Dog, cat who saved owners honored

NEW YORK – When Debbie Parkhurst choked on a piece of apple at her Maryland home, her dog jumped in, landing hard on her chest and forcing the morsel to pop out of her throat.

When the Keesling family of Indiana was about to be overcome by carbon monoxide, their cat clawed at wife Cathy’s hair until she woke up and called for help.

For their nick-of-time acts, Toby, a 2 1/2 -year-old golden retriever, and Winnie, a gray-eyed American shorthair, were named Dog and Cat of the Year by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

In addition, five humans were honored Thursday for their actions toward animals in the past year, including a Bronx firefighter who saved a dog and cat from a burning building.

Neither Parkhurst nor Keesling could explain their pets’ timely heroics, though Parkhurst suggested her pooch’s Heimlich maneuver might have been guided by divine intervention.

“That’s what our veterinarian said,” she said.

“He wasn’t making a joke; he’s very spiritual, and now I have to agree with him.”