NO DOGS LEFT BEHIND ANNOUNCES JACQUELINE FINNEGAN AS NEW VICE PRESIDENT
NEW YORK
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March 30, 2021 04:05 PM Eastern Daylight Time
No Dogs Left Behind (NDLB), a global animal welfare organization that rescues dogs from slaughterhouses, has announced that Jacqueline Finnegan has been promoted to the newly created position of Vice President of the nonprofit group.
“She’s a true activist who is dedicated to change in animal welfare,” said Jeffrey Beri, Founder and President of NDLB. “As Vice President, she brings a breath of fresh air, a laser-vision focus, and attention to detail that enables the foundation to grow to the next level. The sky’s the limit with Jackie on board as the Vice President of No Dogs Left Behind.”
Beri noted that “should anything ever happen to me, knowing that Jackie is at the helm, I know that the foundation is – and will continue to be – in good hands. The foundation needs to be sustainable and not reliant on a single person so that the movement can continue until change happens and every slaughter cage is emptied!”
“I been a huge animal rights activist since I was a young girl. I have known about the dog meat trade in China for a long time and have a golden retriever who was rescued from there. To now be able to be part of the movement and part of the solution is so rewarding to me,” said Finnegan, a married mother of three from Old Brookville, NY.
This Virginia native started out as a transport volunteer with NDLB more than a year ago. She has participated in over 8 transports, including during the Covid pandemic, when survivors are flown to the US from China to meet their adoptive or foster families. Prior to becoming Vice President, Finnegan, who has both a nursing and law degree, worked as the NDLB Volunteer Coordinator. In her new role, she will be “working with Jeff to ensure that the dogs in our sanctuaries in China get the absolute best treatment and care possible, that we have regular communication with our adopters and regularly share updates and videos with them, and that the entire process, from rescue to transport, is 100% transparent.”
In her new role, Finnegan’s first priority will be to establish a fundraising initiative to establish a new sanctuary wing in China for the rescued dogs who have Brucellosis, a non-curable infectious disease that transmits from animals to humans. This wing will have all of the creature comforts of home and a beautiful courtyard for them to play in together. She wants these survivors to be as comfortable as possible, she said, “since they will never be able to leave our sanctuaries in China.”
Finnegan, an avid animal lover, explained what NDLB and working with Beri means to her: “It’s not just about saving an individual dog, and getting an individual dog to a person in the United States. It is so much more than that. No Dogs Left Behind is a different type of animal rescue: it all stems from Jeff and how he runs the foundation … he goes into the slaughterhouses and wet markets and shuts them down and rescues the dogs; he cordons off dog trafficking trucks and intercepts them and rescues the dogs. He goes after breeders, demanding health certificates and paperwork, and when they can’t produce them, he rescues the dogs. And in all of these cases, he does not pay a dime for any of the dogs he rescues. Buying a dog to save that one dog’s life will allow the butchers to purchase ten more for slaughter.”
In addition to rescuing the dogs, she explained that Beri tries to instill change by trying to persuade the butchers to change to another type of job. He visits schools in China to educate the young about animal welfare and companionship. “He’s a true hero, going out there, witnessing atrocities that most could not even imagine, and doing everything he can to not just rescue the dogs, but raise awareness about what’s going on.”
Finnegan has 14 chickens, three dogs, and two horses. Out of all of the NDLB survivors Finnegan has helped, there is one dog she will always remember: Ichabod, an Alaskan malamute who was adopted and flown to the US in February 2021. “Even though he was disabled and crippled, (he) followed Jeff around everywhere.” Ichabod had been on a dog meat trafficker’s truck on its way to slaughter when Jeff’s team intercepted the truck and rescued him and all of the other dogs on the truck. “Watching how Ichabod followed Jeff around at the transport, and seeing his total and complete happiness when he had Jeff’s undivided attention, I knew then that each and every one of our dogs views Jeff as their savior. Not only is Ichabod a story in and of himself, but he’s a testament to what Jeff does day in and day out for these dogs.”
