Photographer
Captures Tender Moment Between Man And His Sick Dog In
Lake Superior
The
Huffington Post | By Cavan Sieczkowski
They say a dog is a man's best friend, but to John Unger,
a Wisconsin resident, his dog, Schoep, means everything.
Unger
adopted Schoep, named after the famous Wisconsin ice
cream, when he was just a puppy, and the two have been
together ever since. Now, at 19-years-old, Schoep has
arthritis and has trouble sleeping, the Pioneer Press
reports. Unger found that water is therapeutic for his
pained buddy, so he takes Schoep into Lake Superior
and lulls him to sleep.
Photographer
Hannah Stonehouse Hudson, owner of Stonehouse Photography
and a friend of Unger's, decided to capture the relationship
between the man and his dog down by the water.
"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."
Stonehouse
Hudson decided to post the photo to Facebook, where
she described the pair's loving relationship.
"This
19 year old Shep being cradled in his father's arms
last night in Lake Superior," she wrote in the
Facebook post, which has received more than 207,000
likes and 116,000 shares as of Wednesday morning
"Shep falls asleep every night when he is carried
into the lake. The buoyancy of the water soothes his
arthritic bones. Lake Superior is very warm right now,
so the temp of the water is perfect. I was so happy
I got to capture this moment for John. By the way, John
rescued Shep as an 8 month old puppy, and he's been
by his side through many adventures," she continued.
Stonehouse Hudson never imagined the tender moment she
captured would eventually go viral and touch the hearts
of hundreds of thousands.
"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."
Stonehouse
Hudson regularly photographs dogs as part of her profession.
She offers pet sessions and
often
takes pictures of dogs at weddings. To give back, she
does free shoots of hard-to-place animals for local
shelters.
She
said the photograph of Unger and Schoep is more than
just a moment frozen in time; it's an everlasting reminder.
"I
want people to identify with this photo, and remember
a time when they felt safe, loved, and cared for,"
Stonehouse Hudson said. "Then I want them to channel
those feelings and pay it forward! There is way too
much negativity in this world - maybe with this one
photo we can start to change things just a tiny bit."
UPDATE:
John Lundy of the Duluth News Tribune interviewed John
Unger, who described how Schoep saved his life. After
breaking up with his former fiancee, Unger had been
having suicidal thoughts. To be honest with you,
I dont think Id be here if I didnt
have Schoep with me (that night)," Unger told Lundy.
"He just snapped me out of it. I dont 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. Minnesota Public Radio
reports that the popularity of the photo has spurred
an outpouring of support in the form of donations to
help pay for laser treatment for Schoep's arthritis.
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