Gay Olympian Gus Kenworthy introduces puppy rescued from South Korean meat farm
Kenworthy won Olympic silver in 2014 (guskenworthy/instagram)
Gus Kenworthy has posed a topless photo of himself with a dog which he saved from a South Korean dog meat farm.
The silver medal-winning freestyle skier revealed earlier this year that he and his boyfriend Matthew Wilkas had rescued a dog from the country – where he competed in the Winter Olympics for the first time since he came out in 2015 – and called her Beemo.
Just months later, the 26-year-old US athlete told his followers that Beemo had passed away.
Gus Kenworthy and Matthew Wilkas with Beemo (Instagram/guskenworthy)
But on Friday (August 3), in a heartfelt Instagram post, Kenworthy introduced fans to the couple’s new dog, Birdie, who was also rescued from South Korea.
“The day Matt and I visited the horrifying dog meat farm in South Korea we witnessed a mother dog giving birth to a litter of pups,” he wrote.
Kenworthy came out in 2015 (guskenworthy/instagram)
“The people at @hsiglobal told us that had they not been there filming my visit nobody would’ve seen the pups immediately and they likely would’ve died in the brutal cold.
“Luckily though I saw them and they were rushed inside and saved. A few weeks later when all 90 of the dogs on that farm (including Beemo) were flown to North America that mother and her newborn litter were the only ones that stayed behind because the pups were too young to travel.
“After Beemo passed away I was feeling completely empty and I reached back out to the Humane Society International to find out what happened to that litter,” he continued.
Kenworthy was responsible for many dogs being freed (Instagram/guskenworthy)
“I found out that they were still in Korea and I began getting photo and video updates on them as I waited for another farm closure and an opportunity for them to be brought to the States.
“That finally happened and four days ago I picked this little girl up in DC.
“She’s a five-month-old Jindo/ Lab mix and we named her Birdie (because birds were one of Beemo’s favorite things in the world),” explained Kenworthy.
Kenworthy with Adam Rippon at the 2018 Olympic closing ceremony (Instagram/guskenworthy)
“Nothing in the world could ever replace Beemo or the love that we felt and still feel for her but Birdie has already stolen a new place in our hearts and we’re excited to be dog dads again.
“A HUGE thank you goes out to @hsiglobal for bringing our new baby home and for all they do for animals in need around the world (follow them and support their cause).
“Also an immense amount of gratitude goes to @awlaarlington for taking care of Birdie in DC until I could fly there to pick her up!”
Kenworthy with Queer Eye stars (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty)
He added: “I am going to continue Beemo’s Instagram with pupdates on Birdie. I was nervous that would seem disrespectful to Beemo’s memory but I actually LOVE the idea that both of my beautiful little girls will share the page.
“Also, a huge part of the reason I started Beemo’s page in the first place was to continue promoting animal rescue and raise awareness for the dog meat trade and since the page already has a following I thought it’d be more impactful to keep it going rather than start all over again.”
The silver medal-winning freestyle skier won hearts during the Olympics by throwing some excellent shade at Ivanka Trump.
And the Team USA athlete’s kiss with his actor boyfriend Matthew Wilkas on live TV drew acclaim and celebration from far and wide.
