The man in the picture is John Unger. The dog is 19-year-old Schoep.
John bought Schoep as a puppy and they’ve been close companions ever since. John recently found out Schoep is suffering from arthritis. To help him deal with the pain, John started taking Schoep into the lake near his house in Wisconsin to soothe him to sleep.
The moment between John and his best friend, was captured last week by local photographer, Hannah Hudson. The photo is going viral fast and has now received more than 331,000 likes on Facebook.
Photographer, Hannah told The Huffington Post:
“This photo was from a last minute session,” the Bayfield, Wis., photographer told The Huffington Post in an email. “We had been trying to get together for weeks, but it kept not happening because of my travel schedule for Stonehouse. We finally got together last Tuesday (the 31st).
I had about 5 minutes to shoot and this is what I caught — a man and his dog. John loving his Schoep, and Schoep trusting John so much he falls asleep in the buoyancy of the water. This is in no way posed. I hate posed photos. They never, ever capture the true essence of anything.
“John lives for this dog, and for the dog’s comfort,” she told HuffPost. “My mother has a saying, ‘Everything is for the comfort and convenience of the Dog.’ John is a prime example of this.
After the photo was released, John (the dog’s owner) spoke to a US newspaper and said he owes his life to Schoep. He said he bought the dog with his ex-fiance but after their relationship ended he contemplated suicide.
“To be honest with you, I don’t think I’d be here if I didn’t have Schoep with me (that night),” “He just snapped me out of it. I don’t know how to explain it. He just snapped me out of it. … I just want to do whatever I can for this dog because he basically saved my ass.”
Have you ever had a relationship this strong with one of your pets?
Top Comments
Where do I even start with this?
Another fab single woman, your poem is beautiful.
The thought that one day I need to say goodbye to my beautiful collies, Max and Tyler, is heartbreaking. They are brothers, having been together for 9 1/2 years now. I dread what one passing will do to the other.
They have had so many health problems, I've sunk literally tens of thousands, but I'd do it all again as there is no price for the years of love. Today, they are healthy and I pray we have many years left together.
What is horrible is the thought that I may need to be with one or both of them after making that dreadful decision to say goodbye for their sake. Who could bear the thought of being there, whispering one last time "You're a good boy" before they leave?
The only thing worse in a dog owner's life must surely be to not be there.
Our family dog, a black Labrador cross, was amazing when it came to protecting us when we were kids.
She was being very strange one summer, walking next to mum when she went down the stairs of the veranda, sitting between the wading pool and the garden, pacing up and down, standing next to the pram or the baby rug outside when my siblings were little.
Turns out there was a huge brown snake in the garden for days and she kept it in there, guarding us from it! It was near the veranda so each time we went down the steps she stood between us and the snake - we had no idea for days.
She used to sleep with our kitten and regularly guarded me when I went horse riding.
The cutest thing was when I stayed at my childhood friend's place over the road, she would sleep under my friend's bedroom window for the night and not at home. Then in the morning, when she knew I was safe, she would go over the road to mum for breakfast. I had no idea, but my friend's parents told mum that's what she did!
Best dog ever!