Meet Beacon, the 'goodest boy' who helps US Olympians stay calm under tremendous pressure
Therapy dogs have become significantly popular in recent years. Several studies have indicated that therapy dogs are particularly effective in reducing stress and anxiety. A case in point: meet Beacon (@goldendogbeacon on Instagram), an adorable 4-year-old golden retriever appointed as the therapy dog for Team USA's Women's Gymnastics team. Regarded as the "Goodest Boy," the canine accompanies the team to all important events like the Olympic trials. During the trials, Beacon spent long hours with all the athletes and coaches, comforting them before their match, ESPN reported.
"I think we did important work. It was a rough night for some of the gymnasts, and I think Beacon helped celebrate the good stuff and be there and give support for the challenges," Tracey Callahan Molnar, Beacon's handler and a former gymnast, said. Interestingly, when the therapy dog thinks someone needs him, he will direct Molnar by gently pulling on his leash. Well, the sweet dog is attracted to two things—hearing his name and an intrinsic sense of when someone needs him.
"He will turn on a dime without seeing who it is. He picks up on the stress and will pull to that person immediately," Molnar revealed. Further, she shared that trained therapy dogs like Beacon act as stressbusters for people with anxiety issues. "They absorb the stress of the people they're relieving the stress off of. So even though he might be lying still for two hours, he's wiped out afterward," Molnar added.
Notably, Molnar had another golden retriever named Tulsa, who unfortunately passed away in 2019. Talking to USA Today, she shared that she did consider adopting a rescue dog in California but eventually went back to the same breeder as Tulsa. Although shifting Beacon from Michigan to California amidst the COVID-19 lockdown was, of course, a great challenge, Molnar somehow managed to do it successfully. Just like Beacon, her late dog, Tulsa, was also a registered therapy pup. "After I lost Tulsa, on top of missing Tulsa, I really missed providing pet therapy. 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," Molnar said.
Fortunately, when she put Beacon into being a therapy dog, Molnar was happy to see that the retriever was naturally drawn towards people. "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," she added. Other than being a goofball of happiness, Beacon is also a foodie; Molnar said while he loves all kinds of food, his absolute snacks are frozen treats, which he usually enjoys 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. He hates the heat, so I think frozen treats also are a nice cooling snack for him," she added.
You can follow Beacon (@goldendogbeacon) on Instagram for more updates on the golden retriever.