JOHN UNGER IS HOLDING HIS DOG IN HIS ARMS IN THE WATER TO MAKE THE DOG FALL ASLEEP BECAUSE THE DOG HAS ARTHRITIS AND ONLY THE COLD WATER CAN RELIEVE HIS PAIN AND ALLOW HIM TO FALL ASLEEP

after 18 years of loyal companionship, a Wisconsin man is trying to comfort a dear friend through his final days of life.

A photo of John Unger holding his shepherd mix in a lake as the dog sleeps has gone viral, the image portraying the incredible bond between man and dog.

A professional photographer, Hannah Stonehouse Hudson, took the photo near Bayfield’s Reiten Beach in Lake Superior. Unger, 49, had asked her to chronicle his peaceful moments in the lake with dog Schoep, who is suffering from arthritis, the Duluth News Tribune reported.

You have our respect John Unger.