John Unger, a resident of Bayfield in the state of Wisconsin, adopted Schoep 18 years ago, when the dog was only 8 months old. Schoep was physically abused by his previous owners and John took several months to gain the trust of his new pet, which eventually he did.
John was engaged by that time but the relationship did not work out. He w ent into a depression after the breakup up and it got so bad that he even contemplated suicide. Fortunately, Schoep made him change his mind. "To be honest, I don’t think I’d be here if I didn’t have Schoep with me. 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" – John explains
Today, Schoep suffers from arthritis and his bones cause him a lot of pain which doesn’t allow him to sleep well. But John found a way to help him sleep at night when he learned that water was therapeutic for Schoep''s condition. So, he takes him to Lake Superior every night where the buoyancy of the water soothes his arthritic bones, especially at this time of the year when the water is warmer.
The image that shows the love between John and Schoep was taken by photographer Hanna Stonehouse Hudson, a long-time friend of John. She uploaded it at her professional page on Facebook last August 1 explaining the circumstances of the shot.
Apparently we are not the only ones moved to tears by this wonderful story of love and companionship: the picture has gone viral and people have even donated money to help pay for laser treatment sessions that help reduce the pain and heal Schoep''s limbs. Prints of the image can also be purchased from the photographer''s official page.
This is the type of news we would love to report more often!
Image courtesy of Stonehousephoto