“Beacon,” a Golden Retriever who loves tummy rubs and appreciates a good jump, recently earned therapy dog gold. The 4-year-old registered therapy dog and his owner and handler, Tracey Callahan Molnar of Pasadena, California, are a therapy dog team for USA Gymnastics.
Beacon, Callahan Molnar, and other therapy dog teams have greeted athletes at five gymnastics competitions so far this year.
Although the Golden didn’t pose on the Paris podium, USA Gymnastics hired him part-time to specialize in cheer. His official staff credential reads, “Goodest Boy.”
Adding Therapy Dogs to Sports
Beacon is no newcomer to helping anyone who needs a furry head to pet and a soft coat to boost their mood. A registered therapy dog with Pet Partners, the Golden Retriever began his therapeutic canine routine as a service dog providing tactile support for Callahan Molnar.
Callahan Molnar, who has a long history as an artistic and rhythmic gymnastics competitor, is an organizer with USA Gymnastics. A 36-year gymnastics instructor, she’s an event staff member and served on the sport’s national governing body for 40 years.
She brought the idea to LiLi Leung, the CEO of USA Gymnastics, a dog lover, and an advocate of pet therapy. Immediately, Leung approved it. “I love that I’m able to combine my love for gymnastics with my knowledge of the athletes’ and staff’s experiences, the organization’s goals, and how therapy dogs can make a difference,” Callahan Molar says.
She soon discovered that arranging for and vetting therapy dog teams in each city presented challenges. “I thought I could get ideas from another sports organizations on how to manage everything, but no governing sports body was involved in pet therapy,” she says. “I realized I needed to design a program myself.”
In the beginning, Callahan Molnar faced opposition from people who thought the dogs would distract competitors. “Once they realized how the dogs calmed the athletes, that disappeared, and they began asking if dogs would be at the next trials,” she says.
Uncharted Therapy Dog Territory
The first event with therapy dogs was the 2023 Rhythmic Elite Qualifier in Indianapolis, which took place in May 2023. “When I learned that 300 gymnasts were coming, I realized the dog-to-gymnast ratio wouldn’t give the competitors enough time with Beacon,” she says.
Callahan Molnar contacted pet therapy groups for additional teams. Since security at these events is tight, everyone needs current pet therapy registrations, rabies vaccinations, and verified identification. Teams are required to sign a waiver, can’t ask for autographs or photos with the athletes, and must meet the athletes in a wellness room.
Three weeks later, from June 19 to 24, she needed to arrange for enough therapy dog teams for 1,900 acrobatic, rhythmic, trampoline, and tumbling athletes in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the 2023 USA Gymnastics Championships. “Due to COVID, there weren’t many pet therapy teams in Tulsa, and we had more athletes than dogs,” she says. “We could only offer support to the elite athletes.”
Beacon and Callahan Molnar later traveled to San Jose, California, in August to offer therapeutic healing competitors at the Artistic Gymnastics National Championships. She needed 24 pet therapy teams to accommodate the schedule, but Beacon’s handler faced a different situation. “We had 61 registered therapy dog teams respond, and I had to say ‘Thank you, but we already have enough.'”
Supporting Elite Athletes Ahead of the Olympics
Beacon and Callahan Molnar attended the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for gymnastics in Minneapolis from June 27 to June 30 in preparation for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Joining 11 therapy dogs, they provided affection, comfort, and support to staff and 25 to 30 elite gymnasts hoping to land a spot on Team USA.
So, what did the famous athletes say to the dogs? “They talked about Beacon’s great coat and how cute and soft he is,” says Callahan Molnar. “Sometimes, they talk about their own pets or another dog experience. Or maybe it’s an ache or pain or something they’re nervous about in competition.”
Mostly, she listens. For Callahan Molnar, pet therapy happens when the person connects with Beacon, but the dog wants someone to get as close to him as possible.
As the first round of competition ended, Suni Lee visited the dog. “I was so touched when she said, ‘Thank God for Beacon, day one of the trials done, onto day two,'” remembers Callahan Molnar.
Most people associate therapy dogs with spending time with people in assisted living facilities, hospitals, schools, courtrooms, and some disaster sites, but not athletics. “Now, with the recent focus on mental health in sports, there’s a growing acceptance that high-level sports have stress, too,” Callahan Molnar says.
“When he sees people, he can’t wait to be with them but knows sitting comes first,” the handler says. “It’s easy for the gymnasts to plop down on the ground with Beacon and give him a belly rub.
The conversation has already begun about having therapy dog teams on hand for the USA Gymnastics team before and during the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. “I’m hoping other sports will want therapy dogs,” adds Callahan Molar. “If Beacon and other dogs help these athletes in some way, then we’ve done our job.”