Chihuahua pup, Archie.
Papp got the dog when she was 18 years old. Archie went through college and her first jobs with her, lived in multiple cities—and, when she began fostering animals, he was right by her side.
Over six years, Papp and Archie fostered 120 dogs and cats, and the owner said Archie was a major reason some of the most neglected and frightened animals went on to live full and happy lives.
“My first foster animal was a feral kitten that was covered in mange,” Papp said. “Mange made him a medical foster, and feral made him a behavioral foster. Unbeknownst to me, these were two things most rescuers would not recommend to take on as your first foster pet, but it was a unique circumstance that kind of fell in my lap.”
As the weeks went by, the kitten was kept quarantined until his mange healed, but Archie was incredibly curious—and, when he was well enough, the pup “was quick to show him that there was no reason to be afraid.”
“Archie did not cross any boundaries. He followed the kitten’s lead. It was pretty incredible to witness my Chihuahua, who was doing this for the first time with me, step back if he felt he was too close for their comfort, or lay down if he felt he was too bold in his stance.
“Before I knew it, those two were cuddling in my bed together. That experience set the stage for Archie and me for the next six years,” Papp said.
She and Archie fostered multiple “special cases,” with animals who had been abused, neglected, had medical issues, or were feral—and Papp said Archie was their “life coach and therapist.”
Amid Papp and Archie’s dozens of dogs and cats, each with their own special circumstances and personalities, each came away from the fosterers ready for life in their forever home; except for Chapo the pit bull, “the most broken dog to ever walk through our doors”—who became the only one of her fosters that Papp went on to adopt herself.
Papp recalled one special case that stood out to them: Sally, a 9-year-old beagle who had a history of biting and was in danger of being euthanized.
“I always strived to foster kittens or small- to medium-sized dogs because, even if a dog that was large was gentle and friendly, there was always a risk that something could go wrong and Archie could get hurt by accident,” Papp said.
But she had a feeling about Sally, and worked with foster coordinators to take her home and give her a chance. And despite almost being bitten “without warning,” Papp wasn’t giving up—and she learned that, while Sally sometimes perceived her and her cats as a threat, for some reason, “Archie was her ally.”
“For over two weeks, Archie was the only one that could exist in peace around her,” Papp said. A trainer noted “a very serious” resource guarding issue, but they worked through it together—and, after a lot of training, Sally was adopted by a woman who knew of her issues and was able to handle them.
“Sally would have been euthanized if it wasn’t for Archie. I think I might have given up on her, honestly,” Papp said.
“Archie changed my perception of her. He gave me clarity on what she needed. He was her foster parent, and I was in training with him as my mentor. Archie saved her life; not me, not the other rescuers…it was all Archie.”
On October 2, Papp showcased Archie’s prowess at helping to heal foster animals with a video to her TikTok account, @housetonfosterdogmom, which has been viewed close to 2 million times.
The footage shows before and after photos of just some of the pets they fostered, each looking unrecognizable after their time with Papp and Archie.
In one, a sick kitten covered in mange asks Archie: “Do you think I will be OK?”, and as a photo of the Chihuahua assures the kitten that he can help, the clip then shows a sleek, healthy-looking adult cat, saying: “Thanks, Archie.”
The video continues like this, with sick, neglected or scared dogs and cats being reassured by Archie that his foster program will help them, followed by same animal fit, healthy and loved.
“Archie always got it done,” Papp wrote in the caption, as the final image showed the Chihuahua declaring his “work here is done.”
Papp said: “Archie fostered 120 animals. He loved each one individually and respected each of their boundaries. He showed them patience, tenderness and compassion. He truly wanted to help them feel better, feel safe and be happy.
“Chihuahuas are not at all considered a ‘working breed,’ but Archie was. My Chihuahua worked for years by way of healing hearts and mending broken spirits. I never could have saved this many animals without him.”
In 2022, when Archie’s old age had left him deaf and blind, the pair put pause to the fostering, but still had plenty of adventures to go on together. Until, in 2024 at the age of 16, with his body beginning to shut down, Papp knew it was time to let Archie go.
“My sweet boy was tired, and his work here was done,” Papp said. “That same day, I had a vet come to the apartment. Archie and I laid in my bed next to each other, my arm wrapped around his little 6-pound self and we said goodbye.”
As Papp put it: “I let Archie go with the same dignity he instilled in 120 other animals and in the same apartment he healed them in, because that is where his wings would shine the most.”
TikTok users had a massive reaction to Archie’s video, awarding it almost 400,000 likes, as one commenter wrote: “He’s still helping, he was just transferred to a different branch.”
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