Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

US Olympic Skier Gus Kenworthy Rescued 90 Dogs From Korean Dog Meat Farm
US Olympic Skier Gus Kenworthy Rescued 90 Dogs From Korean Dog Meat Farm
User submission
41.4K

US Olympic Skier Gus Kenworthy Rescued 90 Dogs From Korean Dog Meat Farm

619

ADVERTISEMENT

Gus Kenworthy, 26, is an American freestyle skier from Colorado who recently made headlines after rescuing 90 dogs from a dog meat farm in South Korea while participating in 2018 Winter Olympics.

In 2014, during the Sochi Winter Olympics, Gus found two stray puppies near the Olympic Village and had to go through a long process to get them to America with him and now he took upon himself to save even more dogs.

“This morning Matt and I had a heart-wrenching visit to one of the 17,000 dog farms here in South Korea,” he wrote on Instagram. “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. Despite the beliefs of some, these dogs are no different from the ones we call pets back home.”

Together with his boyfriend Matt, Gus decided to take one of the dogs home. “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!” 90 other dogs from the farm are taken from the facility to the United States and Canada for adoption with the help of Humane Society International.

ADVERTISEMENT

Even though there are many more pups in bad conditions, every little attempt to help counts and it’s so great that there are some amazing people, like Gus, who use their platform to spread awareness and help.

More info: Instagram

RELATED:

    Gus Kenworthy, 26, is an American freestyle skier from Colorado

    He recently made headlines after rescuing 90 dogs from a dog meat farm in South Korea while participating in 2018 Winter Olympics

    “This morning Matt and I had a heart-wrenching visit to one of the 17,000 dog farms here in South Korea,” he wrote on Instagram

    ADVERTISEMENT

    “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”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    “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”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    “The way these animals are being treated, however, is completely inhumane and culture should never be a scapegoat for cruelty”

    “Despite the beliefs of some, these dogs are no different from the ones we call pets back home”

    Together with his boyfriend Matt, Gus decided to take one of the dogs home and named her Beemo

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    “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!”

    90 other dogs from the farm are taken from the facility to the United States and Canada for adoption with the help of Humane Society International

    ADVERTISEMENT

    It’s so great that there are some amazing people, like Gus, who use their platform to spread awareness and help

    ADVERTISEMENT

    We need more people like Gus in this world!

    70Kviews

    Share on Facebook
    Hidrėlėy

    Hidrėlėy

    Author, Approved Contributor

    Read more »

    I am a Brazilian digital artist who loves transforming imagination into hyper-real visuals. I work with artificial intelligence and image editing to create what I always wondered as a child: how would our favorite characters look in real life? Over time, many of my artworks have gone viral and were featured in international publications. I have recreated realistic versions of cartoon characters such as Disney and The Simpsons, imagined how celebrities who died young would look today, and even gave modern faces to historical figures like Mona Lisa or Shakespeare. Beyond entertainment, I created Para Não Esquecer, a social project that revisits memorable criminal cases in Brazil. My goal is to honor victims, keep memory alive and remind society that justice and empathy matter. I also write for Bored Panda, where I create articles featuring artists, photographers, rescue stories and feel-good moments from around the world. My work aims to highlight creativity, kindness and emotional storytelling. In everything I do, my purpose is the same: to touch hearts, evoke emotion and make people feel something real.

    Read less »
    Hidrėlėy

    Hidrėlėy

    Author, Approved Contributor

    I am a Brazilian digital artist who loves transforming imagination into hyper-real visuals. I work with artificial intelligence and image editing to create what I always wondered as a child: how would our favorite characters look in real life? Over time, many of my artworks have gone viral and were featured in international publications. I have recreated realistic versions of cartoon characters such as Disney and The Simpsons, imagined how celebrities who died young would look today, and even gave modern faces to historical figures like Mona Lisa or Shakespeare. Beyond entertainment, I created Para Não Esquecer, a social project that revisits memorable criminal cases in Brazil. My goal is to honor victims, keep memory alive and remind society that justice and empathy matter. I also write for Bored Panda, where I create articles featuring artists, photographers, rescue stories and feel-good moments from around the world. My work aims to highlight creativity, kindness and emotional storytelling. In everything I do, my purpose is the same: to touch hearts, evoke emotion and make people feel something real.

    What do you think ?
    A dose of reality...
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Don't forget that almost every single piece of meat we eat comes from animals treated in the most terrible and disgusting way before being killed. The main difference to most of us: If it's a cow or a pig or a chicken nobody really cares.

    Cherie O
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I agree. This is why my family and I have made a choice to abstain from eating meat.

    Load More Replies...
    Salma Hernández
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So dogs in Korea are raised in cruelty. Which is the difference of USA chicken, European turkey or other animal that are raisen in other countries?

    Yvonne Kiersley
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Laws.You'll find a pig raised in the US and a pig raised in the EU are covered b different sets of laws. In the EU, it is much much more humane, in the US it is disgusting.

    Load More Replies...
    David Cahyo
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So eating dog is animal cruelty but eating pig, chicken, cow are not?

    Yvonne Kiersley
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I think the point of the article is that the conditions the dogs were kept in is animal cruelty. Given that it also says he didn't want to impose western culture on them, so the idea o eating dog was ew to him, but he didn't say to them that eating dog is cruelty.

    Load More Replies...
    Emmy
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    There are thousands of dogs chained outside in these same conditions in the US. How about helping 90 dogs here at home?

    Nikki C. Rockafella
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You know what dont start that kind of s**t. This man is a Godsend. Tell u what, he is going to be a bit busy with the Olympics and the rescued dogs so why dont you rescue 90 dogs here at home? Make it an even 100. I'll help you if you decide to di it. If you arent going to do it, then maybe you should just zip it.

    Load More Replies...
    Full Name
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I was prepared to get irritated with this story but I'm not at all. This guy said he doesn't want to impose his views on them etc, so he has a good head about him. The sad part is that if we're being honest, this helps nothing because that just means he gave business for 90 dogs, and 90 more will replace them. He actually kinda contributed to the problem in a weird way. Asians overall definitely have a different view on animals. Go to any Chinatown and see what's being sold. Not the same as your local supermarket, and the amount of animals horribly abused in nuts. Rhino horns, Tiger gallbladders etc, how often do you hear they're for traditional Chinese medicine? How about we eat some beans and lentils and quinoa instead of cows, dogs and goats?

    Nina Dragon
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He may not have changed the world, but he changed thoses dogs world.

    Load More Replies...
    Angel Schilder
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And back home he'll just go to McDonald's and he'll have a burger made from the meat of an animal raised in terrible conditions, whose baby as been taken away, leaving both mum and son, crying for weeks so we can steal their milk for our cheese, our milkshake and our breakfast. And he won't give a f**k about the suffering he's contributing to. I'm not sure whether this is about the summit of Hypocrisy or the deepest ignorance. But hey, keep saving cute puppies. And don't forget to post it with a dozen pictures so we can all admire you!!

    Gayle Bynum Cardosa
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    yet again....someone adding their own narrative to an article. This wasn't there in the story at all. You don't know if this man is vegan do you? You don't know anything about him....or do you? I mean he's an olympic athlete so McDonalds probably isn't a big factor in his life. Hell it's NEVER a part of MY life so why do you just make assumptions. What's in your soul that you think this is a negative about him rather than trying to educate people?

    Load More Replies...
    Jeanie Kwon
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I really appreciated this post! I'm South Korean, and I've never eaten dog before but I still get irritated when Westerners try to impose their own ideas of what they think is culturally right or wrong onto my country. But Gus made it clear that he was focusing on animal cruelty, not necessarily the practice of eating dogs itself. I agree with Gus; I think that animals should be treated humanely even if they will eventually be butchered. It's not just dogs, too. The way farms treat chickens and cows is so, so, so much worse. Hopefully, that'll change in the future!

    Lu
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    From what I've heard (being around Korean) is that it's a very limited industry, mostly limited to an older generation of people. It's still ethically wrong - but it feels more so because we view dogs as loving pets. In India they view cows as sacred - in the US alone 300 cows per minute are slaughtered for food. As human beings we survive and thrive on the suffering of animals for food, labour, medicine and so forth... My own personal journey i'm trying to limit the amount of meat I eat, I'm not trying to impress this view on anyone because that's not how it works. I just wanted to say I've been healthier as a result, and feel good about it.

    Molly Tallmadge
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Beemo!! Such a cute name and such a pretty puppy!

    Hannah Ingram
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    one of the few comments here that isn't arguing over animal treatments

    Load More Replies...
    희성 김
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I agree with the premise of this article, but I really wish people can stop generalizing this to the entirety of the Korean people. I'm a Korean myself, and although I don't eat, and don't condone the consumption of dog meat, a lot of the Westerners I have met have automatically regarded me as a cruel dog-killer. Seriously. What this article, and many Western articles, fail to mention is that this is a highly limited industry. In fact, dog meat restaurants are very rare in South Korea, basically non-existent in major cities and limited to remote, rural areas. Point is, most Koreans don't eat dogs. I've read through the comments, and most seem to have this stereotype. 'Eating dogs(i.e. animal cruelty) is part of Korean culture, and that we shouldn't impose Western ideals?' This shows how much Korean culture is misunderstood. Animal cruelty is not a part of the entirety of Korean culture, but part of some people's beliefs. I hope people can understand this and have a wider perspective.

    Load More Comments
    A dose of reality...
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Don't forget that almost every single piece of meat we eat comes from animals treated in the most terrible and disgusting way before being killed. The main difference to most of us: If it's a cow or a pig or a chicken nobody really cares.

    Cherie O
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I agree. This is why my family and I have made a choice to abstain from eating meat.

    Load More Replies...
    Salma Hernández
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So dogs in Korea are raised in cruelty. Which is the difference of USA chicken, European turkey or other animal that are raisen in other countries?

    Yvonne Kiersley
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Laws.You'll find a pig raised in the US and a pig raised in the EU are covered b different sets of laws. In the EU, it is much much more humane, in the US it is disgusting.

    Load More Replies...
    David Cahyo
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So eating dog is animal cruelty but eating pig, chicken, cow are not?

    Yvonne Kiersley
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I think the point of the article is that the conditions the dogs were kept in is animal cruelty. Given that it also says he didn't want to impose western culture on them, so the idea o eating dog was ew to him, but he didn't say to them that eating dog is cruelty.

    Load More Replies...
    Emmy
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    There are thousands of dogs chained outside in these same conditions in the US. How about helping 90 dogs here at home?

    Nikki C. Rockafella
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You know what dont start that kind of s**t. This man is a Godsend. Tell u what, he is going to be a bit busy with the Olympics and the rescued dogs so why dont you rescue 90 dogs here at home? Make it an even 100. I'll help you if you decide to di it. If you arent going to do it, then maybe you should just zip it.

    Load More Replies...
    Full Name
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I was prepared to get irritated with this story but I'm not at all. This guy said he doesn't want to impose his views on them etc, so he has a good head about him. The sad part is that if we're being honest, this helps nothing because that just means he gave business for 90 dogs, and 90 more will replace them. He actually kinda contributed to the problem in a weird way. Asians overall definitely have a different view on animals. Go to any Chinatown and see what's being sold. Not the same as your local supermarket, and the amount of animals horribly abused in nuts. Rhino horns, Tiger gallbladders etc, how often do you hear they're for traditional Chinese medicine? How about we eat some beans and lentils and quinoa instead of cows, dogs and goats?

    Nina Dragon
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He may not have changed the world, but he changed thoses dogs world.

    Load More Replies...
    Angel Schilder
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And back home he'll just go to McDonald's and he'll have a burger made from the meat of an animal raised in terrible conditions, whose baby as been taken away, leaving both mum and son, crying for weeks so we can steal their milk for our cheese, our milkshake and our breakfast. And he won't give a f**k about the suffering he's contributing to. I'm not sure whether this is about the summit of Hypocrisy or the deepest ignorance. But hey, keep saving cute puppies. And don't forget to post it with a dozen pictures so we can all admire you!!

    Gayle Bynum Cardosa
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    yet again....someone adding their own narrative to an article. This wasn't there in the story at all. You don't know if this man is vegan do you? You don't know anything about him....or do you? I mean he's an olympic athlete so McDonalds probably isn't a big factor in his life. Hell it's NEVER a part of MY life so why do you just make assumptions. What's in your soul that you think this is a negative about him rather than trying to educate people?

    Load More Replies...
    Jeanie Kwon
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I really appreciated this post! I'm South Korean, and I've never eaten dog before but I still get irritated when Westerners try to impose their own ideas of what they think is culturally right or wrong onto my country. But Gus made it clear that he was focusing on animal cruelty, not necessarily the practice of eating dogs itself. I agree with Gus; I think that animals should be treated humanely even if they will eventually be butchered. It's not just dogs, too. The way farms treat chickens and cows is so, so, so much worse. Hopefully, that'll change in the future!

    Lu
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    From what I've heard (being around Korean) is that it's a very limited industry, mostly limited to an older generation of people. It's still ethically wrong - but it feels more so because we view dogs as loving pets. In India they view cows as sacred - in the US alone 300 cows per minute are slaughtered for food. As human beings we survive and thrive on the suffering of animals for food, labour, medicine and so forth... My own personal journey i'm trying to limit the amount of meat I eat, I'm not trying to impress this view on anyone because that's not how it works. I just wanted to say I've been healthier as a result, and feel good about it.

    Molly Tallmadge
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Beemo!! Such a cute name and such a pretty puppy!

    Hannah Ingram
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    one of the few comments here that isn't arguing over animal treatments

    Load More Replies...
    희성 김
    Community Member
    7 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I agree with the premise of this article, but I really wish people can stop generalizing this to the entirety of the Korean people. I'm a Korean myself, and although I don't eat, and don't condone the consumption of dog meat, a lot of the Westerners I have met have automatically regarded me as a cruel dog-killer. Seriously. What this article, and many Western articles, fail to mention is that this is a highly limited industry. In fact, dog meat restaurants are very rare in South Korea, basically non-existent in major cities and limited to remote, rural areas. Point is, most Koreans don't eat dogs. I've read through the comments, and most seem to have this stereotype. 'Eating dogs(i.e. animal cruelty) is part of Korean culture, and that we shouldn't impose Western ideals?' This shows how much Korean culture is misunderstood. Animal cruelty is not a part of the entirety of Korean culture, but part of some people's beliefs. I hope people can understand this and have a wider perspective.

    Load More Comments
    You May Like
    Related on Bored Panda
    Popular on Bored Panda
    Trending on Bored Panda
    Also on Bored Panda
    ADVERTISEMENT