The Team USA Therapy Dog

By Amy Fernandez

Competing is stressful. Canine Chronicle readers know all about that. But in a way, we have an advantage when it comes to stress management. We got our dogs right there with us. Plenty of studies have revealed and confirmed that interacting with dogs immediately lowers stress. Cortisol levels drop, and levels of dopamine and serotonin rise measurably after just ten minutes of ‘dog time’.

The world at large is finally waking up to this simple source of stress relief, including athletes. There is no question that Team USA stunned the audience at Paris this year. Attendance was up, viewership was up and they walked away with a ton of gold.

We excelled in quite a few events, but nothing surpassed the awe and admiration for the women’s gymnastics team. Commentators frequently described it as the most talented gymnastics team the world has ever seen. But there’s also the back story, which makes it even more impressive. After the 2020 games, there was wide speculation that Simone Biles would not be back. The entire team was coping with a lot of traumas, in addition to the normal high stress of competition.

Things are going good now–in no small part because of their innovative solution to stress reduction. The USA Gymnastics team got a therapy dog.

Beacon, a four-year-old Golden Retriever owned by former gymnast Tracey Molnar, was on call throughout training and also accompanied the team to Paris; and as you can imagine, he earned his keep on that trip.

As a former gymnast, Molnar was spot-on when she pitched the idea. She knew from personal experience, both the pressure of that sport and the immediate go-to relief that dogs provide. In interviews, she described Beacon’s approach to the job. Low key, but always ready. He’s there hanging around until he senses that someone needs his comforting presence. Dogs read human cues better than we do, and of course they also instantly detect those subtle chemical changes that signal cortisol alert.

Think about the times you have had a truly awful day. What’s the first thing you want when you get home? And somehow, our dogs just know what we need from them at that moment.  Skeptics may never be convinced of the value of dog therapy, but hey, the results say it all.

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Posted by Liz on Sep 23 2024. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.