Thursday, October 1, 2026
On Jan. 29, 50 dogs completed an 8,000-mile journey from China to Cell Lot B at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
A cool, dark-haired man named Jeff Beri walked among the pallets of net-covered crates as they were unloaded onto the frigid tarmac. Each crate contained a dog. At Beri’s direction, volunteers clipped apart the zip ties and netting that kept the animals safe during their stay in the plane’s cargo hold. Adoptive owners then came to take their new pets — for whom they had waited for as long as a year for — to their fur-ever home.
The moment represented a triumph for Beri and No Dogs Left Behind, the rescue organization he founded in 2016 (see box). Beri and his staff have one mission: to rescue dogs from China’s massive, illegal dog meat trade and match them with loving families.
Jamie Abruzzo, of Long Beach, adopted one of the Jan. 29 arrivals, a golden retriever puppy named Meadow who was rescued when she was only a few weeks old. Abruzzo and her fiancé, Vincent Gesuele, began volunteering for the organization after their wedding was delayed last May due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It was the perfect time to put our energies toward something else,” Abruzzo said.
Beri partners with Chinese officials and organizations to shut down slaughterhouses and transport the dogs to rehabilitative sanctuaries. When the pandemic delayed arrival from one of the sanctuaries, transport costs ballooned, so Abruzzo and Gesuele organized fundraisers through social media. At South Side Middle School in Rockville Centre, where Abruzzo teaches, students and staff got involved in making dog toys, treats and donations to support the cause.
After an extensive application and approval process, the couple examined photos of dogs on the organization’s website and chose Meadow. Although the pup’s journey of rehabilitation and transport took 14 months, “She is settling in great,” Abruzzo said. “We’ll definitely continue to volunteer. It’s been so rewarding.”
