Meet USA Gymnastics’ first-ever official therapy dog — Beacon

Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history and a living legend. 

Teammate — and fellow gold medalist — Suni Lee is also poised to add to her burgeoning legend when the 2024 Summer Olympics begin on Friday. 

But if you’re even a casual follower of women’s gymnastics you probably already knew all that. 

What you may not be aware of, however, is that Biles, Lee and all gymnasts representing the U.S. at the Summer Games had a new teammate to commiserate — and/or cuddle — with when they were trying to make the team at last month’s Olympic trials in Minneapolis: Beacon, a 4-year-old golden retriever and USA Gymnastics’ first-ever therapy dog.

Dubbed the team’s “Goodest Boy” on his ID credential, Beacon was a vital presence — and source of physical and emotional comfort — during the most stressful and/or heartbreaking moments of the competition. 

Lee was so grateful for his companionship that, after the first night of the trials, she posted a picture with him on her Instagram and added the caption “Thank god for Beacon.” 

Beacon is always available

During the trials, ESPN reported that Beacon, who now has his own Instagram page (likes: belly rubs; dislikes: celery), was always on call for his teammates — putting in 15-hour days when necessary. 

His handler, Tracey Callahan Molnar, is a former gymnast so she’s especially attuned to which athletes might have need for his presence at any given time. 

“I watch the women and if they’re animated when they see him, I’ll walk toward them,” she told ESPN. “Tonight, some called him over or came to him on their own.” 

She also explained that Beacon has excellent intuition when it comes to who needs his company. 

Especially when someone simply says his name. 

“He will turn on a dime without seeing who it is,” Callahan Molnar said. “He picks up on the stress and will pull to that person immediately.”  

Indeed, acting as what ESPN described as an “emotional sponge” for his teammates can also be physically taxing for Beacon. 

As Callahan Molnar explained about therapy dogs like Beacon “they absorb the stress of the people they’re relieving the stress of. So even though he might be lying still for two hours, he’s wiped out afterwards.” 

Callahan Molnar also noted that Beacon’s contribution to his teammates’ mental health is backed by research: “Science shows petting a dog or even watching someone pet a dog, can lower blood pressure and anxiety, help increase the feel-good hormones serotonin and dopamine, and lower cortisol levels.”

To say Beacon was the breakout star of the trials is an understatement.

After they concluded, Callahan Molnar posted on Beacon’s Instagram page “I am proud that USA Gymnastics has brought pet therapy to the sport, and not just brought it — but truly embraced and supported it. My gratitude is big! And Beacon? Proud doesn’t even scratch the surface of how I feel.” 

Therapy dogs in sports a growing trend

Beacon is just the latest — and most viral — example of how prevalent therapy dogs have become for athletes. 

USA Swimming also has made them a major presence at its meets. 

As the Washington Post reported last month: “USA Swimming athletes had one special request for the Olympic Trials: dogs. As many pups as possible.”

The reason for this, of course, is that, just like with gymnastics, swimming is an individual sport — and the pressure these athletes feel trying to make their Olympic teams can be unbearable. 

Emily Klueh, manager of mental health and emotional wellness for USA Swimming, told the Washington Post that “so many people find animals as a calming essence … In high energy environments like this, we have to have environments where they can get away from the hype, [where] they can calm their nervous systems down.” 

College athletic departments also embracing therapy dogs

Of course, athletes in team sports can also benefit from being around therapy dogs before, after — or even during — their competitions.  

In May at the Women’s College World Series (which takes place annually in Oklahoma City) there were therapy dogs aplenty available for all eight teams, courtesy of the Norman, Oklahoma-based organization A New Leash on Life, which trains and provides therapy dogs. 

One of the organization’s scheduling coordinators explained to USA Today that they wanted to help relieve the pressure athletes feel in such a highly competitive environment while being so far from home. 

Similarly, collegiate athletic programs are also embracing the innumerable benefits of having therapy dogs on hand for their athletes. 

For instance, at Eastern Washington University, Queso, a 2-year-old Labrador and golden retriever mix works as a therapy dog in the EWU athletic training department. 

The school’s head athletic trainer, Hailey Haukeli, has had Queso since she was a puppy. In April she explained to a Cheney, Washington TV station that during Queso’s puppyhood, “I was sneaking her in the athletic training room during the day trying to take care of her … but I stopped bringing her in because she was not legally allowed to be in the athletic training room. The athletes became really fond of her and were always asking me where Queso was.” 

EWU athletes themselves lobbied administrators to have Queso trained as a therapy dog, so she could become an official and permanent member of the department. 

EWU’s powers that be immediately saw the benefits Queso could provide and signed off on the request. 

After eight months of training, Queso became a legally certified therapy dog and Haukeli said her pooch now “gets to be here every day and make people happy.”  

In explaining Queso’s value to EWU athletes, Haukeli said “our athletes are people first and I think we forget that sometimes.” 

Queso’s presence also helps distract and/or comfort athletes when they’re being treated for their various injuries or other physical ailments — not unlike how therapy dogs help hospitalized patients in medical settings.

We’ve already seen how therapy dogs can provide comfort in innumerable difficult and challenging circumstances, so the idea of normalizing their presence for elite athletes is a trend this lifelong dog lover is rooting to see more of.