Blind man can’t afford to keep guide dog that saved his life

A blind man saved from being hit by a train by his guide dog faces losing the pet because he can no longer afford to keep him.Cecil Williams, 61, fainted on the platform of a New York subway station and fell on to the tracks – dragging his ten-year-old black Labrador, Orlando, with him.As Cecil lay unconscious, Orlando licked his face until he woke up – just as a train headed straight for them.The pair rolled into a space between the tracks moments before two carriages rolled over them.Cecil, who suffered a minor head injury, has been recovering from his ordeal in hospital.However, he now faces being separated from Orlando because his health insurance will not cover the cost of keeping the pet when he retires next year as a working guide dog.He said: ‘The dog saved my life. He tried to hold me up.’According to witnesses, Orlando barked frantically and tried to stop Cecil from falling.Ana Quinones told the New York Post: ’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.‘But there was nothing he could do once he was down there. He just sat there with the man. He just licked the man’s face trying to get him to move.’(metro.co.uk)ANN.Az