Dog Saves Owner With Modified Heimlich
Dog Performs Heimlich?
This is one of my favorite recent dog stories. Did a dog really save his owner's life by performing the Heimlich Maneuver on her when she was choking on an apple? Some people scoff, but I'm such a dog lover that I tend to believe they can do just about anything.
According to Debbie Parkhurst, 45, of Calvert, Maryland, she was eating an apple at home when a piece lodged in her throat. She attempted to perform the Heimlich Maneuver on herself, but it didn't work. After beating on her own chest, she said that her 2-year-old Golden Retriever, Toby, noticed and got involved.
from MSNBC.com:
"The next thing I know, Toby's up on his hind feet and he's got his front paws on my shoulders," she recalled. "He pushed me to the ground, and once I was on my back, he began jumping up and down on my chest."
That's when the apple dislodged and Toby started licking her face to keep her from passing out, she said.
"I literally have paw print-shaped bruises on my chest. I'm still a little hoarse, but otherwise, I'm OK," Parkhurst said.
"The doctor said I probably wouldn't be here without Toby," said Parkhurst, a jewelry artist. "I keep looking at him and saying, 'You’re amazing."'
That's the story. Toby saved her life by performing the Heimlich Maneuver. What do you think? Did the dog know what he was doing? What else could he have been trying to do? Was he just upset and jumping on her because she was in distress? Or was he really trying to make her dislodge something? Golden Retrievers are very smart dogs. Who knows?
Here's a video interview with Debbie Parkhurst and Toby describing what happened (from YouTube.com):
