Donors help blind man keep dog who jumped on rail tracks to save him

A guide dog that leaped onto subway tracks after his blind owner lost consciousness and fell off a station platform was set to be sent to a new home, but now thanks to several anonymous donations, may stay with his owner, Cecil Williams. Cecil Williams, who has been recovering at a hospital with Orlando still by his side, had been slated to get another working dog in January or February to replace the 11-year-old black Lab. Williams told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he couldn’t pay for a non-working dog, so he was planning to look for a good home for Orlando. Guiding Eyes provides working dogs for free but cannot cover retired dogs’ expenses. After the AP published its interview and photographs of Williams with Orlando in his hospital room, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center has been fielding queries from well-wishers offering money and other assistance. Guiding Eyes has “graciously stepped forward to handle those inquiries,” said hospital spokesman Jim Mandler. [caption id=“attachment_1295853” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Orlando with Williams on his hospital bed: AP[/caption] Williams said that if he does decide he’s able to care for two dogs, he’d need help paying for the Lab’s care. “We don’t know yet what Cecil will choose to do,” said Brier. “He’s in a tough place right now. … It’s an incredibly emotional, dramatic time.” The organization was setting up a fund and planned to post information on its website. If it turns out Williams doesn’t need the money, it will be used for other guide dogs, according to Brier. If Williams decides that he can’t look after both dogs, the family that raised Orlando as a puppy says it will be “absolutely thrilled to have him back,” said Guiding Eyes for the Blind spokeswoman Michelle Brier. “They’re very thrilled their little baby has made such a big difference.” Williams, 61, and Orlando both escaped serious injury Tuesday when they were bumped by a train passing over them — a miraculous end to a harrowing ordeal that began when Williams felt faint on his way to the dentist. Witnesses said Orlando barked frantically and tried to stop Williams from tumbling off the platform. Matthew Martin told the New York Post that Orlando leaped onto the tracks as the train approached and kissed Williams to entice him to move. Gallant guide dog Orlando, a black Labrador retriever, bravely leapt on to the tracks at a Manhattan subway platform Tuesday after his blind owner lost consciousness and tumbled in front of an oncoming train. Cecil Williams, 61, and Orlando both escaped serious injury when the train passed over top of them — a miraculous end to a harrowing ordeal that began when Williams began to feel faint on his way to the dentist. “He tried to hold me up,” the emotional Williams told The Associated Press from his hospital bed, his voice breaking at times. Witnesses said Orlando began barking frantically and tried to stop Williams from falling from the platform. Matthew Martin told the New York Post that Orlando jumped down and tried to rouse Williams even as a train approached. “He was kissing him, trying to get him to move,” Martin said. Witnesses called for help and the train’s motorman slowed his approach as Williams and Orlando lay in the trench between the rails. “The dog saved my life,” Williams said. As Williams regained consciousness, he said he heard someone telling him to be still. Emergency workers put him on a stretcher and pulled him from the subway, and made sure Orlando was not badly injured. “I’m feeling amazed,” Williams said. “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.” Williams said Wednesday that he’s “feeling a little bit better” but wasn’t sure how long he’d be hospitalized. “My head is still a little sore where they put the staples in. There are bruises on my body,” he said. “They’ve still got to run the tests, trying to find out what caused it.” Associated Press