VIDEO: THE SOUTH KOREAN OLYMPIC RESCUE MISSION – OF DOGS!
The dreamy Olympic skier, Gus Kenworthy, has stolen the world's heart again! Not only is he talented enough to win a silver at the games, he also adores fluffy pups as much we do! At the 2014 Olympics in Russia, he brought home 5 stray dogs that were found roaming around the city and, of course, posted the most gorgeous photos of himself and the sleeping pups.
This year, he went at it again, managing to convince a farmer to shut down his dog meat farm in Pyeongchang, South Korea. With the help of Humane Society International, they officially shut down the farm and are bringing the 90 captured dogs over to the US and Canada to find their own loving forever homes.
Of course, he had to keep one floof for himself, naming it Beemo. He posted several shocking pictures on social media with an explanation:
"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 I 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 agonising minutes.
"Despite the beliefs of the Korean public at large, 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 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. #dogsarefriendsnotfood #adoptdontshop ❤️🐶"
Check out the video below for more. He is definitely our hero!