In a TikTok montage that has quickly taken off, Olivia Dunne attempted a headstand during a training session only to be interrupted by her golden retriever, Roux.
The pup bounded into her arms mid-pose, nearly knocking her off balance.
Instead of frustration, Dunne broke into laughter, pairing the clip with a country lyric that read, “I can tell you right now that a dog has a soul.”
What might have been a simple mishap became a heartwarming moment for her millions of followers, who have come to know Roux almost as well as they know Dunne herself.
A pup named after Louisiana tradition
Dunne and her boyfriend, MLB pitcher Paul Skenes, adopted Roux in October 2023, choosing a name rooted in Louisiana’s famous cooking base of flour and fat.
Since then, Roux has been a recurring character across Dunne‘s social feeds, from playful selfies to training interruptions like this one.
For Dunne, who has always described herself as a lifelong dog lover, the decision was about more than companionship.
“I’ve always been a dog person. We had a family dog growing up. Her name was Biscuit, and she was a golden retriever. I was homeschooled growing up, so she was my best friend,” Dunne said in an interview with Country Living Magazine.
She explained that adding Roux to their lives was about finding unconditional love, a grounding force amid the whirlwind of media attention and pressure.
From gymnast to brand icon
Her fans have embraced that vulnerability, because Dunne‘s path hasn’t been as effortless as her polished social media feed might suggest.
When the NCAA’s NIL policy opened the door in 2021, Dunne was already building an audience by sharing her routines online. She quickly turned that foundation into the most lucrative NIL career in women’s college sports, valued at around $4.2 million by On3.
But the attention wasn’t without backlash. Early in her ascent, Dunne said she was targeted by critics who accused her of having “no personality” and relying only on her looks.
Rather than shrink away, she leaned into authenticity, using her platform to prove she could be more than a gymnast.
“I think that my audience could feel that authenticity because it was something I was doing before the rule change. This was years in the making. It didn’t come to me easily, and I think that’s a big misconception. I want my legacy to be that you’re more than just your sport,” Dunne said.
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