One man, one dog, one Facebook photo that has touched thousands of hearts

One man, one dog, one Facebook photo that has touched thousands of hearts

A photo may be worth 1,000 words, but professional photographer Hannah Stonehouse Hudson has learned it can also be worth 2.2 million views, 191,162 likes, 108,766 shares and 21,936 comments (and counting) on Facebook.

"My specialty is documenting relationships, whether it's a wedding or a man and his dog," says the Bayfield, Wis., photographer. "I have known my friend John and his dog, Schoep, for six years. I have seen Schoep age -- he's 19 now. John lives his life in a kind way. He rescued this dog as a puppy, they have gone everywhere together ever since. Schoep has arthritis now, and John finds that the water is therapeutic. He is the kind of person who wants his animals to be comfortable. I wanted to capture their relationship. I told John, 'I really need to get photos of you and your dog.'

Last Tuesday, we met at the beach for the photo. While John swam with the dog, I got on the dock so I could be at eye level. It took five minutes.

"In the shot, the dog is completely relaxed, with his head on John's shoulder, eyes closed, out cold. John's eyes are closed, too. The water is calm. It's completely serene.

(Source)

Incredible photo, the bond between John and his dog Schoep is superlative.

Total trust. That's a wonderful picture...we should all be so lucky. Both ways.

I've asked this a lot, but what has man done to deserve such utter and complete loyalty? When I was a kid, we had a Springer Spaniel named Rex...we could do anything to him and he was always there... Protective. Loyal. Would have died for us without a thought, or moments hesitation.

Beautiful photo. Sometimes a photo does speak a thousand words.

Interesting subject material for the photographer..great idea !

its really not that great

Man's best friend put in a photograph.

Don't know how I'd cope without my 2 dogs, they're like part of the family.

Brings tears to my eyes every time I see it.

Originally posted by ~widowmaker~
its really not that great

I feel for you that you've never bonded with an animal close enough to appreciate the love that this photo depicts.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer

Tanks for making my day.

Definition of unconditional love...

If only we could be as loyal to one another as our pets...

Being just an average human being with normal human being failures... I have NO idea what I ever did to deserve the loyalty I have been blessed having with my dogs.. present and past. We just seem to click in a way that I do not with other animals. For the animal to trust the man like that is the most amazing thing.
I truly believe that dogs have a much wider range of emotional and cognitive capabilities than we think.. or the " experts" think.

reply to post by Advantage


I'm in possession of a complete set of foibles, yet dogs like me... It never fails to amaze me when I think about it. There are times when I don't particularly like me, yet a dog is unconditional, never seems to have a day where he'd rather you didn't exist...you're down, he seems to know it, and comes to cheer you up...amazing how useful that wet, cold nose is, isn't it? A million uses...

I once read somewhere a quote that goes something like: "If you haven't known the love of an animal, you haven't truly known love." I'm sure I shredded the quote, but you get the gist.

This photo is remarkable. Thanks, OP, for sharing.

Originally posted by PlantGirl
I once read somewhere a quote that goes something like: "If you haven't known the love of an animal, you haven't truly known love." I'm sure I shredded the quote, but you get the gist.

This photo is remarkable. Thanks, OP, for sharing.

They've been bred over thousands of years to love us. Wild animals do not love us, only captive animals who are forced to provide affection. Even humans, it's called Stockholm Syndrome.

Originally posted by jeantherapy

Originally posted by PlantGirl
I once read somewhere a quote that goes something like: "If you haven't known the love of an animal, you haven't truly known love." I'm sure I shredded the quote, but you get the gist.

This photo is remarkable. Thanks, OP, for sharing.

They've been bred over thousands of years to love us. Wild animals do not love us, only captive animals who are forced to provide affection. Even humans, it's called Stockholm Syndrome.

I really believe my relationship with my 10 year old dog is more than Stockholm syndrome. When i'm feeling bad she notices, we click, it's really sad that you seem to have never experienced the love and trust of an animal... She was rescued below a car with only 2 months, we took her, loved her, almost lost her last years, if it wasn't for our brief visit to the veterinary office she would have died... She was so sad she wouldn't eat. Then life returned to her eyes when we went to see her. It's trust, love, respect, all together

I'm not a fan of Facebook, I won't bother elaborating on that but yeah, it's not really my thing. With that said I'm only 18 so I do keep in touch with some friends on there and share some news or stories from time to time. I have a decent amount of pages that I "follow" (the main reason I stay connected on Facebook) and they often post inspirational pictures, famous quotes, things like that. I remember seeing this picture before, and it really is true when they say a picture speaks a thousand words.

Really inspiring picture... a nice breath of fresh air. Thank you.

reply to post by jeantherapy


Early humans and dogs hunt in the same manner, as a pack. It was a mutual relationship, dogs aided humans in hunting, and dogs ate better belonging to a human tribe.

I think the photo captures the emotion felt by the dog, his contentment and serenity in the arms of his human companion (I hate to use the word "owner").


Some other companions, from Pets for the Homeless

reply to post by seagull


I could give you the clinical pack mentality explanation but I won't ruin the warm and fuzzy feelings on the thread.


My mother always says that there is a special place in hell for people who hurt dogs because all they want to do is please you.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


Of course this is true but the fact remains that these dogs were engineered to be what they are by humans. Wolves, so far as I have uncovered, do not seem to enjoy these same feelings.

Originally posted by jeantherapy

Originally posted by PlantGirl
I once read somewhere a quote that goes something like: "If you haven't known the love of an animal, you haven't truly known love." I'm sure I shredded the quote, but you get the gist.

This photo is remarkable. Thanks, OP, for sharing.

They've been bred over thousands of years to love us. Wild animals do not love us, only captive animals who are forced to provide affection. Even humans, it's called Stockholm Syndrome.

Don't be so sure of yourself. Dogs evolved into creatures whom humans love as part of their natural selection process. Part of that was their behaviors. With your definition, there is no love. They love us back as part of their emotional response to being cared for and having their physical and emotional needs met, just as humans do. Are children forced to provide affection to their parents? No - but they choose to, because it makes them feel good as well. Dogs are no different. You make it sound as though they'd rather not, and would simply prefer to be left alone as long as they had food.

reply to post by dogstar23


You are comparing children to dogs, not I. What I've said is this again, just for you: Humans created domesticated dogs, you stated they evolved that way as a result of natural selection. Wrong. The dog breeds we have today are the direct result of human actions; if humans did not exist neither would these dogs - just wolves, coyotes, etc as it was before. If I program a robot to act as if it loves me, and I believe it really loves me what is the difference? In my firsthand contact most dogs will latch onto whoever is spending the time with them and feeding them. Is that love, or is the dog responding to its training, in that it wants food and will do what's necessary to acquire it?

"wild animals do not love us"----------this is simply not true. there are many cases humans and wild animals developed strong bonds.
plantgirl's post: "If you haven't known the love of an animal, you haven't truly known love." thumbs up.
robots can be created, robots love you can be created, not sure love can be.

love this photo, great catch!