As our visitors are probably aware, Alexandra Shalmers/Sandy Moss has been arrested and charged with and convicted of animal cruelty. There are now 39 Elektra dogs in STOLA care. Since the court case is complete and the dogs all in STOLA's possession, the ESAF account will soon be closed. Please make any further donations directly to STOLA.
Nov. 2005: From the board minutes of the November meeting on the American Kennel Club website:
*The AKC's Management Disciplinary Committee has suspended Ms. Shalmers, AKA Alexand Sholmers, AKA Alexand Shelman, AKA Sandy Moss, Dolphin, VA, from all AKC privileges for life, effective November 7, 2005, and imposed a $3000 fine for failure to comply with AKC’s record keeping and dog identification requirements, and failure to maintain her dogs and facilities in a manner acceptable to the AKC. (Saluki)*
See Below for our final update!
NEW! Anatomy of a Rescue: The Complete Story
(PDF Version)
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New: Slide Show of photos that have been released by the authorities
Above in the banner are photos of some of the 14 Elektra Salukis in STOLA's care.
(These were among the first photos, and least disturbing, released for posting.)
Texas, 1989 Elektra Rescue
Official Updates
Some photos of a number of
our Elektra rescues after enjoying
the loving care of their foster families!
Click to Enlarge Photo in new window.
A fundraiser auction to support STOLA, including ongoing care of the Elektra rescues, will begin on eBay September 30th, 2005. Anyone wishing to donate items should please contact us at stolarescue@earthlink.net. |
| While we greatly appreciate the many offers of adoption and fostering for these dogs, we would like to ask everyone to consider a few things. First, it is liable to be a long while before they can be released for adoption. Second, these Salukis are not "pets". They are completely unsocialized animals who will need experienced foster homes. Please be aware that all applicants will be undergoing a careful screening process. Thank you! |
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To all who have donated their time, their money, their goods, their prayers, and their support.
To the tireless workers at the shelter, including our own determined and dedicated grooming volunteers.
To the shelter, the county, the District Attorney, and all their comrades in arms.
To everyone behind the scenes who has done legwork, paperwork, records keeping, phone relays ... the list could go on endlessly!
To the fosters, transporters and adoptees, whose patience and dedication has made all of this possible.
To everyone who has lent support to this situation in any way, we say THANK YOU!
A final report will be coming to this page very soon. Please check back with us.
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Elektra Salukis Announcement
October 18, 2005
This is a time for joyful celebration! The Elektra Salukis at the shelter are FREE and have been assigned to STOLA’s care by the authorities. The first ones have already left the shelter; the others will continue to leave this week for their new foster/adoptive homes. All the hard work that the team of volunteers has put in is now going to pay off as these Salukis start their new lives in new, loving homes, sleeping safe and snug on sofas and in beds, eating on their own without having to compete for food and feeling loving and caring hands on them all the time. It will probably be a stressful week for all of them as they travel to the various homes, but compared to what they have already endured they will undoubtedly fare very well indeed as they settle into their new homes.
Alex Shalmers has been before the courts and found guilty of animal cruelty. As part of her punishment she is not allowed to have a dog or any other companion animal for life, nor is she allowed to live in a home with a dog or any other companion animal for life. Her sentence has been suspended for a “good behavior” period of 10 years from the entry of this order and she is on probation for 12 months. She also agreed to forfeiture of the 25 dogs seized from her Brunswick County residence on August 8, 2005 pursuant to a search warrant. In addition she is not permitted contact, direct or indirect, with anyone who will have taken custody of any of the forfeited dogs unless she receives written consent from that individual. Should she break any of the terms of the court ordered sentence, she will be faced with a lengthy jail term. No matter which state she may move to, this sentence is good across the whole of the United States. The District Attorney in charge of this case has done a phenomenal job of making sure the charges were concrete and enforceable and it has all finally paid off.
We at STOLA are so very grateful to all the volunteers who worked so hard to save these wonderful Salukis from a life of misery and starvation. To each of you who donated cash or goods or the time needed to make this such a successful team effort - THANK YOU! Each of these Salukis is a precious gift to be treasured. They will now get the care and love they deserve. Everyone involved in this rescue should breathe a sigh of relief today, and be thankful that this cycle of abuse is now finally over. But even in our moment of joy we must remain vigilant so that this can never happen again. We must each take responsibility to monitor suspicious activities and bring potential animal cruelty to the attention of the authorities. The animals cannot speak for themselves. We must be their voices, each and every one of us. In this instance our voices raised together have stopped a repetitive cycle of cruelty and abuse. Each and every one of you who helped bring this to a successful conclusion should be both grateful and proud. We wish we could personally hug each and every one of you, but although we may not be able to do this because of distance, we send to you across the miles our love and thanks.
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