Can the Internet Help a Blind Man Keep the Dog That Saved His Life?

A new online crowdfunding campaign is seeking $50,000 to prevent a bittersweet ending to a miraculous story involving a blind man and a seeing eye dog.

A seeing eye dog jumped onto subway tracks in attempt to rescue his blind master from an oncoming train on Tuesday. Both dog and master miraculously survived the incident with minor injuries, but due to an impending situation with the man's insurance, he may soon be forced to put up the dog for adoption.

SEE ALSO: 'Humans of New York' Helps Raise $80K for Orphan's Adoption

"The dog saved my life," Cecil Williams, a 61-year-old resident of New York City, told the Associated Press from his hospital bed.

Williams began to faint while standing on the subway platform on Tuesday morning, at which point his dog, Orlando, reportedly made an effort to hold him up and stop him from tumbling onto the tracks. When Williams did fall on the tracks, Orlando leapt down and tried to make Williams move.

Witnesses said Orlando would not leave Williams' side, even with a train quickly approaching. Witnesses said Orlando would not leave Williams' side, even with a train quickly approaching. When the train arrived, Williams and Orlando managed to lay beneath it, avoiding death.

“One more second, he would have been dead,” transit flagman Larmont Smith told the Daily News. Smith, a 15-year veteran of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, said he was screaming at Williams to duck his head.


At nearly 11 years old, Orlando is approaching the retirement age for seeing eye dogs, and Williams said he will have to put the dog up for adoption since his health insurance will no longer cover the cost. Williams said he would "definitely keep" Orlando if he had the money.

Indiegogo user Grant Kirsh, who lists himself as a "good Samaritan," launched a campaign on Wednesday to "help Cecil keep his best friend, who also saved his life." The campaign aims to raise $50,000 in the next two weeks. It has already collected more than $21,000, jumping $6,000 in the time it took to write this story.

Peteducation.com estimates the cost of raising a dog at around $800 per year. At the rate donations are pouring in, it appears Williams will soon have the funds to spoil his heroic pooch, courtesy of the Internet.

UPDATE: 2:40 p.m. ET

Williams answered reporters' questions at a press conference from the hospital Wednesday afternoon, saying he would be able to keep his "best buddy" Orlando.

"All the people that contributed or donated, I think we should take our hat off to them," Williams said. "There are still good people in this world."