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Dog Suffers Minor Injuries After Plunging Off Building, Crashing Through Car's Sunroof

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A dog proved he too has nine lives after he fell from the roof of a six-story building in Manhattan on Friday night.

The dramatic scene unfolded on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side, CBS2's Alex Denis reports.

It was an unimaginable sight for Winston's owner, Emma Heinrich. Her beloved 2-year-old French bulldog fell from the top of their apartment building after darting up a flight of stairs, through an open door and onto the roof.

"I kind of watched him reach the edge and try to slow himself down, but it was too late and he just tumbled over the edge," Heinrich said. "It was one of the most terrifying moments that I've experienced. It was really, really scary. The three seconds between him going over the edge and him making impact was... felt like hours."

Dog Suffers Minor Injuries After Plunging Off Building, Crashing Through Car's Sunroof
Winston, a French bulldog, crashed through the sunroof of a parked car after plunging from a building on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side on Aug. 2, 2019. (Credit: Sam Farnum)
Dog Suffers Minor Injuries After Plunging Off Building, Crashing Through Car's Sunroof
Winston, a French bulldog, crashed through the sunroof of a parked car after plunging from a building on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side on Aug. 2, 2019. (Credit: Instagram user heinyandwinst)
Dog Suffers Minor Injuries After Plunging Off Building, Crashing Through Car's Sunroof
Winston, a French bulldog, crashed through the sunroof of a parked car after plunging from a building on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side on Aug. 2, 2019. (Credit: Instagram user heinyandwinst)
Dog Suffers Minor Injuries After Plunging Off Building, Crashing Through Car's Sunroof
Winston, a French bulldog, crashed through the sunroof of a parked car after plunging from a building on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side on Aug. 2, 2019. (Credit: Instagram user heinyandwinst)
Dog Suffers Minor Injuries After Plunging Off Building, Crashing Through Car's Sunroof
Winston, a French bulldog, crashed through the sunroof of a parked car after plunging from a building on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side on Aug. 2, 2019. (Credit: Instagram user heinyandwinst)
Dog Suffers Minor Injuries After Plunging Off Building, Crashing Through Car's Sunroof
Winston, a French bulldog, crashed through the sunroof of a parked car after plunging from a building on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side on Aug. 2, 2019. (Credit: Instagram user heinyandwinst)
Dog Suffers Minor Injuries After Plunging Off Building, Crashing Through Car's Sunroof
Winston, a French bulldog, crashed through the sunroof of a parked car after plunging from a building on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side on Aug. 2, 2019. (Credit: CBS2)

The 30-pound pup ended up crashing through the sunroof of a parked car.

"The whole way down, [I was] kind of trying to prepare myself," Heinrich said.

Instead, she got the surprise of a lifetime.

"He was just up, sitting on the driver's seat. Just kind of, like, heavily panting but just looking around at everyone staring at him. Everyone was like, 'Is this your dog?' And I was like, 'Yeah.' I was almost, couldn't speak for a minute because I was in shock and awe that he was seemingly so OK," Heinrich said.

Heinrich and her husband, Danny Collins, rushed Winston to the hospital. Other than a few stitches, cuts on his leg and bruising, Winston's doing just fine.

"We've been very lucky, and we're counting our blessings for sure," Collins said.

As for future walks?

"He'll be on leash for the rest of his life," Heinrich said.

As for the damage to the car, Heinrich and Collins say they will pay to repair the sunroof.

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