Frequently Asked Questions

Compassion, Integrity and Respect

"The welfare of the dog always comes first"

STOLA FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ file is a work in progress. It will be changed and added to periodically as new questions arise that need to be answered. Check back frequently.

Index of Questions:

1. Are donations to STOLA tax deductible?
2. Where do I send the forms I fill out?
3. I disagree with intrusive rescue adoption forms and rescue people who think they're better than everyone else. Is STOLA like that?
4. Doesn't 'the welfare of the dog always comes first without exception' open the door for unscrupulous people to hurt others?
5. Your policy to help breeders re-home their dogs is admirable, but aren't you opening yourselves up to being a dumping ground for irresponsible breeders?
6. Will rescue programs already in existance have to switch to STOLA's forms, regulations and procedures?
7. Why do you require microchipping of all STOLA re-homed dogs?
8. Are you going to be run by SCOA? What is your relationship with the parent club?
9. What are your placement policies?
10. Please explain how to read your placement report.
11. Isn't reporting all your activities instead of just the rescue cases inflating the numbers on your placement reports?
12. STOLA has a good bank balance, why do you keep doing fundraising?

Are donations to STOLA tax deductible?

Yes. STOLA is an non-profit IRS 501(c)(3) organization. Donations to STOLA are tax-deductible as allowed by federal, state and local law. Monies paid for products purchased from the STOLA store are not tax deductible except for the amount paid above the declared value of the item. Please consult your tax professional for details.


Where do I send the forms I fill out?

Forms filled out by volunteers and those applying for adoption of a Saluki, etc., can be mailed to the main STOLA address, found at the top of the form as well as on the entrance page of the web site. If you have questions, the STOLA support council can be contacted via the main website, under the Contact menu.

I disagree with intrusive rescue adoption forms and rescue people who think they're better than everyone else. Is STOLA like that?

We hope not! STOLA's forms are based on the protocol adopted and field-proven by SPA, Saluki Protection Association, Inc., before now the only Saluki group of any kind to hold non-profit IRS status. We do not believe the forms and questionnaires are intrusive in any way. They assess a home in aspects of safety, attention and concern for the dog, and an understanding of the special needs of our very special breed. They do not pry into a person's financial or private life or focus on any area that is not directly related to the welfare of the dog.

In reference to the "better than everyone else" aspect of this question: Of course when we are working with a model that gives the individual volunteers as much control and freedom as the Chaordic Model does, it means that we will be working with a vast variety of individual personalities. By providing our "prime directive" and other guidance principles, we hope to make decisions easier for our volunteers by giving them a baseline standard on which to form their decisions. Here is a quote from our website, adapted almost word for word from the Chaordic Principles guidelines:


> Volunteer selection and approval should be done: " ...first on the
> basis of integrity; second, motivation; third, capacity; fourth,
> understanding; fifth, knowledge; and last and least, experience.
> Without integrity, motivation is dangerous; without motivation,
> capacity is impotent; without capacity, understanding is limited;
> without understanding, knowledge is meaningless; without
> knowledge, experience is blind. Experience is easy to provide and
> quickly put to good use by people with all the other qualities."
> (From the Chaordic principle guidelines)

We hope that by selecting volunteers first by, and helping them to understand the importance of, *Integrity*, it will help to alleviate some of the problems past rescue experiences have encountered; problems both for the rescue person, and for the various people they are working with.


Doesn't 'the welfare of the dog always comes first without exception' open the door for unscrupulous people to hurt others?

Going back to the quote above about Integrity, we will strive very hard to screen our STOLA volunteers so that "unscrupulous people" are not making the decisions that might in fact hurt others. Compassion and Respect are important qualities we always seek in our STOLA volunteers.


Your policy to help breeders re-home their dogs is admirable, but aren't you opening yourselves up to being a dumping ground for irresponsible breeders?

Part of the beauty of the Chaordic Model is that each situation can be assessed individually, and the power to decide is in the hands of local people who are chosen first by the quality of *Integrity*. Since our volunteers are local Saluki people, they are able to make those assessments in an informed manner.

We work with breeders, breaking down the negative barriers and ideas about "rescue". This is why we prefer to use the term cooperative placement-- all parties working together without any negative inflections. Situations will be treated with compassion and respect, confidentiality will be protected if desired, but we hope to eventually change how people look at re-homing so that there is no stigma attached to the need to place a dog. Keeping the welfare of the dog first at all times will go a long way to help.

There will always be 'bad apples' in the barrel-- that is how the human race works, after all. But with the Chaordic freedom to put the power to decide in the hands of the Regional and local volunteers each situation will be assessed individually.


Will rescue programs already in existance have to switch to STOLA's forms, regulations and procedures?

In order to come completely under STOLA's "umbrella", federal laws for non-profit organizations state that the subsidiary offices have to use the parent organization's forms, logos, and other documents. So groups that wish to "be" STOLA regional, and our official STOLA Volunteers will need to adopt the paperwork in order to receive all the benefits.

However the format is open enough that we can work alongside other groups as allies, helping and supporting each other in many ways, without those groups fully coming under the STOLA "umbrella". Each situation can be judged individually, and we can all network together to help each other out. Rescue groups that already have their forms and procedures set and do not wish to use STOLA's can still be allies with STOLA, and we hope that our paths mix and intermingle in many good ways as we all attempt to do what is best for our Salukis.


Why do you require microchipping of all STOLA re-homed dogs?

We strongly suggest microchipping of all dogs being re-homed by STOLA volunteers to protect the future of the dogs and have added this to our guidelines. When a dog is placed, we hope that it is forever, and that the dog will always be loved and protected by its new owner. However "stuff happens", and the microchip helps to insure that if any dog is lost or abandoned in the future, STOLA can recover it as quickly as possible and help to reunite it with its owner or, if the owner does not wish to have the dog back, place it again in a loving home.


Are you going to be run by SCOA? What is your relationship with the parent club?

No. STOLA is an independent organization, and will not be run by any other club or group.

Our ideal would be to see SCOA and STOLA working together as two branches of the same tree - SCOA to set policy about the breed standard and institute guidelines for responsible breeding; and STOLA to ensure that all Salukis regardless of their background or situation find a loving home. Working together we can achieve miracles which will benefit us all - particularly the Salukis.


What are your placement policies?

STOLA will help any Saluki in need. Salukis come to us from humane shelters, or are signed over to us by an owner or breeder for placement. Salukis which have been signed over to us are listed on the STOLA website and if confidentiality has been requested, it is so noted. While we always take into consideration an adopter's preferences, placements are made with the welfare of the dog as the primary consideration so that each Saluki is placed in the most appropriate home for his particular needs. This may include a preference for considering homes that are geographically closer to the dog, to avoid undue travel stress. Each dog's individual needs, and matching it to the best possible home to meet those needs, will always be STOLA's priority.

Special note on Cooperative Placements: In such a situation where STOLA is assisting another group in the placement of a dog, the situation is listed here, but control of the dog and the decisions made regarding that dog are maintained by and the responsibility of the group/individual which held legal ownership of the dog at the time of placement. STOLA is not responsible for decisions made regarding the disposition of dogs which have not been legally signed over to STOLA.

Special note regarding Saluki Crosses: STOLA maintains a "cooperative placement" relationship with groups and individuals placing Saluki crosses, but does not have separate funding available for crosses.

Special note on STOLA dogs: All dogs signed over to STOLA are subject to STOLA guidelines and will be neutered/spayed and microchipped, etc., before placement. Extensive efforts are made to locate the breeder and/or legal owner of any dog that comes to us before neutering, chipping, and placement procedures are initiated. In cases where a dog or dogs are turned over to STOLA by Animal Control authorities, STOLA is legally bound to follow the neuter/spay requirements of the animal control facility and the dogs will be neutered prior to returning them to the breeder. Please e-mail STOLA if you have any questions.


Please explain how to read your placement report.

Our Placement Report is quite straightforward. Each dog is assigned a number whenever we are contacted about a placement. The ID number consists of two parts, an alphabetical letter and a number, i.e. M-37. The letter refers to the region in which the dog was located. The numbers are in sequential order so that every dog we track can be accounted for. Our regions are W=West, M=Mountain, C=Central, E=Eastern. The center column indicates whether the dog is a rescue, a breeder assist placement, or a cooperative placement with another rescue group. The far right column shows if the dog has been placed or is still available.

Sometimes a dog is placed very quickly and returned to its home within a matter of hours either solely by us or in combination with another rescue group; at other times, placement comes after many weeks of veterinary medical care, socialization and foster care through STOLA volunteers. In either case the dog is still listed in the report so that we can account for each dog without a break in the numerical sequence. We feel that a break in numerical sequence would lead to confusion, so we list each dog.


Isn't reporting all your activities instead of just the rescue cases inflating the numbers on your placement reports?

No, each case reported is clearly marked as to the nature of the situation. All one has to do is read the report and they will know whether a dog is a "rescue", "breeder assist" or whether STOLA was simply called in to assist with a "cooperative placement". If this specification is unclear to you and you have suggestions on how to make the reporting clearer, please contact the STOLA support council.

One of the major complaints about other rescue organizations in the past was that they did not keep complete records and make them publically available. In an attempt to keep the Saluki community fully informed, STOLA is making sure to remedy this problem by recording every instance in which we are even minimally involved.


STOLA has a good bank balance, why do you keep doing fundraising?

For a charitable welfare organization such as STOLA where needy Salukis arrive on a regular basis, fundraising is a 24/7/365 necessity-24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We fundraise every day all year long because Salukis who come into our welfare program need veterinary medical care, grooming, food, medicines and perhaps transportation to new homes. Our bank balance is in constant need of replenishment. While our current balance is adequate for a steady, slow trickle of Salukis arriving in need of care, in the case of a natural disaster or in the case of thirty or forty dogs all needing help at the same time we are inadequately funded. We need a financial cushion to make sure that we are prepared for those times of emergency which will surely come. So, fundraising is a constant and unending effort to make sure that we will have the funds available to help any Saluki who needs help. No donation is too small. Every penny makes a difference to Salukis in need.

Last update: 12 Feb 2016