Olympic skiier Gus Kenworthy has a soft place in his heart for dogs. At the 2014 Sochi games in Russia, he rescued two dogs and brought them back home.
And at this year’s Peong-Chang games, Kenworthy, along with his boyfriend actor Matthew Wilkas, toured one of the tens of thousands of Korean dog meat farms in operation. And fell in love with a pup they have named Beemo, who will be joining them in a few weeks in the US.
Said Kenworthy, via Instagram, about his experience: “The way these animals are being treated, however, is completely inhumane and culture should never be a scapegoat for cruelty.” He continued, “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.”
The good news is that dog farm that Gus and Matthew toured will be shut down and all 90 dogs that were kept in horrid conditions there will be rescued and rehomed in the US and Canada by the Humane Society International.
“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 US where millions of dogs are in need of loving homes! Go to @hsiglobal‘s page to see how you can help,” he wrote at the end of his Instagram post.
What do you think of the Korean dog meat trade?
