Meet pudgywoke, the elderly dog stealing hearts on TikTok

TikTok-famous @pudgywoke, a long-haired chihuahua with 4.7 million followers, is either 11 or 12 years old and known for making some very strange noises. Malachy James, Pudgy’s owner who happens to be a TikTok influencer himself, told In The Know “he’s always made unique noises” since they first met when James was 5 years old. Commenters sometimes express concern about Pudgy’s adorably disheveled appearance, but James said he’s all about positivity. Though their bond is formidable — James shared fond memories of playing with Pudgy — the dog’s social media success was an accident. “I initially meant to post the video [of Pudgy] on my verified account... I ended up posting it on my spam account unknowingly, then within minutes it started to take off," he explained. In that first video, Pudgy dramatically responds to his owner by releasing a guttural sound that sounds a bit like a malfunctioning fax machine, according to some TikTok users. The lighthearted jokes about Pudgy’s quirks inspired James to dedicate the account to his dog. “Lots of people [were] in the comments saying stuff like ‘I was sad until I seen this video,'” James told In The Know. “My goal for me and Pudgy is to advocate positive vibes and to show the world it’s totally normal to be unique in your own way," he said