A blind man who tumbled off a subway platform and into the path of an oncoming train gave an emotional thank you Wednesday to the loyal guide dog who stayed by his side throughout the terrifying ordeal.
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," said Williams, as he fought to keep his voice steady.
"(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.
Williams, who lost his sight in 1995, doesn't remember much of the horrifying incident Tuesday at Harlem's 125th St. subway station, where he was waiting with Orlando to take the A train.
"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.
Both survived with only scratches and will be going home Thursday, doctors said.
Adding to the good news, a spokeswoman from Guiding Eyes for The Blind - the nonprofit that trained Orlando and matched him to Williams in 2006 - said they'd received enough donations to keep the now famous duo together.
Williams, who had planned to retire the 10-year-old Orlando in the near future, had hoped to keep his companion as a pet - but wasn't sure he could afford both him and a replacement Seeing Eye dog.
Thanks to the many contributions sent to Guiding Eyes in honor of Orlando's bravery, the two can now stay together, Williams said.
"Orlando has been working for eight years, he's 77 years old, and now he can retire and be a pet. His medical coverage is taken care of as long as he lives and other things will be there for him too," marveled Williams.
