CONSTITUTION OF THE CLUB
Name & Objective of the Club
Our club will be called the “ The Northern Dogue de Bordeaux Club” and our aim will be:
To promote responsible ownership, breeding and well being of the Dogue de Bordeaux, and to assist our members and the breed in every way that is compatible with the interest and the promotion of the breed.
Officers & Committee
The club shall consist of a Patron, President, 4 Honorary Vice Presidents, Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, a committee of no more than 12 and an unlimited number of members.
The management of the club shall be in the hands of the committee consisting of no more than 12 members, all of whom shall retire annually at the Annual General Meeting, and shall be eligible for annual re-election with the only exception being the forming Officers and Committee who shall remain in office for the first 3 years. Officers shall retire every 3 years thereafter for re-election.
The President shall be elected by the Committee and will hold their position for a minimum of 10 years.
Members of he Committee shall be eligible for re-election every year.
The Officers and Committee shall have full voting rights at Committee and General Meetings, as will the Club presidents.
Meetings of the Committee shall be held as often as deemed necessary but at least once every 3 months.
All Officers and Committee will endeavour to be present at all Club meetings. A quorum for Committee meetings will be 5.
The Committee shall have the power to co-opt members on to the Committee in he event of positions becoming vacant between General Meetings. Co-opted Committee members shall have full voting rights until the next General Meeting.
No individual that has been a member for less than 6 months may be elected onto the Committee.
The Committee shall have the power to make any necessary by-laws, treat disputed matters and deal with points not covered in the Clubs Ethics.
The Chairman will have the casting vote in the event of equal votes being recorded for any proposition.
All founding Committee members and Officers after serving 3 years will automatically become lifetime members of the Club with no fees to be paid.
Election of Officers and Committee
The President, Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer will retire every 3 years and the Committee members will retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election. The only exception being that the forming Officers and Committee, who shall remain for the first 3 years.
Other candidates, who shall be fully paid up members of the club and have been a member for at least 6 months may be proposed for election, any such nominations must be proposed and seconded in writing, signed by the Nominee and forwarded to the secretary.
The election of Officers and Committee will take place at the Annual General Meeting.
Election of Members
Candidates for membership shall be accepted on payment of subscription following approval by the Committee. The Committee may refuse applications for membership.
An up to date list of Members and their addresses shall be maintained and if so requested will be available for inspection by the Kennel Club and Members of the Society. A declaration of the Members will be made with Annual Returns.
Voting Rights
Each member shall be entitled to 1vote and after 6 months membership.
Postal / Proxy votes are not allowed.
Voting shall be by secret ballot or show of hands, as decided by a majority at each meeting.
In the case of a joint membership each member of the partnership shall be granted 1 vote. Or a family membership each member over 18 will be granted 1 vote.
Club Property
The property of the Society shall be vested in the committee. In the event of the society ceasing to exist, a final general meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of the Societies assets the outcome of the meeting notified to the Kennel Club.
Club Accounts
A banking account shall be held in the name of the Society at HSBC into which all revenue of the Society shall be paid and from which withdraw shall only made on the signatures of 2 Officers.
Certification of accounts shall be carried out by a qualified accountant or two individuals who have accounting experience independent of the Committee. All accounts will be certified annually and presented to the Members at the Annual General Meeting.
All expenses incurred by Committee members must be sanctioned and passed by the Committee. All expenses and payments sanctioned by the Committee must be paid by cheques, which must be signed by one of the above mentioned signatories.
Subscriptions
Memberships will run from February to February and payment will be collected as such with accounts to follow.
No member who’s subscription is unpaid will be entitled to any of the privileges of membership. If nay member fails to pay all outstanding subscriptions by 3 months after the renewal period their name will be automatically erased from the register. Acceptance back onto the register will be dependent on a new application and payment of any arrears.
Once members have been accepted for membership and providing that all subscription fees are up to date they cannot be refused renewal of membership.
Expulsion of Members
“Any member who shall be disqualified under Kennel Club rule A11.j.(5)and/or Kennel Club Rule A11.j.(9) shall ipso facto cease to be a member of the Society.”
If the conduct of any member shall, in the opinion of the Committee of the Society, be injurious or likely to be injurious to the character or interests of the Society, the Committee of the Society may, at a meeting the notice convening which includes as an object the consideration of the conduct of the Member, determine that a Special General Meeting of the Society shall be called for the purpose of passing a resolution to expel him/her.
Notice of the Special General Meeting shall be sent to the accused, giving details of the complaint and advising the date, place and time of the Meeting that he/she may attend to offer explanation. If at the meeting a resolution to expel is passed by two thirds majority of the Members present and voting, his/her name shall forthwith be erased from the list of members, and he/she shall thereupon cease from all purposes to be a Member of the Society. Except that he/she may, within two Calendar months from the date of such Meeting appeal to the Kennel Club upon and subject to such condition as the Kennel Club impose.
If the Society expels ant Member for discreditable conduct in connection with Dogs, Dog Shows, Trials or Competitions, the Society must report the matter in writing to the Kennel Club within 7 days and supply and particulars required.
Financial Year/Annual General Meeting
The financial year of the Society shall run from February to February and the Annual General Meeting shall be held by the end of April in conjunction with our first club show of the year.
Annual General Meeting
Annual General Meetings shall be held in order for Members to receive the report of the Committee and balance sheet/accounts, to elect officers where necessary, and to discuss any resolution duly placed on the agenda of which prior notice has been given to the Hon. Secretary. No business shall be transacted at the AGM unless notice thereof appears on the agenda, with the exception of routine matters or those which in the opinion of The Chairman of he Meeting are urgent.
Notice of Annual General Meetings will be given to Members in writing no less than 14 days prior to the date of the meeting.
The Certified Accounts will be made available on request to Members 14 days prior to the AGM.
Items that Members wish to be included on the agenda must be submitted in writing to the Hon.Secretary no less than 7 days prior to the date of meeting.
The meeting agenda will be circulated at the meeting.
Special General Meeting
A Special General Meeting shall be summons by the Hon.Secretary if 20 members send a signed requisition stating the subject to be discussed and requesting a Special General Meeting to do so. The Committee of the Society is also empowered to call a Special General Meeting.
No business other than that detailed on the agenda may be discussed at a Special General Meeting.
Members of the Society will be notified in writing no less than 14 days prior to the date of any Special General Meeting to be held.
Amendments to Rules
The rules of the Society may not be altered, except at a General Meeting, the notice for which will contain a specific proposal to amend such rules.
Any proposed alterations to the rules may not be brought into effect until the Kennel Club has been advised and approved the alteration. New rules or amendments introduced specifically to meet Kennel Club requirements shall be adopted immediately.
Annual Returns to the Kennel Club
The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year, the maintenance Fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Secretary for continuance of registration, and that by 31st July each Year other returns, as stipulated in Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title Societies and Breed Councils and the Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal Authorities shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club.
The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any changes of Secretary of the Society which may occur during the course of the year.
Final Authority
The Kennel Club is the final authority for interpretation but the rules of the Society in all cases relative to canine or Society matters.
The Society shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs
No persons whilst declared bankrupt may serve on the Committee of or hold an other office or appointment with a Kennel Club Registered Society.
Breed Society Judges List
The Committee shall draw up a list of proposed judges which will then be put to the Committee vote. The agreed list will then be submitted to the Kennel Club as part of the Societies Annual Returns.
The purpose of the Breed Society Judges List is to indicate to interested parties those persons a Breed Society would support at differing levels of judging. Membership of the Society must not be a prerequisite for inclusion in the list.
Judges lists should be divided into 5 parts namely, A1, A2, A3, B and C and must indicate the date on which the list will expire. On expiry a new list will be completed.
A1List- Judges who have previously been approved to award CC’s in a given breed and have carried out the appointment.
A2 List- Judges who, if invited to judge by a Society, would in principle be approved by the Kennel Club to award CCs in a given breed for that occasion.
A3 List- Judges who are recommended by a Society as being suitable to award CC’s in the breed, but not yet approved by the Kennel Club for inclusion on the A2 list.
B List- Judges who have been approved by Breed Societies to judge at shows without CCs or at Open Shows.
C List- Any C List drawn up by a Breed Club should comprise of aspiring Judges who do not fall into any of the above categories