It is likely that readers have seen this
photo floating around the internet, the one of a man holding his aging dog in
the water, the dog peacefully sleeping against his shoulder. However, while
many have seen this photo, many do not know the touching story behind it. It is
the story of John Unger and the dog named Schoep that saved his life.
In 1993, John Unger and his fiancée wanted
to adopt a dog, but had yet to find the right one. When they walked into the
Ozaukee Animal Shelter, they spotted his young pup. The couple fell in love
with the dog, which was named Tramp at the time, immediately. Tramp's story
before he met the couple was unclear, but he showed signs of abuse and lacked a
trust in people. Unger states that when he first adopted the dog he renamed
Schoep that he didn't even know what toys were. The couple worked hard to win
the trust of this young pup and eventually through kindness and patience,
Schoep was rehabilitated. While the relationship between Unger and Schoep has
withstood the test of time, John Unger's relationship with his fiancée did not.
When the relationship ended between them, it left John devastated.
One night while in the depths of despair,
John Unger began to contemplate 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," he stated to the Duluth News Tribune.
The pair was inseparable over the years.
However, as anyone who owns a pet knows, these animals have an unfairly short
life span. As Schoep got older, he developed severe and painful arthritis. It
was painful for Schoep to move or even lay down, meaning that this old hound
could barely even sleep. John Unger saw this as a way to repay Schoep for
saving his life all those years ago.
He took Shoep to the veterinarian after the
limp from arthritis started. The doctor gave Unger pain medicine for the dog
that worked temporarily but did not last. Soon the medicine had no effects and
Schoep had developed cataracts that prevented him from seeing in sunlight.
Every night, so that Schoep could get a few minutes of peaceful sleep, John
Unger carried his best friend down to the waters of Lake Superior, where the
pair floated. The water prevented arthritis pain in the dog, and the loving
bond between the two allowed for Schoep to fall asleep on the chest of his
master.
After this beautiful image of the pair went
viral all over the internet, donations flooded in for treatment for Schoep. Now
because of the generosity of so many, John is able to afford laser joint
treatment for Schoep that cost $200 dollars per session from the Bay Area Animal Hospital. Today, this old dog is still going strong, improving, even.
John Unger states that he is seeing improvements in Schoep's ability to walk
and that he is walking faster with his head held high. Of course, every pet, no
matter how special they are, has an expiration date, but for John Unger and his
best friend, they have been given a little more time together.
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