Staff and patients at Huntington Health tuned into the Olympics news were overjoyed to recognize a familiar, fluffy face.
Beacon, a 4-year-old golden retriever and a comforting presence in the hospital’s hallways, has recently captured national attention for providing pet-assisted-therapy to members of the USA Gymnastics team.
“I was so darn proud,” said Stacy Miller, director of volunteer services at Huntington Hospital. “I was so proud.”
With the support of his owner, Tracey Callahan Molnar, a Pasadena resident and a 40-year veteran of USA Rhythmic Gymnastics, Beacon has been soothing athletes (and coaches) at multiple competitions and training camps since May 2023.
His sunny disposition, complete with a wagging tail and a belly always ready for rubs, provides them with much needed relief after an intense routine.
But long before becoming the face of pet therapy for USA Gymnastics, Beacon was a beloved presence at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena.
Every other Tuesday for almost two years, he has strolled the hallways with his owner, Callahan Molnar, bringing joy and lowering stress for those in the outpatient rehab, the emergency department, the pediatric department and wherever he’s needed, Miller said.
“He just loves to get all the attention, and gives it back,” she said.
But all of this wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication of his owner, Callahan Molnar.
“I love my dog, I love volunteering, I love volunteering with pet therapy, and I love gymnastics,” Callahan Molnar said. “So to have the opportunity to blend all of those things was something I’ve never thought I would have the chance to do.”
The 65-year-old’s journey with pet-assisted-therapy began in 2015 when she started volunteering at Huntington Health with her previous dog, a golden retriever named Tulsa.
After Tulsa passed away in 2019, Callahan Molnar felt a huge void, missing both her beloved pet and the joy of doing pet therapy, she said.
When Beacon came into her life, Callahan Molnar hoped that he would have the same comforting nature. Luckily, Beacon turned out to be a natural, bringing warmth and happiness to everyone he meets.
“He just loves people,” she said. “He always wants to say hi to people even when we’re not volunteering.”
The presence of dogs like Beacon is vital to the total care of patients, said Dr. Kimberly Shriner, medical director of infection prevention at Huntington Hospital, where the tradition of pet-assisted therapy dates back to 1984.
“The hospital experience is a very emotional one for patients and for healthcare workers as well,” she said. “And I think that the distraction and the emotional support of pet therapy, especially for those patients that have animals of their own, is really, really important.”
Research has shown that simply petting a dog lowers one’s stress hormone cortisol, while increasing oxytocin, the hormone that promotes positive feelings. This helps calm people in stressful situations, such as patients suffering from long COVID, a condition with limited treatment options that can cause significant anxiety and fatigue, Shriner said.
Seeing these benefits firsthand at the hospital, Callahan Molnar wondered if pet-assisted therapy could be just as impactful in sports and other high-stress environments.
So when her colleague, Caroline Hunt, vice president of rhythmic gymnastics for USA Gymnastics, suggested introducing pet therapy at competitions, Callahan Molnar was immediately on board.
They discussed how pet therapy teams could help de-stress athletes and talked through some of the logistics. With the approval of USA Gymnastics CEO Li Li Leung, they got the green light to incorporate pet- assisted therapy as a “test event” at a rhythmic gymnastics competition, which in turn opened the doors for Beacon and other therapy dogs to attend gymnastic events.
By doing so, they became part of the U.S. gymnastics team’s broader efforts to prioritize athletes’ emotional wellness, a topic that gained significant attention after Simone Biles withdrew from the 2020 Tokyo Games.
As Beacon’s presence at gymnastic events gained traction, his fan base on Instagram grew rapidly. His Instagram account, goldendogbeacon, has accumulated more than 36k followers as of Friday afternoon.
Many fans have also inquired why Beacon and Callahan Molnar, who returned to Pasadena on July 1, weren’t at the Paris Games.
She explained that logistical challenges prevented them from attending, but they have been cheering on the USA athletes from afar. In their most recent Instagram video, Beacon can be seen sitting amidst large white letters spelling out the words “WE ARE TEAM USA”.
And although Callahan Molnar, a fairly private person, found the increased attention a bit overwhelming, she was glad that their story had an uplifting impact on people and raised awareness about the importance of pet-assisted therapy. She plans to continue their volunteer work at Huntington Health and with USA Gymnastics.
“With so many negative and challenging things going on in the world today, a lot of the comments that I’ve gotten are just thanking us for this uplifting story, for uplifting moments,” she said. “Who knew that what Beacon does would give somebody a grateful sigh of relief, or put a smile on their face, like somebody across the country, or in another country, or people that are struggling with their own issues, and people that we haven’t met, I’m really grateful to be able to do that.”
