Dog sanctuary being built in town of Canton

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - A new dog sanctuary will open in St. Lawrence County.

“I came and I had a look and I met with the family and something clicked.”

That’s what No Dogs Left Behind founder Jeffery Beri says about buying the former Maple Ridge Kennels off State Highway 68 in the town of Canton.

He said he traveled 13,000 miles trying to find a location.

The long journey is about to pay off as crews build the organization’s new sanctuary - a place for dogs rescued from the dogmeat industry in east Asia and dogs who’ve been left behind in war-torn countries such as Ukraine and Afghanistan.

Beri says the 16-acre farm property is a perfect location to house up to 500 rescues with the goal of finding them homes and he is excited to be in St. Lawrence County.

“For the community, for the location, for the zoning, for the schools, for the volunteering - everything. All the moons were aligned to be located here,” he said.

When construction is complete in the near future, the farm will be turned into a $3.5 million state-of-the-art dog sanctuary.

Dylan Kelly is the groundskeeper and says people are reaching out to volunteer.

“The things we’re being able to do for the locals, they love it. They want to be able to come see things once everything’s all set in place and opened up and be able to try and check out the dogs and be able to give them all a good home as well,” he said.

Beri also has plans to have a veterinary clinic that’s open to the public as well as a sustainable farm with solar energy.

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