Hannah Stonehouse Hudson/StonehousePhoto.com
Schoep was about 8 weeks old when John Unger adopted him from shelter. Since then they have been best friends.
Sadly, Scheop suffered severe arthritis in his older age, struggeling agains a huge pain. The pain was so strong that dog couldn’t sleep. John find a way to ease a pain to his best friend. He used to take Schoep to the lake, holding him until Schoep fell asleep. Sometimes John and Schoep had to stay in the water for hours.
The image of John and Schoep in the Lake Superior, captured by Hannah Stonehouse Hudson, went viral within a few hours on Facebook.The original photo has been shared more than 214,000 times over the past year and helped raise funds for the elderly dog’s care. Animal lovers from across the globe donated more than $25,000 to cover veterinary bills, laser eye treatments and medications not just for Schoep, but for other aging dogs from low-income families in need of special care as well.
Unfortunately, just a month after celebrating Scheop’s 20th birthday, he passed away (July 18, 2013):
”I Breathe But I Can’t Catch My Breath…Schoep passed yesterday” announced John on his Facebook post.
