John Unger, a man from Wisconsin, USA, adopted a stray dog, Schoep when he was just 8 months old. Schoep grew up until he turned 20 years old. He grew very old, and his life was not getting any longer. His owner was preparing for the inevitable.

Their story was so incredibly touching, the images of them so heartwarming, that they resonated with humans the world over. When Schoep passed, everyone who knew of Joe and his pup mourned the dog’s passing.

John and Schoep had spent 19 years together. Recently, Unger learned that his dog had seriously ill. He was devastated when the vet recommended putting the dog to sleep, but John refuses instead help alleviate Schoep’s pain.

In the last few years of Schoep’s life, John took care of him as best he could, looking after him, holding him, and reluctant to leave him. John was by his side at all times. “He was my life,” Joe said.

Even in a hard time of Schoep, John continued to take care of him and continued to strive to help him live, insisting always accompanying him to the foremost joyous moments in his life.

To relieve Schoep’s joint pains, John took him to the lake to relieve the pressure on his joints and muscles. Sometimes, because the flow of water was too comfortable, Schoep would often fall asleep in his owner’s arms. “Whenever he got into the water he wouldn’t swim and would just put his paws on my shoulders and want to be held,” Unger recalled. “One of these times, all of a sudden, he was asleep. We’ve been doing it periodically since then.”

This heartwarming photo was taken by John’s friend, Hannah, a photographer who uploaded it on the internet, which immediately sparked a heated discussion and touched many netizens.

However, Schoep left the world in 2013. He has a collection of mementos and gifts sent by people from around the globe to commemorate the memory of Schoep.

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In 2015, John finally came out of his grief of losing Schoep and brought in a new member of the family, Xiong. As soon as this news spread, many netizens were delighted that John has finally started his life cheerfully again and is willing to open his heart to a new dog.