Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats

Sometimes Lassie isn't fiction. Dog performs 'Heimlich' on choking owner

Toby, a 2-year-old golden retriever, saw his owner choking on a piece of fruit and began jumping up and down on the woman's chest. The dog's owner believes the dog was trying to perform the Heimlich maneuver and saved her life.

Debbie Parkhurst, 45, of Calvert told the Cecil Whig she was eating an apple at her home Friday when a piece lodged in her throat. She attempted to perform the Heimlich maneuver on herself but it didn't work. After she began beating on her chest, she said Toby noticed and got involved.

"The next think 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 pawprint-shaped bruises on my chest. I'm still a little hoarse, but otherwise, I'm OK," Parkhurst said.

"The doctor said I probably wouldnt be here without Toby," said Parkhurst, a jewelry artist. "I keep looking at him and saying 'Youre amazing.'"


Two comments here:

1) I dig the fact that the paper is called the Cecil Whig. It doesn't get any better than that.

2) I love my cat to pieces, but, as you can see from the picture, in a crisis she'd be useless.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very cool story. And yeah, your cat would probably be supremely annoyed at your flopping around on the floor and disturbing her nap.

Rich Horton said...

She more than half blind as well so she would probably just run into me while I'm turning blue.