Meet John Unger and His Dog Schoep

By Edna Spennato

A Wisconsin man has been thrust into the spotlight after a picture of him and his 19- year-old dog went viral on the Internet, according to a story from Granite Broadcasting sister station Northland’s NewsCenter.

The image of John Unger and his dog Schoep has been viewed millions of times on Facebook, reaching people across the world.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words but, it’s safe to say one of Hannah Stonehouse Hudson’s newest snapshot is worth millions.

“It’s been viewed almost three million times; it’s been shared I think 150,000 times. It’s been like an incredible amount of times,” said Hudson on an overcast day in Bayfield, Wis. “My mother has a saying, “For the comfort and convenience of the dog,” and he is the epitome of this saying. He loves this dog, he takes care of this dog, his life is about this dog.”

John Unger and Schoep have spent almost twenty years together; he was rescued as a puppy.

“We both wanted to work with a dog that had been abused and we knew this. We talked about it and that’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to help out an animal and bring out his full potential,” said Unger.

It’s hard for Unger to talk about their time together because 19-year-old Shoep is nearing the end of his long, happy life.

“What he means to me? I can’t put into words.”

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