When a vacation turns into finding a life-long calling, it’s a great trip. This is exactly what happened to Quinn Tew, Vice President of the Canaan Dog Alliance. Canaan Dog Alliance is a US-based non-profit animal rescue organization born shortly after Quinn’s trip to Jordan in 2019. We had a chance to connect with Quinn to learn more about this local organization making a global impact. Read on to find out more about Canaan Dog Alliance and how you can get involved.
(Photo credit: @canaandog_alliance)
Recognizing a Need
In 2019, Quinn took a trip to the country of Jordan with her friend on vacation. While touring the city of Petra, she noticed numerous stray dogs who were hungry, anxious, and in need of help. It was when she noticed puppies, that her heartstrings were pulled.
“At the end of the day, I found four three-month-old puppies who were malnourished. Something inside me said to take action. I rescued them by literally carrying them out of the canyon and taking them to a vet for treatment,” shared Quinn.
(Photo credit: @canaandog_alliance)
She was able to get in touch with a Jordanian animal rescue to take the proper steps in bringing them home to the US with her. Quinn now owns two of the dogs, Addie and Petra, and adopted two others out to families in New Jersey and Brooklyn. Through this process, Quinn learned a harsh reality — the lack of animal welfare rights in Jordan.
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In Need of Support
In learning about the lack of animal welfare rights, Quinn wanted to make a difference. “During that time, I learned about the lack of animal rights and protections and the problem of animal welfare in Jordan. Through my communication with the Jordanian rescue, I met vice president Hanna Faheem. Hanna had already been volunteering her time helping strays in the region prior to our meeting but was inspired to begin collaborating together to make more meaningful change,” said Quinn.
The two decided to start bringing dogs that would not be fostered in Jordan to the United States. Quinn and Hanna, along with a group of like-minded individuals, started Canaan Dog Alliance in early 2020.
(Photo credit: @canaandog_alliance)
However, starting a non-profit during a pandemic proved to be difficult. “The COVID-19 Pandemic has had a challenging impact on organizations such as Canaan Dog Alliance. Our sister organizations, El Rahmeh for Animals and Tabanni, that tirelessly work on the ground in Jordan, experienced a multitude of obstacles getting basic necessities and care for our rescue dogs during the government-imposed curfew,” explained Quinn.
She went on to say, “To make matters worse, on July 14, 2021, the CDC implemented a dog ban for 113 countries, including Jordan, which meant that we were now temporarily banned from receiving the dogs that we were so eagerly anticipating rehoming in the United States. Without the option of bringing our rescue dogs into the United States, we found ourselves facing various new challenges, such as securing safe spaces for all of our rescues who would now have their chance at a new life put on hold.”
The Mission
As bans are lifted, Canaan Dog Alliance continues to grow and is clear in its mission. “As an all-women created US-based non-profit animal rescue organization, our mission is to provide as many stray cats and dogs in the Middle East with the second chance at life that they deserve. We chose to work in this region due to the lack of resources, funds, awareness, and legal protection for animals,” explains Quinn.
(Photo credit: @canaandog_alliance)
She also explained that many of the violent actions toward dogs and cats in the area are a result of generational beliefs held by local citizens. In addition to supporting the animals, Canaan Dog Alliance works to unite individuals in the Middle East with a passion for supporting local animals.
“Canaan Dog Alliance is run by members who passionately believe in advocating for the voiceless and offering a united, amplified voice for all who join our community. This entails collaborating with our sister organizations, El Rahmeh for Animals and Tabanni, in Jordan to assist them in a variety of initiatives such as fundraising to help aid in the rehabilitation of stray animals, supporting the spay/neuter initiative, addressing the systemic injustices in education that fuels the mistreatment of animals by engaging with the public on their important role in the humane treatment of stray animals and finding the best homes for the eleven dogs and two cats that were sent to the United States,” shared Quinn.
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Getting Involved
The Canaan Dog Alliance runs on the support of the community. “Canaan Dog Alliance is only as strong as its supporters — therefore, our community is an essential part of what helps sustain our mission to help these innocent, sentient beings,” Quinn said.
Getting involved with Canaan Dog Alliance can look many different ways and allows for volunteers to use their strengths to support the needs of the organization.
“One of the best ways you can help support CDA is by donating your time. We are a small non-profit, but we have big ambitions that we have faith can be achieved so long as we have support from our community,” shared Quinn.
(Photo credit: @canaandog_alliance)
Residents local to the Jersey City area are welcome to support in various capacities. The organization is in need of fosters, dog walkers, and volunteers to help plan fundraising events, network to build community outreach, develop programs within the nonprofit, and help improve the technology side including social media and website building.
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