Via the photographer, on Facebook:

This 19 year old Shep being cradled in his father’s arms last night in Lake Superior. 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 :).To purchase a print – go here: http://lakesuperiorcards.com/p96728378If you would like to make a donation to Schoep’s care – you can contact Bay Area Animal Hospital at 715-682-8865 with a credit card number or mail a check to 3601 E Hwy 2 Ashland, WI 54806. All donations are going right into Schoep’s account at the clinic. Thanks!!

Update: “An AMAZING anonymous donor paid for laser treatments at Bay Area Animal Hospital!!! Spread the love people. Pay it forward 🙂 Whooooohoooooooo So happy :D”

Also: “The most amazing things are happening for John & Shep. Thank you everyone. Seriously, thank you. If you love a senior dog, or these photos inspired you at all – please consider donating to someone like The Grey Muzzle Organization. Thank you ♥”

Human’s best friend: who’s rescuing who?

Without my dog, over the past five years since I rescued him, I don’t know how I would have emotionally survived. While dogs are, of course, a great deal of time and responsibility, they truly can become our best friends.

And that’s what we see here:

Story via Huff Post (read full story here, including how Schoep saved Unger’s life):

“…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….

“This photo was from a last minute session…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.” …read the rest here.