Gus Kenworthy surely wins the gold medal in kindness.
While competing at the Olympics, the U.S. skier, and his boyfriend Matthew Wilkas, made good on their promise and visited a dog meat farm where they adopted a puppy.
They were there with Humane Society International, which has long been working to shut down the dog meat trade, and is now using the Pyeongchang Winter Games to help shine a global spotlight on the issue.
“This morning Matt and I had a heart-wrenching visited to one of the 17,000 dog farms here in South Korea,” the freeskier wrote on social media. “Across the country there are 2.5 million dogs being raised for food in some of the most disturbing conditions imaginable.”
Dogs are friends. Not food. pic.twitter.com/3wgx2oS2qv
— Gus Kenworthy (@guskenworthy) February 23, 2018
Kenworthy said the rescued dogs from that farm will likely end up in loving homes in the United States and Canada.
But one, named Beemo, will go home with him in just a few weeks after a vet check and vaccinations.
“I cannot wait to give her the best life possible!” he wrote.

The Humane Society estimates some 17,000 dog meat farms around Korea and this one was the 11th one it has helped close.
“On February 8th, our team identified a South Korean dog meat farm just miles down the road from the Winter Games,” HSI said after Friday’s visit. “We’re happy to announce that we’ve reached an agreement with the farmer and he has signed a contract to relinquish his 80+ dogs and close the facility down.”
HSI said rescue preparations begin next week.
It also asked the public for donations to help transport and care for the animals.
The organization has been trying to shut down the trade Asia, but also improving laws throughout China, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Kenworthy, of course, also rescued animals while competing in Sochi, where he won a silver medal.
In South Korea, he said he saw “inhumane” despite being told this was a farm where the dogs actually lived in “good conditions” before being slaughtered for food.
“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,” he wrote.
His photos are telling.
His kindness is not meant as a pot-shot at Korean culture.
“Culture should never be a scapegoat for cruelty,” he explained.

He also took his critics head-on who accused him of “neo-colonialism.”
Just b/c 10 things are wrong doesn’t mean working to solve 1 issue is bad b/c it leaves 9 other problems. It’s still positive change. The number of 🐷🐄🐓 raised for food in the US is over 150bill a year. Yes, that DOES need to change but it’s a MUCH bigger change to make happen. https://t.co/RkF6K9AOTO
— Gus Kenworthy (@guskenworthy) February 23, 2018
And called for a way forward.
The problem w/ the dogs here in Korea is much more manageable and there are plenty of people in the world who would happily take care of these dogs and show them the love they so desperately deserve.
— Gus Kenworthy (@guskenworthy) February 23, 2018
Photos Gus Kenworthy/Instagram/Twitter/Facebook