As an Olympian and a Gold Medalist, skier Gus Kenworthy has an enormous platform. A lifelong animal lover, Kenworthy makes use of that platform to advocate for his or her welfare.
His rescue canine are extremely necessary to him, and so they encourage him to work with animal welfare organizations each within the U.S. and overseas. When he’s not freestyle snowboarding in competitions, he’s a loving and dutiful canine mother or father.
@guskenworthy/Instagram
Kenworthy’s Lifelong Love Of Dogs
When Kenworthy was simply 11-years-old, he met his first canine Mack on the animal shelter. He instructed Daily Paws his time rising up with the rescue canine formed him and his passions.
“Because of that experience, I think I’ve always felt strongly about animal adoption and knowing that had we not got Mack that day, he potentially could have been put down or lived a sad life. I feel so lucky that we got to give him an incredible life.”
During the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia 11 years later, one 12 months after Mack handed, Kenworthy made headlines together with his efforts to search out properties for Russian stray canine overseas.
@guskenworthy/Twitter
Around the time of the Pyeongchang Games in 2018, Kenworthy additionally labored with Humane Society International to advocate for hundreds of canine in Seoul. He ended up rescuing a fluff ball of a pet named Beemo there.
“Borrowed Time” With Beemo
Tragically, Beemo died from a coronary heart situation earlier than she had even grown into maturity. Her loss of life got here as an entire shock to her dads, who had not recognized of this beginning defect.
They introduced her to the vet when she stopped displaying curiosity in her meals sooner or later, the place they then realized her coronary heart was enlarged and her lungs had deteriorated. Realizing the severity of the scenario, they introduced Beemo to an emergency vet.
@b_pups/Instagram
The poor factor didn’t survive. In a heartbreaking Instagram publish, Kenworthy wrote:
“The past two days have been a blur. It all happened so fast that it’s still hard to believe it. The ER doc told us that even if we’d somehow spotted the issue earlier it wouldn’t have made a difference in the end. He said that she’d been living on ‘borrowed time’ from the get go.”
@b_pups/Instagram
Though their time collectively was lower brief, Kenworthy feels grateful he acquired to like her in any respect.
“I’ve never loved anything or anyone in the way that I loved that dog and she is and will always be deeply missed.”
Finding Birdie
Despite the heartbreak, Kenworthy stored up his work with HSI. In the summer time of 2018, he fell for one more canine from a litter rescued from Korea. The Korean Jindo and Labrador Retriever combine was additionally rescued from a canine meat farm.
@guskenworthy/Instagram
Kenworthy named her Birdie as a tribute to Beemo, who “loved birds and the snow.” Birdie is now virtually 3-years-old, and she or he and her dad are inseparable.
“We’ll watch TV together, she’ll hang out by my feet while I read, we’ll go for hikes and car rides. It’s actually not anything that any other dog owner doesn’t also do, but it feels connected and bonded and just a better experience having her there.”
@guskenworthy/Instagram
In addition to being greatest buddies, Kenworthy and Birdie are cowl fashions for Autotrader’s 2022 “Calen-Dogs” calendar. Autotrader will make a donation to Adopt-a-Pet.com for every calendar claimed.
When requested why he does a lot for his animals and stray canine overseas, Kenworthy defined:
“There are so many animals in shelters that need their forever homes, so I hope that anyone hearing about my story and my experiences with Birdie would feel encouraged or implored to consider adopting a pet. It really has changed my life for the better in so many ways.”
No matter what number of Olympic medals you have got, there’s at all times time to rescue canine!
H/T: Daily Paws
Featured Image: @guskenworthy/Instagram
