Eighteen years ago, John Unger and his then fiancee adopted an abused puppy from the Human Society. According to the Duluth News Tribune, Unger’s dream was to rehabilitate a dog and help him reach his full potential and though it took eight months for Unger to earn Schoep’s trust, he eventually did.

Photo Helps Dog

Since then, the two have gone through life together which has included a split between Unger and his fiancee that took him spiralling downward. Unger fell into a deep depression and though he contemplated committing suicide, it was Schoep that brought him out of it.(dog walking services nyc)

He said, “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.”

Well now, Unger is holding true to his word but in an unexpected way. A picture, taken by Hannah Stonehouse Hudson of the two swimming in Lake Superior is so amazing that it has gone completely viral and according to Minnesota Public Radio has received over two million views on Facebook and 100,000 shares in a matter of weeks. The image is of Unger lovingly holding a sleeping Schoep in the water which soothes the severly arthritic dog.

Amazingly, this photo going viral has helped Unger raise enough money to get Schoep an expensive laser surgery to treat his arthritis. Have you seen it on Facebook?

Best of luck to Unger and Schoep!

Soures: Info via Minnesota Public Radio and Duluth News Tribune