Photo by Hannah Stonehouse Hudson
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Thanks to commentor Trollhattan, who linked to The Online Photographer, who linked to the ‘backstory’ at the Duluth News Tribune:
… Professional photographer Hannah Stonehouse Hudson took it off Bayfield’s Reiten Beach in Lake Superior on Tuesday. The man is her friend John Unger. The dog, an aging, arthritic shepherd mix, is named Schoep, after a brand of ice cream that’s popular in southern Wisconsin (the dog likes vanilla).
Unger and his then-fianceé found the dog 18 years ago at a humane society in Ozaukee County, Wis., when it was an 8-month-old puppy.
“We knew we wanted to work with an animal who was abused,” Unger said. “I just had a vision of working with an animal to bring out his full potential.”…
*****“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.”…
Hudson, 34, who didn’t charge Unger and doesn’t expect to make any money from the photo, accomplished what she set out to do. “A lot of the time if I find an interesting, cool story that’s positive about animals, I’ll just do it,” she said….
Much more detail at the link. Stonehouse Photography blog (including more awesome dog photos) here.
Hypatia's Momma
I was just reading about Moses and now this.
I spent a number of years in Vallejo (CA) helping with abused and abandoned cats and it’s really hard on the emotions. Thanks for the “happy ending” story. :)
Todd
I wondered about more of the story when I saw that last weekend.
raven
Hmm, I posted that here last week. . .
RedKitten
Awww…poor old sweet pal. It’s amazing — they only want some food and water and shelter and a little bit of love, but they give back SO much in return. I don’t really believe in angels, but if they DO exist, they have four legs, fur and a wagging tail.
raven
@RedKitten: The occasional BALL helps!
raven
Doggie Cartoon.
raven
Mornin Joe is going off the rails. He wants Mitt to SHOUT about his mormonism, money, and massachusetts
WereBear
It is a beautiful photograph. The fragility of the relationship at this point: she captured it.
And whenever I get onto a local news site, I see something I have to click over onto. This morning, it was this:
Oh, Fox “News.” We wish you’d change, but we know you never will.
stuhlmann
“Professional photographer Hannah Stonehouse Hudson took it off Bayfield’s Reiten Beach in Lake Superior on Tuesday.”
Are you sure the location is right? The two look too comfortable to be sitting in Lake Superior. My family used to vacation on Lake Superior every summer – my Dad’s way of getting away from the summer heat. The water in the lake was COLD, even in August. I think we measured it once at 48 degrees. Of course that was back in the ’70s, before global warming…..
Sal
Swimming in Superior could be considered abuse. That lake has two temps – Heart stopping cold and frozen.
Hypatia's Momma
@WereBear:
I’ll see your Fox News (he actually resigned!) and raise you a charter school.
Hypatia's Momma
@Sal:
Linda Featheringill
Multiple sources on Google say that Superior is now about 75 degrees, and they agree that is “very warm” for the lake.
JPL
@RedKitten: Like you, I’m not sure about the angels but Unger and Schoep appear to be a match made in heaven.
What a sweet love story.
Linda Featheringill
Lovely picture, Anne. Thanks.
JPL
Mike Luckovich has an interesting cartoon today.. link
I have to admit, I’m not sure how I feel about it.
amk
Kinda like this martian.
Betty Cracker
Lovely photo. It pisses me off that dogs have such relatively short lifespans.
jeffreyw
Hug ’em while you can.
Raven
My facebook is crammed with first day of school pics. Funny feeling when you know all the kids but never had you own.
Jay in Oregon
Aww, Schoep looks like my sweetie. What a great picture.
Elizabelle
Love that photo. Comforting.
billiecat
@Sal: Thanks to global warming, that’s no longer true. Which is a shame.
Patricia Kayden
@raven: To shout what exactly? We all know about his Mormonism, money and Massachussetts.
He needs to shout about his tax returns, and release them to boot.
TaMara (BHF)
@jeffreyw: That is a lovely photo.
And the ‘boy’ and his dog is killing me with it’s tenderness. Love, it’s what it’s all about.
kideni
I’d been seeing that picture all over Facebook and hadn’t known the story behind it. Such tenderness and beauty. I’m not surprised that this is from up in Bayfield, which is such a fantastic community.
feebog
Makes me glad that I took my doggie out for a walk this morning, and that he is in the prime of life for a dog. Love em’ while you got em’, cause the years go by too quickly.
S. cerevisiae
As others have mentioned, Lake Superior is warming rapidly. See Jay Austin’s research here.
asiangrrlMN
Such a sweet, tender photo. I hope the treatment works for Schoep. Who’s a good puppeh?
@jeffreyw: Awwww. That’s a sweet pic, too.
Lynn Dee
Beautiful. Just beautiful.