The Choking Doberman is a popular urban legend that originated in the United States. Urban legends are, as Patricia T. O'Conner of The New York Times described, "fictitious narratives that are passed from person to person in the guise of true stories and sometimes persist until they reach the status of folklore." The story of the choking doberman fits into this category of folklore and generally involves a protective pet found by its owner gagging on human fingers lodged in its throat. As the story unfolds, the dog's owner discovers an intruder whose hand is bleeding from the dog bite.