A woman from Calvert, Maryland, owes her life to her pet dog, Toby, who in his own doggie way, performed the Heimlich Maneuver on her when he saw her choking on a piece of apple.
Toby To the Rescue
Debbie Parkhurst, aged 45, attempted to perform the Heimlich Maneuver on herself when a piece of apple got lodged in her throat, but it didn't work. She told the Cecil Whig newspaper that after she was beating on her chest, Toby saw his mistress in distress and got involved. The dog jumped into action, high up on his hind legs with his front paws on her shoulders. He pushed her to the ground on her back, and then jumped up and down on her chest until the piece of apple became dislodged. To keep her conscious, this hero dog kept licking her face. (See: Willie The Parrot Keeps Child From Choking.)
Parkhurst, a jewelry designer, had this to say about her harrowing encounter with almost certain death by choking. "I literally have paw-print-shaped bruises on my chest. I'm still a little hoarse, but okay. The doctor said I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Toby's heroic intervention. I keep looking at him and saying: 'You are amazing.' ( See: Baxter The Labrador Pup Saves Child From Choking.)
An Unexpected Hero Among Dogs
Debbie and her husband rescued Toby from a trash can s number of years ago. While they say that every dog has his day, Toby certainly had his with all the calls and letters that came pouring in the day after his rescue tale was published. Requests for interviews with this famous four-legged life-saver and his grateful owner came from as far away as news outlets in Great Britain and Sweden as well as The Today Show, Good Morning, America and The Late Show. "It's just been incredible," said Parkhurst. "Toby has no idea about why he is getting all this attention today." (See: Hero Cat Bites Burglar and Thwarts Home Invasion.)
Did Toby Know What He Was Doing?
While the answer to this question may be one that is open to debate, Parkhurst believes that he did. The dog's veterinarian, Dr. Doug Foreman of the Cherry Hill Animal Hospital, had this to say: "In all my 22 years of practice, I have never heard any story about a dog performing the Heimlich Maneuver. How he knew what to do, I will never know. I really feel like it might have been some kind of miracle, because Toby isn't what you would call the most trained of dogs.In fact, he's about the last dog I would expect to do something like this." (See: Golden Retriever Keeps Owner From Freezing To Death.)
Dr. Foreman told the press that Toby was first brought to him last year because he was having great difficulty walking. In his own words: "Mrs. Parkhurst brought him to the clinic last year suffering from a terrible limp. We feared it was cancer and I honestly thought we might have to take his leg. We were very relieved to discover, after several biopsies, that Toby was instead suffering from a severe infection. Toby's actions are even more coincidental given his history. It's almost as if this may have been the hand of God." (See; Pot-Bellied Pig Saves Life of Owner.)
All's well that ends well fro the Parkhurst family.
Good job, Toby!
See: Bretagne
Source: Cecil Daily News
