What an incredible story.
US Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy has won over the hearts of the world thanks to his incredibly touching gesture at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Gus and his boyfriend, Matt, made a visit to a dog farm in South Korea during their time in the country and the visit had a profound impact on the pair.
Shocked by the conditions which the puppies were living in, the pair decided to rescue a one. However, he didn’t stop there.
Sharing a snap of the newest member of the family, Gus said:
“This morning Matt and I had a heart-wrenching visit to one of the 17,000 dog farms here in South Korea. Across the country, there are 2.5 million dogs being raised for food in some of the most disturbing conditions imaginable.
“Yes, there is an argument to be made that eating dogs is a part of Korean culture. And, while don’t personally agree with it, I do agree that it’s not my place to impose western ideals on the people here.”
Gus’ post went on to reveal the major impact the visit had on him and the extent to which he was willing to go to help the dogs.
“The way these animals are being treated, however, is completely inhumane and culture should never be a scapegoat for cruelty. I was told that the dogs on this particular farm were kept in “good conditions” by comparison to other farms.
“The dogs here are malnourished and physically abused, crammed into tiny wire-floored pens, and exposed to the freezing winter elements and scorching summer conditions.”
With the help of the Humane Society International, Gus managed to convince the dog farmer to close the facility and release the puppies to be brought back to the US and Canada.
“Luckily, this particular farm (thanks to the hard work of the Humane Society International and the cooperation of a farmer who’s seen the error of his ways) is being permanently shut down and all 90 of the dogs here will be brought to the US and Canada where they’ll find their fur-ever homes.
“I adopted the sweet baby in the first pic (we named her Beemo) and she’ll be coming to the US to live with me as soon as she’s through with her vaccinations in a short couple of weeks. I cannot wait to give her the best life possible!”
Gus is now calling on others to help raise awareness of the inhumanity of the dog meat trade.
The Olympian has been sharing images from the farm on his social media in a bid to help the cause and has received huge praise as a result.
“Thank you so much for what you do for animals,” read one comment.
“A truly incredible action, well done,” read another.
And this isn’t the first time Kenworthy has gone above and beyond to help animals. Gus also brought home a family of stray pups from the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014, as well as a silver medal, of course.
