Meet Donatello, labrador helping patients rebuild their strength at Orlando Health

'A friend': How dog therapy is helping patients

Meet Donatello, a specialty dog at Orlando Health, who is helping people with their physical therapy. FOX 35 co-anchor Amy Kaufeldt takes us inside this new program to see how it works and to meet the people it's helping.

ORLANDO, Fla. - For patients inside Orlando Health’s Advanced Rehabilitation Institute, going to therapy can bring laughter and joy, especially among the hard work and pain.

And there's a new four-legged friend helping people with serious injuries to hopefully regain movement and some mobility through play – Donatello, a beautiful, yellow lab.

He helps patients recovering from spinal cord and brain injuries, as well those who've suffered a stroke through simple tasks, such as a game of tug, catch, or brushing.

The program is part of a partnership between Orlando Health and Canine Companions, a non-profit that provides service dogs to people with disabilities. The program launched last fall.

For Angel Garcia, Donatello has been a godsend.

In March, the 39-year-old's world was turned upside down when he was cut off while driving on the State Road 528 overpass, and his car went over the overpass and fell 50 feet onto Interstate 4.

He was thrown from his vehicle and left paralyzed from the waist down.

"I just remember having a whole bunch of lights in my face. ‘Angel? Angel, are you okay? Angel? Angel, pay attention,’" he recalled.

After multiple surgeries, he's now at Orlando Health's Advanced Rehab Institute.

He has been a friend, a teacher, a brother. I can't ask for anything more. What a great therapist to have," Garcia said on working with Donatello.

President Annette Seabrook, who oversees the specialized unit, said therapy is not complex and can be as simple as working on commands. For example, working on speech commands for someone who's experienced a stroke or brain injury.

She said dogs like Donatello can help patients achieve their goals.

FOX 35 visited Garcia on his last day in therapy with Donatello. He said the connections he's made will last a lifetime.

"They make people happy. They bring the joy out of people. And that reminds me about the little things about being happy. And since I don't have my kids here every day, having him around has really helped," he said.