Good: Heroic Seeing-Eye Dog Saves Owner's Life From Speeding Subway Train
Bad: Government Says It Won't Pay for the Dog Anymore and He'll Have to Give It Up
Good: People Rally To Pay For The Dog For Him

Wow. What a story. I know the headline doesn't make sense but I'll explain in a second.

So first of all: A blind man fell from the platform on to the subway tracks. His seeing eye dog followed him down, even as a train approached.

A blind Harlem man survived almost certain death after falling on the subway tracks Tuesday morning thanks to his guide dog, Orlando. Pececil Williams, 60, was waiting on the platform at 125th Street station when he got too close to the edge.

Onlooker Ana Quinones told the New York Post that the black lab, Orlando, did everything it could to move the man from the perilous ledge. She said, “The dog was trying to pull him away from the southbound edge of the platform, but his feet were on the edge, he was wobbling, and the dog was barking.”

Williams still ended up falling, leading Orlando to jump down onto the tracks with him. The dog began to lick Williams’ face to get him to move, but the train came about 15 seconds after the fall and was unable to stop.

So what did they do?* They both hunkered down, as low as they could get, and the train... passed harmlessly above them.

I thought that only happened in movies. Apparently you can really do that. The blind man got some bumps and bruises from the fall, but he's okay.

Unfortunately, the government says he has to give the dog up. The government pays for the working dog, as the man is on disability. The dog is almost 11, and that's retirement age. The government will pay expenses for a working dog, but not for a pet, which is what Orlando will soon become.

That actually makes sense... but it sure would be nice if the guy got to keep the dog. (Actually, it would be nice if I got to take this dog for my own pet, but no one's offering that.)

Well, the nice thing is that people are donating for the dog's upkeep, so the blind man and his seeing eye dog can stay together. They've raised $30,000. That'll pay for a lot of dog biscuits.

By the way, that lesbian waitress just emailed me: "Oh, I forgot to mention this, but I fell into a subway too and my seeing eye dog saved me. And then someone said 'We don't like your kind here' and I was very hurt by the whole thing."

* Okay, technically, I guess the dog did not "save his life" but only tried to save his life. Then they both saved their own lives by hunkering down. Close enough. Let's just say the dog is awesome and leave it at that.

posted by Ace at 06:00 PM

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