As an Olympic athlete and a Gold Medalist, skier Gus Kenworthy has a huge background. A lifelong animal lover, Kenworthy uses that platform to campaign for their rights.
His rescue dogs are incredibly important to him, and they have inspired him to work with animal welfare organizations both in the US and abroad. When he’s not freestyle skiing in competitions, he’s a loving and caring dog parent.
Kenworthy’s lifelong love for dogs
When Kenworthy was 11 years old, he met his first dog Mack at the animal sanctuary. He told Daily Paws, growing up with the rescue dog has shaped him and his passions.
“Because of that experience, I think I’ve always felt strongly about animal adoption and know that if we hadn’t had Mack that day, he might have been demoted or lived a sad life. I feel so lucky that we have given him an incredible life.”
During the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia 11 years later, a year after Mack passed, Kenworthy has hit the headlines with his efforts to find homes for Russian stray dogs abroad.
Around the time of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, Kenworthy also worked with International Humanitarian Association arrive Advocating for thousands of dogs in Seoul. In the end, he rescued a fluffy ball of a puppy named Beemo there.
“Borrowed Time” with Beemo
Tragically, Beemo died of heart disease before she became an adult. Her death was a complete surprise for her father, who was unaware of this birth defect.
They took her to the vet when one day she lost interest in her food, then they learned her heart had enlarged and her lungs had deteriorated. Realizing the severity of the situation, they took Beemo to the emergency vet.
The poor thing did not exist. In a heartbreaking Instagram post, Kenworthy wrote:
“The past two days have been hazy. It all happened so fast it was still hard to believe. The ER docs told us that even if we somehow found the problem earlier it wouldn’t make a difference in the end. He says she has lived on ‘borrowed time’ since the move. ”
Although their time together was brief, Kenworthy felt grateful that he loved her at all.
“I have never loved anything or anyone the way I loved that dog and she is and will always remember deeply.”
Find Birdie
Despite his heartbreak, Kenworthy continued his work with HSI. In the summer of 2018, he fell in love with another dog from a litter rescued from Korea. Korean Jindo and Hound The mix was also rescued from a dog meat farm.
Kenworthy named her Birdie in memory of Beemo, who “loved birds and snow”. Birdie is now almost 3 years old, she and her father are inseparable.
“We would watch TV together, she would hang out at my feet while I read, we would Long walk and drive. It really isn’t anything else dog owner nor does it, but it feels connected and engaged and just a better experience having her there. “
In addition to being best friends, Kenworthy and Birdie are also the cover models for Autotrader’s 2022 “Calen-Dogs” calendar. Autotrader will contribute to Adopt-a-Pet.com for each calendar requested.
When asked why he does so much for animals and stray dogs abroad, Kenworthy explained:
“There are a lot of animals in shelters that need them forever homes, so I hope that anyone who hears about my story and my experiences with Birdie will feel encouraged or eager to consider adopting a pet. It really changed my life for the better in so many ways. ”
No matter how many Olympic medals you have, There’s always time to rescue the dogs!
H/T: Daily feet
Featured pictures: @guskenworthy / Instagram
