Everything you wanted to know about Beacon, the therapy dog

Meet Beacon. He’s no ordinary dog, he’s a cool dog providing therapy and support to gymnasts from across the United States, who gathered in Minneapolis from June 27-30 for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials.

Beacon, a four-year-old golden retriever from California, became an internet sensation after videos and photos of him cuddling and playing with athletes went viral on social media last month. Although several other dogs participated in the dog therapy sessions before the gymnastics trials, it was Beacon, with his big brown eyes and fluffy coat, who became the most popular.

“Beacon is not the only dog,” USA Gymnasts Chief Communications & Marketing Officer Jill Geer told USA TODAY. “There are other dogs, but Beacon is 100 percent the star of the show. He is literally the Beacon of this program.”

“I sometimes jokingly say that Beacon needs an agent because there are more requests for Beacon than for any other athlete,” Geer added.

Beacon was born in Michigan in February 2020 and was adopted at 8 weeks old by Tracey Callahan Molnar, 65, a former rhythmic gymnastics coach. Molnar drove all the way from Pasadena, California, to pick him up during the height of COVID-19.

Molnar told USA TODAY by phone from Pasadena that Beacon is the second golden retriever she has adopted. She also said she and her late husband previously had a dog named Tulsa, who died in 2019.

She said she looked into adopting a shelter dog in California and other breeders in the state, but ultimately went back to the same breeder who had bred Tulsa. Transporting Beacon from Michigan to California during COVID-19 lockdowns was a challenge, but Molnar made it through and was able to bring Beacon home.

“I changed my mind about it so many times because, I mean, it was April 2020,” Molnar said. “I thought this is just crazy. I can’t do this. But I had already seen pictures of him and had that emotional connection to him.”

Beacon’s Journey as a Therapy Dog

Molnar has long been an advocate for volunteerism, as she puts it. When Tulsa was alive, Molnar had registered him as a therapy dog, and the animal provided therapy for pets for nearly six and a half years.

“After I lost Tulsa, not only did I miss Tulsa, I missed doing pet therapy,” Molnar said. “I’m a huge advocate for volunteering and I’ve done it in different ways for many years and I hope to continue to do it.”

When Molnar got Beacon, she hoped he would also enjoy being a therapy dog, which is not something you can force a pet to do.

“But luckily, he’s even more drawn to people than Tulsa,” Molnar said of Beacon. “He loves dogs, but he loves people. I think he’s really good at sensing people’s stress. He does that with me, and I’ve seen him do that with other people.”

“I would say he was really suited for this,” Molnar added.

At the Olympic qualifiers

Molnar, who has been with USA Gymnastics for more than 40 years, has a good relationship with USA Gymnastics vice president of rhythmic gymnastics, Caroline Hunt, whom she has known since they were young girls. Molnar said Hunt, a former professional athlete, thought about introducing an animal therapy program in her department after being inspired by an event she attended a few years ago.

The Hunt-initiated dog therapy program first started in February 2023 at a rhythmic gymnastics program in Indianapolis, Greer said.

While many people were enthusiastic about the program, others were skeptical. However, Molnar said that many of those who were hesitant appreciated the initiative in retrospect and asked if it would happen again.

“They saw the benefit,” Molnar said. “They heard their daughters or their gymnasts say how much better they felt, how much calmer they felt when they went out on the competition floor, and they said they were able to spend time with the therapy dogs before the competition.”

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Part of a broader program to support the mental health of athletes

At the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, this summer, about 16 dogs of various breeds, colors and sizes participated in the therapy program, all coming in different shifts and on different days, Geer said.

Geer explained that the pet therapy program was introduced as part of a broader program to support athletes and their physical and mental health.

“Over the years, our athletes have been telling us that they want more mental health support, and they want more nutritional support,” Geer said. “So we do nutritional support as well.”

“All of these things kind of coexist,” Geer added. “It’s just that the therapy dog program is the cutest, happiest, most wonderful program.”

Attempts were made to bring Beacon to Paris, but the plans ultimately failed due to logistical problems.

Molnar was disappointed, but wrote in an Instagram post: “Beacon and I will be cheering on our Olympians from California and hope @usagym and @teamusa hear us loud and clear all the way to Paris!”

Beacon’s Favorite Snacks and Things to Do

Beacon loves all kinds of food, but Molnar says his favorite snacks are frozen treats made with different types of fruit, such as blueberries, watermelon, pumpkin and chia seeds, liquid probiotics or plain Greek yogurt, which he usually eats after breakfast.

“If I’m not ready to give him those snacks after he finishes his breakfast, he’ll come get them and try to send me back to the kitchen,” Molnar laughed. “He hates the heat, so I think frozen treats are a nice cooling snack for him, too.”

As for his favorite thing to do, it’s swimming. All kinds of swimming. Swimming on the beach, in the ocean, in the pool. He loves the water, Molnar said.

Considering how much Beacon likes to be cool, it’s no surprise that Molnar tells USA TODAY that one of Beacon’s favorite things to do is refrigerate.

Molnar said that when she first brought Beacon home, every time she opened the refrigerator door, Beacon “would immediately come to her and lay his chin on the bottom edge of the open refrigerator.”

“After a few days, he tried to climb into the refrigerator when I opened the door,” Molnar said. “I thought it was cute, but he wasn’t big enough to climb onto the bottom shelf.”

“And so I made the mistake of sticking my hand out behind him, and he used my hand as a sort of step stool, climbed into the refrigerator and immediately laid down.”

Molnar found Beacon’s quirk cute, but she expected it to last a few weeks at most. But Beacon has found his own therapy.

“He was in the refrigerator yesterday,” Molnar said. “He’s four years old and he always wants to do it, and as crazy as it sounds, I let him do it all the time.”

Molnar added that she has moved things around in her refrigerator to make room for him and that he is only allowed in the fridge for three minutes, after which she “sends him out” and quickly cleans the area.

“It doesn’t hurt anybody or anything and it makes him really happy,” Molnar said. “It makes me laugh.”

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @saman_shafiq7.