Beacon may need an agent, but you won't see the therapy dog with US gymnasts in Paris

Meet Beacon. He's not a regular dog, he's a cool dog, providing therapy and support to gymnasts from across the United States, who were gathered in Minneapolis for from June 27 to June 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 pictures and him cuddling and playing with athletes went viral on social media last month. While several other dogs participated in the dog therapy sessions for the gymnast trials, it was Beacon with his big, brown eyes and fluffy fur, who gained the most popularity.

"Beacon is not the only dog," Jill Geer, chief communications and marketing officer at USA Gymnasts, told USA TODAY. "There are several other dogs, but Beacon is 100% the star of the show. He is literally the Beacon of this program."

"I joke that Beacon needs an agent, because there are more requests for Beacon than just about any other athlete out there," Geer added.

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

Speaking to USA TODAY over the phone from Pasadena, Molnar said Beacon is the second golden retriever she has adopted, explaining that she and her late husband previously had a dog named Tulsa, who passed away in 2019.

She said she looked into adopting a rescue dog in California as well as other breeders in the state but eventually went back to the same breeder who bred Tulsa. Transporting Beacon from Michigan to California amid COVID-19 lockdowns was a challenge, but Molnar managed it successfully and was able to bring Beacon home.

"I changed my mind about it so many times, because, I mean, it was April of 2020," Molnar said. "I thought this is just crazy. I can't do this. But I'd already seen pictures of him and made that sort of emotional connection with 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 had provided pet therapy for almost six and a half years.

"After I lost Tulsa, on top of missing Tulsa, I really missed providing pet therapy," Molnar said. "I'm a huge advocate of volunteerism and I've done it for many years in different avenues and it's something I hope to continue doing."

When Molnar got Beacon, she'd hoped that he too would enjoy being a therapy dog because it not something you can force a pet into.

"But thankfully even more so than Tulsa, he gravitates to people," Molnar said about Beacon. "He likes dogs a lot, but he loves people. I think he's very good at sensing stress in people. He does that with me, and I've seen him do it with other people."

"He really was kind of cut out for this I would say," Molnar added.

At the Olympic trials

Molnar, who has been associated with USA Gymnastics for over 40 years, enjoys a good relationship with Caroline Hunt, the vice president of the rhythmic gymnastics program at USA Gymnastics, who she has known since they were young girls. Molnar said Hunt, a former professional athlete, had been thinking of introducing a pet therapy program at her department, having been inspired by an event she attended a few years back.

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

While a lot of people were excited about the program, there were others who were skeptical about it. However, Molnar said many of those who were doubtful appreciated the initiative after and asked if it would be happening again.

"They saw the benefit," Molnar said. "They heard their daughters, or their gymnasts talk about how much better they felt, how much calmer they felt going onto the competition floor and they credited being able to spend time with the therapy dogs in advance of the competition."

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Part of a wider program to support athletes mental health

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, with each of them coming in different shifts and days, according to Geer.

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

"Over the last several years, our athletes have consistently told us that what they would like more of is mental health support, as well as nutritional support," Geer said. "So, we do the nutritional support as well."

"All of these things kind of exist together," Geer added. "It's just that the therapy dog program is the cutest, happiest, most fantastic program among those."

While efforts to take Beacon to Paris were made, the plans eventually fell through due to logistical issues.

Molnar, though disappointed, in Instagram post said, "Beacon and I will be cheering our Olympians on from California and hope that @usagym and @teamusa hear us loud and clear all the way in Paris!"

Beacon's favorite snacks and things to do

While Beacon loves all food, Molnar says his favorite snacks are frozen treats consisting of different fruits such as blueberries, watermelon, pumpkin and chia seeds, liquid probiotic or plain Greek yoghurt, which he usually gets to enjoy after breakfast.

"If I'm not ready and waiting to give those snacks (to him) after he finishes his breakfast, he will come and get and sort of try to steer me back to the kitchen," Molnar laughed. "He hates the heat, so I think frozen treats also are a nice cooling snack for him."

As for his favorite activity, it's swimming. All kinds of swimming. Swimming at the beach, in the ocean, in the pool. He loves being in the water, according to Molnar.

Considering how much Beacon likes being cool, it comes as no surprise when Molnar tells USA TODAY that one of Beacon's favorite things to do it sit in the fridge.

Molnar said when she first brought Beacon home, every time she'd open the fridge door, Beacon would "come over and immediately start laying down resting his chin on the bottom edge of the open refrigerator."

"After a couple of days, he tried climbing into the fridge when I opened the door," Molnar said. "I thought it was adorable but wasn't big enough to be able to climb in up onto the lowest shelf."

"And so, I made the mistake of putting my hand out behind him and he used my hand as like a stepping stool and climbed into the fridge and immediately laid down."

As cute as Molnar found Beacon's little quirk to be, she said she expected it to a last a few weeks at most, but Beacon's found his own therapy.

"He was in the fridge yesterday," Molnar said. "Like he four years old and he's never stopped wanting to do it and as crazy as it sounds, I keep letting him do it."

Molnar added she's moved things around in her fridge to make space for him and that he's only allowed in the fridge for three minutes after which she "shooes him out" and quickly cleans the area.

"It's not hurting anybody or anything and it makes him really happy," Molnar said. "It makes me smile."

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