Gus Kenworthy mourns the death of his adopted puppy in heartbreaking post
Gus Kenworthy and Matthew Wilkas with Beemo, who passed away in May. (Instagram/guskenworthy)
Gus Kenworthy has revealed that a puppy he adopted from a South Korean dog meat farm has tragically died from a birth defect.
The freestyle skier, who won a silver medal at this year’s Winter Olympics, broke the sad news on Instragam in an emotional post.
Kenworthy adopted the puppy – called Beemo – with his actor boyfriend Matthew Wilkas while he was in the South Korean capital Pyeongchang for the Winter Olympics.
The pair had even set up social media accounts for Beemo.
Writing on Instagram, Kenworthy said: “Two days ago my beautiful baby Beemo passed away. It was completely unexpected and Matt and I are beside ourselves trying to cope with her loss.”
Kenworthy explained how “for a week or so” he and Matt had been “worrying” because Beemo was showing less interest in her food.
The couple then took Beemo on several trips to the vet on Thursday, before asking for a full body scan to determine if the puppy was suffering from any underlying health issues.
The Olympian added that a scan “revealed that her lungs were deteriorated and that her heart was too big for her body,” which he said was “a birth defect we had no way of knowing about.”
(guskenworthy/Instagram)
Kenworthy said that vets were unable to get her “vitals back to a normal level” for treatment, and she subsequently passed away.
He said that, according to the doctor, Beemo had been living on “borrowed time” from birth, and it “wouldn’t have made a difference” if the defect had been spotted earlier.
Kenworthy wrote: “Beemo was truly the best thing that ever happened to me and I feel so fortunate for our borrowed time together.
“I’ve never loved anything or anyone in the way that I loved that dog and she is and will always be deeply missed.”
(beemopup/Instagram)
He finished his heartfelt post by writing: “She loved me and Matt. But most of all she loved meeting other dogs. If any of you have pets up in doggy heaven please tell them to go find Bee because she could really use a good play date right now.
“RIP sweet creature – your daddy loves you more than you could ever even know!”
Meanwhile, a post on Beemo’s Instagram page reads: “The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. RIP Beemo – you were and always will be very loved!”
Kenworthy made headlines at the Winter Olympics when his kiss with his actor boyfriend Matthew Wilkas on live TV drew acclaim and celebration from far and wide.
The Olympian also criticised the choice of anti-LGBT Vice President Mike Pence to lead the US delegation in Pyeongchang.
