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Olympian Gus Kenworthy rescues puppy from Korean dog meat farm

By Kelcie Willis, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

American freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, left, and his boyfriend Matthew Wilkas hold dogs at a dog meat farm in Siheung, South Korea. Kenworthy saved five stray dogs during the Sochi Olympics four years ago and is adopting a puppy he met Friday.

By Kelcie Willis, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

SIHEUNG, South Korea — After rescuing dogs at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy has rescued another puppy.

People reported that Kenworthy announced he and his boyfriend, actor Matthew Wilkas, rescued a puppy named Beemo. The Associated Press reported that the two visited visited a dog farm in Siheung, South Korea, Friday.

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"This morning Matt and I had a heart-wrenching visited to one of the 17,000 dog farms here in South Korea," Kenworthy said in an Instagram post. "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."

In this Friday, Feb. 23, 2018, photo, American freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy plays with a dog at a dog meat farm in Siheung, South Korea.

 

Kenworthy said that the farm he and Wilkas visited was being permanently closed due to the work of the Humane Society International and a farmer's cooperation. The 87 dogs, some which are expecting litters of puppies, at the farm are being taken to North America, according to The AP.

Beemo is among those dogs.

“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,” Kenworthy wrote. “I cannot wait to give her the best life possible!”

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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. 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. When it comes time to put one down it is done so in front of the other dogs by means of electrocution sometimes taking up to 20 agonizing minutes. Despite the beliefs of some, these dogs are no different from the ones we call pets back home. Some of them were even pets at one time and were stolen or found and sold into the dog meat trade. 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! There are still millions of dogs here in need of help though (like the Great Pyrenees in the 2nd pic who was truly the sweetest dog ever). I'm hoping to use this visit as an opportunity to raise awareness to the inhumanity of the dog meat trade and the plight of dogs everywhere, including back home in the US where millions of dogs are in need of loving homes! Go to @hsiglobal's page to see how you can help. #dogsarefriendsnotfood #adoptdontshop ❤️🐶

A post shared by gus kenworthy (@guskenworthy) on

At the Sochi games, Kenworthy rescued a mother dog and three puppies. Although one puppy did not survive, the mother, Mamuchka, lives with Kentworthy’s mother in Telluride, Colorado, and Mishka and Jake live with Kentworthy’s ex-boyfriend, Robin Macdonald, in Vancouver.

“I’m hoping to use this visit as an opportunity to raise awareness to the inhumanity of the dog meat trade here in Korea and the plight of dogs everywhere, including back home in the U.S., where millions of dogs are in need of loving homes,” Kenworthy said.

The AP reported that the dogs on the farm will be vaccinated and quarantined on the farm until March.

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