Online Donors Raise $100,000 So Orlando, The Seeing-Eye Dog, Can Stay With His Best Friend

I wanted to post something since its getting pretty late into December and I haven't blogged since last month. I thought about writing about the whole Phil Robertson / Duck Dynasty controversy over what he said, but that actually sounds kind of boring to me. Here's what I think. Phil is a celebrity because his family makes duck calls really well. He also runs a very successful business. So unless Phil is talking about duck calls or running a business, I really don't care what his opinion is. Everyone has a right to say whatever they want, but I don't understand how everyone can get into a heated debate over what celebrities think. It's not like they have any knowledge on most subjects beyond what an ordinary person would have.


 

On to something more important. I don't usually cover news stories on here, but it's close to Christmas and I really liked this story.

The above photo is a picture of Cecil Williams, a blind man, and his seeing-eye dog of eight years, Orlando. Orlando the Labrador is one of the most badass dogs ever. Not only did the dog go above and beyond what he was required to do, he did something very few humans would even attempt.

On December 17, 2013, Cecil fainted and fell onto the train tracks of the subway. Orlando went down to save him. After an unsuccessful attempt at trying to get Cecil off the train tracks, Orlando stayed there with him and licked his face as the train passed over both of them. They both escaped with only minor injuries.

Orlando is nearly 11 and that means he's only a short time away from retirement as a seeing-eye dog. Cecil wanted to keep him as a pet, but didn't feel he had the money to do so responsibly. This is the kind of thing that catches the attention of the internet. A GoFundMe project has raised nearly $38,000 and an Indiegogo campaign has pulled in around $67,500 so that Cecil can get a new seeing-eye dog but still keep Orlando as a pet.

Normally I think that these ridiculous amounts of money raised after a story goes viral are kind of... well... ridiculous. In this case, I don't think so. Yes, the money was raised so Cecil can keep Orlando as a pet. In reality, Orlando went above and beyond the call of duty and he deserves to retire and live out his days with his best friend, Cecil. Will that require $100,000? I doubt it. The extra money will be going to Guiding Eyes for the Blind, an organization that trains seeing-eye dogs and then gives them to blind people at no charge. They were also the group that initially gave Orlando to Cecil.

So Orlando, you are a badass dog. I hope you have a great time as a retired badass. I'm glad that you get to stay with Cecil, the owner that clearly means more to you than your own life.