Hope on the Harbor: An Evening in Support of No Dogs Left Behind

The mission: to save dogs from slaughterhouses and wet markets worldwide. No Dogs Left Behind (NDLB) is an initiative spearheaded by Jeff Beri back in 2016 whose focus is to intercept dogs before being butchered for consumption — literally saving their lives. The goal is to eventually abolish dog trafficking (essentially the dog meat trade, but Beri refuses to validate these atrocities by calling it a “trade”) globally. Beri vows to see it through to the end.

It’s an unimaginable truth that dogs are being sold to be eaten. But the real brutality is the way they are treated while in captivity, subjected to inhumane cruelty and abuse — details too graphic to describe here.

Once a successful jewelry designer, Beri traded his professional hat for a selfless life of compassion and sacrifice. He is out in the trenches, traveling through war-ravaged territory to find dogs in desperate situations. He confronted the Taliban in the Middle East and rambled through the battlegrounds of Ukraine while bombs exploded all around him. His holy grail was getting much-needed food and medicine to sick and hungry canines. Not much was going to stop him.

In East Asia, Beri’s emergency response teams work alongside activists who provide them with critical intelligence and information. The rescues have evolved into stealth operations, with carefully planned protocols and processes in place.

“We fight the fight,” says Beri. “We go into the harshest places in the world. We battle like this is an underground war, sending in drones then calling on police to confiscate the dogs in being held captive. This is a war we’re going to win.”

The NDLB team is called to precarious situations that require finesse and quick thinking. They enter slaughterhouses and wet markets and intercept dog meat trucks run by illegal dog traffickers. Once the locations and trucks are deemed secure, the rescue begins.

The dogs are then safely evacuated and transferred to a secure quarantine haven for medical care and treatment. They are then put up in a sanctuary where they are cared for until the final phase of the rescue —– adoption. The adoption team works with potential adopters in the United States, Canada and the U.K. to find the dogs safe forever homes.

The ultimate vision for Beri and NDLB is to create a sustainable future for dogs and other animals. The U.S. has strict animal welfare laws in place; unfortunately, that’s not the case in many places around the globe.

“My contribution is the welfare of dogs,” says Beri. “Our position is beyond borders. There are no borders in rescue. We work together, and the more lives we save, the better off the world is.”

Beri is celebrating a special victory as of the writing of this article, with the long-awaited ending of the barbaric Yulin Festival held in Guangxi, China. The event, essentially a “dog meat festival,” began in 2009 and spans over 10 days each year. During this time, over 10,000 — 15,000 dogs are allegedly paraded through the streets in front of thousands of festival goers, then tortured and consumed as festival food.

Though NDLB played a role in shutting down the horror show, Beri admits it took a global village to do it.

“The Chinese government said they will no longer promote the slaughtering of dogs,” says Beri. “There was massive pressure from us as well as other organizations around the world. And it worked.”

Though Beri has seen the atrocities firsthand for years, the Yulin Festival was particularly sickening, and he wasn’t having it.

“The first survivors are coming into the area tomorrow,” Beri recently said. “This is an EPIC day. The Yulin Festival is over!”

You can support Beri and the NDLB mission by joining them for an evening of Hope on the Harbor on Friday, July 26. Your ticket will help rescue innocent dogs from the dog meat trade, provide them with medical treatment and transport them to loving homes.

This is the third annual event in the Hamptons featuring gourmet food trucks, signature cocktail, and raffles. This year they will be honoring two incredible women, Myra Hackel and Marcy Unterman Czeizler, who are fighting the good fight to save lives.

No Dogs Left Behind relies on your commitment and generosity to continue their work.

“Let’s unite in this fight until every cage is empty. Stand with us, and together, we can make a difference.”

Visit nodogsleftbehind.com/events to purchase tickets to Hope on the Harbor.

-PARTNER CONTENT