Orlando, the 11-year-old service dog who gained notoriety after trying to help his owner Cecil Williams from falling into a New York City subway tracks, is retiring and will be taken from his owner, but social media admirers scrambled to do whatever they can to help Williams keep his furry friend.
After Today.com published the story about Williams and the subway incident, social media users were interested in Orlando's fate and began tweeting and posting comments to the Today Show's Facebook page.
"The dog saved my life," Williams told the Associated Press. Williams might now lose the dog he's bonded with after a life threatening situation due to insurance only paying for an actively working service dog, but according to Williams, if money wasn't an issue he "would definitely keep him," according to Today.com.
Orlando, a black labrador, is set to retire on Jan. 5 and is William's second guide dog, the AP reported.
"My family and I would love to skip purchasing presents for Xmas and donate the money to Cecil. This man needs to keep his furry four legged family member!!!!" Kristin Davies wrote on Twitter, according to Today.com. Other tweets called for wealthy New Yorkers to donate to a good cause.
Others even said they would adopt him after he was placed into retirement and were looking for information on who to contact.
Williams, 61, was on the way to his dentist appointment when he began to feel like he was going to faint, according to the AP. Orlando noticed he was getting too close to the platform edge and began to pull him away and bark.
"He tried to hold me up," Williams said.
People nearby said they heard the dog barking, trying to keep Williams from falling, but then they both fell on to the tracks where Williams fainted, the AP reported.
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