Three-legged dog brings comfort to physical therapy patients

4 months ago 2

>> APEX PHYSICAL THERAPY IN LEE COUNTY. GET YOU BACK UP AND RUNNING AFTER AN INJURY OR SURGERY. BUT IT'S THE HEART OF THE BUSINESS THAT NBC 2 SAMANTHA SERBIN IS LOOKING INTO FOR TONIGHT'S STORY TO SHARE. >> TUCKED AWAY IN A CORNER OFFICE, JOANNE AND HUMAN GO WHERE YOU ARE WORKING TO GET FOLKS ONE PERCENT BETTER EVERY DAY. THIS IS JUST OVER RUNNING TRAINING. EVERYTHING FROM MOVING FOOD AROUND UNDER THE SKIN. IT DIDN'T JUST GETS TO ULTRASOUND TO CHECK ON MUSCLES AND EVEN DRY NEEDLING. OUR PURPOSE IS TO CHANGE LIVES. AND WE GET TO DO THAT WITH OUR PATIENTS. AND WE GET TO DO THAT IN OUR PROFESSION AND WITH OUR TEAM. AS YOU CAN SEE, THE MCGILLIVRAY IS HAVE A TRIBE AROUND THEM. THEY HANG WITH ME, OK? THAT LOOK A LITTLE LOWER AND YOU'LL FIND THEIR STAR EMPLOYEE MEAT PT. THERE'S NOW 6 YEAR-OLD WENT FROM THE POUND STRAIGHT TO SURGERY. HE STARTED AT THE SHELTER AS A HOMELESS PET AND HIS NAME WAS PD. >> AND THE VETERINARIAN'S OFFICE RECORDED HIS NAME AS THE LETTERS P C. AND WE'RE LIKE, OH, MY GOSH, THAT'S A NAME END. HIS DESTINY HAS BEEN DECIDED HE WILL BE A THERAPY DOG. HE WILL BE OUR MASCOT AND HE'S JUST GONNA CHANGE THE LIVES OF OTHERS. THE FIRST. >> HE HAD A LEG INJURY THAT WOULD FOREVER CHANGE HIS OWN LIFE. ME PICKING HIM UP THINKING LIKE HE'S JUST GOING TO GET THIS REPAIRED. IT'S NO BIG DEAL. WE FIX PEOPLE ALL THE TIME AND THE NORTH. OKAY. MOUNTIES LIKE WE GOT TO TAKE THE LAYOFF AND WAIT A SECOND. WHAT? AND SO INSTEAD OF A FOUR-LEGGED FRIEND PT BECAME A TRIPOD AS WELL AS APEX'S EXTRA STAFF MEMBER IS IF SOMEBODY IS GETTING >> DRY NEEDLING ARE USING ACUPUNCTURE, PENS AND CAN BE A LITTLE BIT INTIMIDATING FOR PERSON. LITTLE BIT UNCOMFORTABLE. HE KIND OF SENSE, IS IT? AND HE WILL GO TO THEIR TABLE, LAY THERE SO THAT THEY CAN LIKE I DON'T LIKE. >> WE HAVEN'T EVEN TEACHING THAT. THIS WAS PETE. HE'S DAY-TO-DAY LIFE SEEING PATIENTS AND NAPPING ON HIS CORNER BED OUTSIDE WORK. MOM, DAD PT LIKE TO READ TO KIDS. THAT'S WHY A CHILDREN'S AUTHOR GAVE THEM THE SURPRISE OF A LIFETIME. BUT HE CALLED US AND SAID I'M GOING READ THIS TO YOU AND YOU GUYS CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT WITH IT. LIKE IT WAS LITERALLY JUST UNLIKE TYPED YOU KNOW, AND HE READ IT AND LIKE WE WERE HER EYES OUT THAT BECAME PT RUNS FREE. THE MESSAGE THIS TRIO'S BEEN RUNNING WITH. >> EVER SENSE. NO MATTER WHAT CONDITION YOU'RE IN IF YOU'RE INJURED OR YOU'RE HAVING A BAD SITUATION AT HOME, WHATEVER IT IS LIKE JUST NEVER GIVE IN IOWA. >> A MAN TO SERVE IN NB

A Florida business helps heal you from sports injuries and pushes it too far on the racetrack. Apex Physical Therapy is a mom-and-pop shop located in Cape Coral and Iona. Joe and Angie McGilvrey have a tribe of staff around them. However, one employee does a little more than work on physical pain.Six-year-old PT is a three-legged dog adopted by the McGilvreys several years ago. "He started at the shelter as a homeless pet. His name was Petey, like the Little Rascals. We rescued him and went directly to the hospital. We had to take care of his injury. They said, what are you going to name this guy? And we said, we don't know yet," Angie recalled. "Just put Petey, and the veterinarian's office recorded his name as the letters PT and, we were like, oh my gosh, that's his name. His destiny had been decided. He will be a therapy dog. He will be our mascot, and he's just going to change the lives of others."The vet ended up having to amputate one of PT's back legs. You'd never know by his attitude. "Oh, he's amazing," Joe said. "If somebody is getting dry needling or using the acupuncture pins, can be a little bit intimidating for a person, a little bit uncomfortable, he kind of senses it. He will go to their table and lay there so that they can pet him."Outside work, mom, dad and PT like to read to kids. For a while, they read the same book over and over again. Oftentimes, the author would even video call in from the Carolinas to meet the kids. Fast forward to when that author called the McGilvrey's out of the blue."He called us and said, I'm going to read this to you. You guys can do whatever you want with it. It was literally just in, like, typed form. He read it and we were both bawling our eyes out," Angie said.That typed out story ended up becoming "PT Runs Free," a children's book that now helps rescue organizations right here in southwest Florida. The trio said this is the message they hope everyone takes from PT and his book."Never give up. That's what we really want to drive each time is that message. No matter what condition you're in, if you're injured or you ever having a bad situation at home, whatever it is like, just never give up," Joe said.

A Florida business helps heal you from sports injuries and pushes it too far on the racetrack. Apex Physical Therapy is a mom-and-pop shop located in Cape Coral and Iona.

Joe and Angie McGilvrey have a tribe of staff around them. However, one employee does a little more than work on physical pain.

Six-year-old PT is a three-legged dog adopted by the McGilvreys several years ago.

"He started at the shelter as a homeless pet. His name was Petey, like the Little Rascals. We rescued him and went directly to the hospital. We had to take care of his injury. They said, what are you going to name this guy? And we said, we don't know yet," Angie recalled. "Just put Petey, and the veterinarian's office recorded his name as the letters PT and, we were like, oh my gosh, that's his name. His destiny had been decided. He will be a therapy dog. He will be our mascot, and he's just going to change the lives of others."

The vet ended up having to amputate one of PT's back legs. You'd never know by his attitude.

"Oh, he's amazing," Joe said. "If somebody is getting dry needling or using the acupuncture pins, can be a little bit intimidating for a person, a little bit uncomfortable, he kind of senses it. He will go to their table and lay there so that they can pet him."

Outside work, mom, dad and PT like to read to kids. For a while, they read the same book over and over again. Oftentimes, the author would even video call in from the Carolinas to meet the kids.

Fast forward to when that author called the McGilvrey's out of the blue.

"He called us and said, I'm going to read this to you. You guys can do whatever you want with it. It was literally just in, like, typed form. He read it and we were both bawling our eyes out," Angie said.

That typed out story ended up becoming "PT Runs Free," a children's book that now helps rescue organizations right here in southwest Florida.

The trio said this is the message they hope everyone takes from PT and his book.

"Never give up. That's what we really want to drive [home] each time is that message. No matter what condition you're in, if you're injured or you ever having a bad situation at home, whatever it is like, just never give up," Joe said.

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