People still baffled by disturbing 'demon dog' photo that had major impact on man's life
A man who was trapped in the throes of drug addiction told how he was inspired to turn his life around after a photograph chillingly captured a 'devil on his shoulder'.
The sinister photobomber, who appeared in the back of a snap Joe Martinez took with his wife Patty, ended up prompting the bloke, from Colorado, to get clean.
Even photography experts reckon Joe's 'demon dog' theory is the most plausible explanation for how the mystery intruder made its way into the image - although it is a bit bonkers.
Basically, Joe and his spouse were both suited and booted to celebrated a relative's 50th wedding anniversary, so they decided to take a photo in their finery.
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At first glance, it appears to be a pretty standard picture of a smiling middle-aged couple - but if you take a closer look, you'll notice something absolutely terrifying leering over Joe's left shoulder.
His wife Patty claims she knew what it was straight away... Satan.
"Right away, I really thought it was Satan," she previously told Fox 31 News. "I said, 'You're really walking with Satan'. I couldn't believe what I was seeing at a 50th wedding anniversary."
Legend has it that the Devil is the master of deception, who appears in various different forms to trick people - so, it's not completely ridiculous to suggest that he would show up in their picture as a rabid-looking dog.
Social media users have been left extremely spooked after seeing the resurfaced image depicting a wild-eyed hellhound peering over Joe's shoulder as he stands next to his wife.
But they weren't half as horrified as the bloke himself, who ended up being scared onto the straight and narrow thanks to the 'demon dog'.
Joe reckoned that the devilish photobomber was likely a visual representation of the mental demons he was battling while he was addicted to drugs.
He kept his habit under wraps, even from Patty - but said his dependency on illegal substances was 'killing his soul'.
Joe believes that the camera captured photographic evidence of the evil spirit which was pushing him deeper into his drug problem, which he took as a sign from God to get sober.
He explained: "I always prayed to the Lord and told him, 'I can't do it alone'."
Discussing what he saw in the creepy photo, Joe said: "There's good and evil in life. The good on the right hand side of me [Patty] and the evil on the left side of me [the dog]. It was a demon."
He now 'looks at' the sinister snap every single day while also 'carrying it wherever he goes' to remind himself why he got on the wagon.
Joe says that he hasn't touched drugs ever since that anniversary bash, adding: "There's not another high left in me."
Although there's bound to be more than a few skeptics who aren't convinced a hellhound really did make an appearance in Joe and Patty's picture, even photography geeks have insisted the picture hasn't been tampered with.
Photo expert John Davenport told Fox 31 News why he believed it was authentic, explaining: "It doesn't look like it was double printed or spliced up in any way.
"There's true grain. The grain is the same all throughout this photograph, so it's uniform."
Bryan Bonner, of the Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society, shared the same sentiment, adding: "It doesn't look like it was double-printed or spliced in. The grain is uniform."
According to Joe, there were no animals in the home at the time the photo was taken, so it wasn't just a wayward pet who crept into the back of the couple's shot.
Even though not all social media users were convinced about the demon photobomber, no one could deny that the photo had a profound affect on Joe.
"Love the ending," one person said. "That photo may have very well saved his life."
Another wrote: "This photo has and will always be the creepiest photo I've ever seen."
A third said: "Even if this isn't paranormal and is just a weird photo glitch, it's an amazing story."
So, what do you reckon?
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week.
Olivia Burke