Houston, Texas - When Houstonian Claudia Papp took in her foster dog Chapo, he was a complete mess. But a lot of love and patience, as well as a little help from another furry friend, helped turned things around.

As Claudia explained in a video for The Dodo, it was her cat Freeway who first shared her safe space with Chapo and gave him comfort.

The dog's previous owner reportedly chained him in a backyard for four years, without adequate food, water, or shelter. So when he was taken in by Claudia, Chapo was initially overwhelmed and terribly anxious.

"No matter how much space I gave him, he would stare at the door like he wanted out," the Claudia said, before describing the scary panic attacks that Chapo would get, lying on the floor and shaking from head to tail.

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But as the traumatized pooch noticed that his foster mom always stuck through these moments with him, he began to thaw out. That's when he started treating Claudia's bed as a refuge – and that's where he met Freeway.

The video shows the cat playing with Chapo's tail as he wags it. It was a clear sign that a beautiful friendship was developing, one in which he sought out comfort from his new human and her other pets.

Some time later, Chapo even started to leave the house and play with Claudia's niece. The amazing transformation is obvious from the way he scampers around and he has turned into a loving and playful dog. Slowly but surely, the time to find him a new forever home is drawing close.

Even though the thought of letting him go makes Claudia sad, but she can rest assured that he'll never forget her life-changing impact.