Forget being Man's Best Friend. One canine in New York City proved that last Wednesday that he's also Man's Most Amazing Savior.
While waiting on a Harlem subway platform, a blind 61-year old named Cecil Williams passed out and fell on to the tracks.
As verified by multiple witnesses to The New York Post, his guide dog Orlando immediately initially tried to grab his owner's leg and then jumped in to save Williams after he tumbled all the way down.
"He went down, and the dog jumped down," an onlooker tells the newspaper. "He wasn't pulled. [Orlando] was kissing him, trying to get him to move."
And he succeeded, as Williams woke up and both man and dog heeded the advice of a subway worker to lie as flat as possible when the train sped by overhead.
Both survived, neither was especially harmed.
"The dog saved my life," Williams, who suffered a few bruises, told Gawker from the hospital. "I'm feeling amazed. I feel that God, the powers that be, having something in store from me. They didn't take me away this time. I'm here for a reason."
But - wait! - the story gets even better...
News got around that Orlando was growing too old to work as a guide dog and Williams' insurance would only cover a new seeing eye dog; he could not afford to take on an actual pet as well.
So Grant Kirsh, a law student in Indiana, started an Indiegogo campaign to raise the money for Williams and Orlando to remain together. In less than 24 hours, he had collected over $50,000.
Williams held a press conference this week and broke down over the amazing gesture from strangers.
"Orlando has been working for eight years, he's 77 years old, and now he can retire and be a pet," Williams said. "His medical coverage is taken care of as long as he lives and other things will be there for him too.
"I'd like to say thank you, but I'm looking for some more words to describe how it feels... It's a blessing, a miracle."
It's an amazing story all around.
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