It’s more than just puppy love.
US Olympian Gus Kenworthy has rescued a young dog, which he and his actor boyfriend Matthew Wilkas have named Beemo, from a South Korean meat farm.
Posting on Instagram, Kenworthy said: “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.”
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 co-operation 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.”
And, Kenworthy added, he was set to become one of those lucky new dog owners.
“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).”
He ended the post with the hashtags “#dogsarefriendsnotfood” and “#adoptdontshop.
During the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Kenworthy drew wide acclaim after a kiss with Wilkas was filmed live on TV.
It is not the first time Kenworthy has returned home from a Winter Olympics with a new furry friend.
The slopestyle skier not only won silver in Sochi in 2014, he also won hearts for his devotion to the city’s dogs.
Kenworthy delayed his homecoming to try to bring one dog and her four puppies back with him.
Two of the dogs have since become social media stars and have an Instagram page devoted to them run by Kenworthy’s friend and photographer Robin MacDonald.