I continue to be amazed by the loyalty of dogs. Here is a case of a blind man's guide dog, who went right after the man after he got too close to the edge of the subway platform and fell onto the tracks.
The blind man who survived a harrowing tumble onto the subway tracks in Harlem yesterday morning insists his guide dog was not to blame for the mishap—in fact, he says the devoted hound saved his life. Cecil Williams, 61, was feeling faint on his way to the dentist when he got too close to the edge of the platform at the 125th Street A/B/D station. "He was just walking toward the yellow line and all of a sudden and we heard him say, 'Oh no!' and slip and fall onto the tracks," witness Ashley Prenza told us yesterday.
The dog, Orlando, jumped down into the tracks to join Williams, who told the AP from his hospital bed, "The dog saved my life." Just before his fall, Williams says Orlando was trying to hold him up. Once they were both down on the tracks, an MTA worker urged Williams to lie down in the shallow trench between the rails. He heeded the advice, and kept Orlando down too; as a result, both survived an incoming A train that roared into the station soon after.
Williams, who is on Insulin and other medication, was not struck by the train, which covered him and Orlando by about one and a half car lengths. He sustained a minor head injury in the fall, and was soon extricated by the FDNY. "I'm feeling amazed," Williams told the AP. "I feel that God, the powers that be, have something in store for me. They didn't take me away this time. I'm here for a reason."
Unfortunately there is a bit of a problem going forward:
Orlando was not injured, but Williams says the dog will turn 11 next month and retire. The AP reports that Williams's medical benefits "will cover a new guide dog but won't pay for a non-working dog, so he'll be looking for a good home for Orlando. If he had the money, Williams said, 'I would definitely keep him.' " If only there was some way we could raise money over the Internet so that Williams and Orlando could stay together forever...
There is! A fund has been set up to help keep Cecil and Orlando together. You can go here if you would like to donate:
http://www.gofundme.com/...
4:58 PM PT: From kishik's comment:
Cecil Williams, 61, his eyes shielded by dark glasses, had tears rolling down his cheeks as he sang the praises of his "best buddy" at a press conference inside St. Luke's Hospital in midtown.
‘Guide dogs serve a purpose, and they are very loyal and they are very good,’ Williams (left) said of Orlando.
"(Orlando) is always there for me, he drives me through the sidewalks, he gets me across the streets, he's always looking out for me, that's his job," he said.
"I fainted, I lost consciousness and he was trying to pull me back. I guess I fell over and he fell over with me," said Williams.
Even as an A train roared into the station, bearing down on the defenseless dog huddled in front of its master, Orlando didn't flinch.
When his master fully regained his faculties, they were both lying in a subway trough. Nearly two subway cars had passed over their heads and first responders were rushing to extricate them.
"He stayed down there with me, he was licking my face. He was there for me," the emotional dog owner said.
Thu Dec 19, 2013 at 6:34 AM PT: The goal has been achieved with over $100,000 already raised. Cecil requests that all further donations be given to Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
https://www.guidingeyes.org/
"The spirit of giving, Christmas and all that there – it exists here, and it’s in New York," Williams said. "I appreciate that people got together and helped me to keep Orlando -- it is going to cover him for the rest of his life. There are other people out there on disabilities who need dogs -- if you could find it in your heart, you can send donations to Guiding Eyes."
http://dailynightly.nbcnews.com/...