Pa. boy taught to do Heimlich maneuver on dog saves classmate

LEHIGH TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A boy who was taught to do the Heimlich maneuver after his dog choked, used his skill to save a classmate.

Ayden Puccio, 11, said he noticed a girl choking and jumped up to help.

"I was really scared when it happened, and I knew I had to calm down and think about what I could do," he said.

Puccio said his mom, a nurse, taught him the Heimlich maneuver several years ago after their family dog choked on a piece of rawhide.

"It's really, really important for kids to know how to do the Heimlich maneuver," Caitlin Puccio said. "They're the first line of defense."

"We practiced on the dog, talked about how to do it on a human and then I taught him how to do it on himself," she said.

Learn more about the Heimlich maneuver at NSC.org

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