At an awards luncheon at Manhattan’s acclaimed Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, Toby, a 2 1/2 year old Golden Retriever recieved an award for saving his owner’s life. It was October 12, when Debbie Parkhurst choked on a piece of apple at her Maryland home. After an unsuccessful attempt to dislodge the apple herself, Toby dog jumped in, landing hard on her chest and forcing the morsel out of her throat saving her life.

Debbie Parkhurst’s husband, Kevin, was at his job at a Wilmington, Del., chemical firm when she took a midday break from making jewelry and bit into an apple.

“Normally I peel them, but I read in Good Housekeeping magazine that the skin has all the nutrients, so I ate the skin, and that’s what caused me to choke,” she recalled.

“I couldn’t breathe and I was in panic when Toby jumped on me. He never does that, but he did, and saved my life.” according to Yahoo! News.

Toby has been named Dog of the Year by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Also awarded at the luncheon was Winnie, a cat who saved her family from spreading carbon monoxide in the house. She was named Cat of the Year. In addition, five humans were also honored November 1, 2007 for their heroic actions toward animals in the past year. Amoung them was a Bronx firefighter who saved a dog and cat from a burning building.

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