RULES OF THE SOUTH WESTERN GREAT DANE CLUB

RULE 1. NAME.

The club shall be called the South Western Great Dane Club and all meetings, shows, matches and other activities organised by the Club shall be held in the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Avon and Somerset, except at such time as the Club is called upon to sponsor the Dane of the Year Show.

RULE 2. THE OBJECTS OF THE CLUB SHALL BE: -

a) To assist breeders and owners of Great Danes in every possible way, such that the qualities enumerated in the Standard approved by the Kennel Club (K.C.) shall be maintained.

b) To hold shows and guarantee classes for the breed at shows in the above named Counties.

c) To organise meetings and discussions on topics of interest and value to breeders and owners.

d) To encourage good fellowship and so maintain and advance the interests of the Breed.

RULE 3. MEMBERS.

a) The Club shall consist of an unlimited number of members irrespective of place of residence, whose names shall be posted by the Secretary in a Register kept for such a purpose. Such Register shall be available at all reasonable times, for inspection by members of the Club or by the Kennel Club. The Society shall send a list of Members and their address and those of Branch Members where appropriate, to the KC. with their Annual Returns.

RULE 4. ADMISSION / RESIGNATION.

a) The election of Members shall be vested in the Committee.

b) A candidate for admission shall have a proposer and a seconder, both of whom are members. Applications for membership and current subscription fee must be sent to the Secretary, who shall include the names of the applicants, together with those of their Proposers and Seconders, on the agenda of the next committee meeting.

c) A simple majority of those Committee members present at the meeting shall be sufficient for election to the membership of the Club. On admission to the Club all new members shall receive a copy of the rules.

d) Membership shall be effective from the date of application, except unless the Committee at their next meeting decide against acceptance of any application, in which case all properties of the Club held by the unsuccessful applicant shall be returned to the Secretary. Appropriate fees shall be returned to unsuccessful applicants.

e) No reason shall be given for rejection but a rejected candidate may reapply for election after two years.

f) Each member shall be entitled to one vote immediately upon acceptance of membership. In the case of joint memberships each member of the partnership shall be entitled to one vote. Proxy votes are not allowed.

g) Any member who shall be suspended under Kennel Club Rule A42.j.(5)and/or any member whose dog(s)is/are disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A42.j.(9) shall ipso facto cease to be a member of the Club for the duration of the suspension and/or disqualification.

h) The terms of membership are as follows: -

i) Single, Annual, 5 Year or Life Membership.

ii) Joint Annual, 5 Year or Life membership. Which shall be taken to mean Husband & Wife, two joint owners of an exhibit or two persons living in the same household.

iii) A Family Membership.

iv) Other Membership combinations shall be at the discretion of the Committee.

i) Any Member shall be able to withdraw from the Club on giving or sending notice of his / her intention in writing to the Hon. Secretary. Any Member so leaving the Club shall not be entitled to receive any money back he / she may have paid to the Club, during his / her Membership or have any claim against the Club. Any property of the Club held by the resigning Member must be returned with that resignation at no cost to the Club.

RULE 5. SUBSCRIPTIONS.

a) The annual Membership Subscription shall be such amount as determined at a General Meeting and notified to the Kennel Club.

b) Subscriptions are payable to the Secretary on the 1st. January each year.

The subscriptions of new members joining after the 1st. October shall carry through the ensuing year.

c) If the subscription of any member shall remain unpaid after the 1st. May his / her name shall be removed from the list of Members and thereon ceases to be a Member of the Club. Reapplication for Membership shall be at the discretion of the Committee

d) In recognition of services rendered to the South - Western Great Dane Club by any person(s), the Committee may recommend to the Annual General Meeting that such a person(s) be granted Honorary Life Membership.

e) The payment of the subscription shall be distinct acknowledgement of and acquiescence to the Rules of the Club.

RULE 6. MANAGEMENT.

a) The management of the Club shall be vested in the hands of the Committee, which shall have power to deal with all matters relating to the management of the Club not provided for in the Rules and whose decision shall be final.

b) The Committee shall consist of a PRESIDENT, a Chairman, a VICE CHAIRMAN, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and not more than twelve other members.

In the Chairman’s absence the Vice-chairman shall undertake the duties of and assume the powers of the Chairman.

c) Committee meetings shall be held at such time and place as deemed necessary, except that not more than four months shall elapse between meetings. At least fourteen days notice in writing, along with an agenda shall be given to all Committee members. Seven members shall constitute a quorum.

d) If a Committee Member is absent from three consecutive Committee meetings and fails to offer an explanation considered by the remaining Members to be of a satisfactory nature, that person shall be deemed to have resigned and shall not be eligible for election to any Committee post for a further two year period following the next A.G.M.

e) If the conduct of any member shall, in the opinion of the Committee of the Club be injurious to the character or interests of the Club, the Committee of The Club 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 Club 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 member, giving particulars of the complaint and advising the place, date and hour of the meeting that he/she may attend and offer an explanation. If at the meeting a resolution to expel is passed by a 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 for all purposes to be a member of the Club 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 conditions as the Kennel Club may impose.

f) If any member shall be expelled under Rule 6e or for discreditable conduct, the Club shall report the matter, within seven days, to the Kennel Club, supplying all particulars as required.

g) The Committee shall have the power to arbitrate in cases of dispute between Club members, when requested so to do by both parties and their decision in such cases, shall be final.

h) The South Western Great Dane Club shall acknowledge the Kennel Club as the Final Court of Appeal in all canine matters.

i) The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year Maintenance of Title fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Secretary for the 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 of Societies and Breed Councils and the Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal Authorities, will be forwarded to the Kennel Club.

j) The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any change of Secretary of the Club, which may occur during the course of the year.

RULE 7. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT.

a) The financial year of the Club shall be from the 1st. January to 31st. December.

b) A banking account shall be opened in the name of the Club into which all revenue shall be paid and from which withdrawals shall only be made on the signatures of two unrelated Officers, ONE OF WHOM SHALL NOT BE THE PAYEE.

c) All expenses properly incurred by members of the Committee, for or on behalf of the Club, with Committee approval, shall be defrayed out of Club funds alone and no individual shall be deemed to incur any responsibility in respect of same.

d) The Treasurer shall present a duly audited statement of accounts at the A.G. M. copies of which shall be distributed to all attending members and be available on request, to all members.

e) Properly qualified auditors shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting to audit the Clubs accounts for the ensuing year. With a minimum of seven days notice the auditors may inspect all of the Clubs books and accounts.

f) In the event of the South Western Great Dane Club being disbanded, the Challenge Cups, Trophies and all Special Prizes of value to the Club, together with any assets of the Club, shall be handed to another Great Dane Club or canine charity. Members shall be given first refusal of purchasing Club Trophies. Permission for the disposal of Trophies shall wherever possible, be obtained from the donors.

g) In the event of the Club being wound up and / or ceasing to be registered under K.C. Regulations, a final statement of accounts with a record of the disposal of its assets shall be forwarded to the K.C. within six months and the persons named as Officers and Committee on the last return furnished to the K.C. shall be held responsible by the K.C. for the proper winding up of the Club.

RULE 8. ELECTION OF OFFICERS & COMMITTEE.

a) The Officers of the Committee shall serve for a period of three years in office; the remaining Committee members shall retire after a two-year term. All retiring Officers and Committee members may seek re-election.

b) In the event of an Officer leaving Office prior to the completion of his-her 3 year term, a temporary replacement shall be elected, when ever possible, from within the body of the Committee. At the next AGM, a replacement Officer shall be elected. Any person elected to fill an Office, which has been vacated in mid term, shall in the first instance, serve only the remaining term of the vacated Office. At the AGM following the completion of the vacated term, the Office must once again be the subject of an election, at which, the incumbent may seek re-election.

c) All serving Officers and Committee members shall be deemed to stand again unless they inform the Secretary to the contrary, in writing, on or before the 30th. November preceding the A.G.M.

d) The procedure for electing Officers and Committee shall be by means of a postal ballot.

e) In the event of the combined number of Committee members seeking re-election and members seeking election not exceeding the total number required to fill all Committee posts, a postal ballot shall not be required and those so nominated shall be declared elected by the members present at the A.G.M.

f) In the event of a postal ballot being required, the Hon. Secretary shall send to each paid up member, not less than twenty-eight days before the date of the A.G.M:

I) A voting paper, which also indicates the date by which it should be returned to the custodian.

II) An envelope in which to return the voting paper.

III) A separate form to be signed by the voter as follows:

I have recorded my vote on the voting paper supplied which has been sealed

and sent to the custodian. Signed........................

g) The envelope containing the voting paper and the separate signed form is to be sent by the voter, at least fourteen days before the date of the A.G.M. directly to a non-member custodian, who shall retain it until the A.G.M. The envelopes containing the votes shall be opened and the votes counted at the A.G.M. by three scrutineers who shall have been appointed by the Committee, two of whom should be non-members of the Club. Such counting shall take place immediately prior to the start of the A.G.M. at which the results shall be reported and the papers laid upon the table for the inspection of those members present.

The nominees with the highest number of votes shall be deemed elected.

h) All paid up members over the age of 18 years are entitled to vote.

RULE 9. NOMINATION FOR COMMITTEE.

a) Any person who has been a member for at least two consecutive years immediately prior to the A.G.M. is eligible for nomination to the Committee.

b) Any nomination must have a proposer and seconder both of whom must be current members of at least two years standing at the time of the A.G.M. together with the signed consent of the nominee. Such nominations together with the membership renewal subscription for all three parties shall be in the hands of the Secretary not later than the thirty-first day of December preceding the Annual General Meeting.

c) A member seeking election as an Officer of the Committee may also stand for election as an ordinary Committee member in the event of being unsuccessful in their original nomination. A second nomination is not required, they need only indicate their willingness to stand when sending in their original nomination.

d) No member accepting nomination for any position on the Committee of the Club shall serve as a member of, hold any Office in, or allow their name to be nominated for election to any Office or Committee of any other Great Dane Club.

e) The Committee may co-opt not more than three members, with full voting rights to fill casual vacancies. Co-opted members leave the Committee at the next A.G.M. but may offer themselves for election. The Officers shall be ex-officio members of all Sub-Committees with the Secretary and Treasurer having full voting rights. In the event of equality of voting the Chairman shall have the casting vote.

f) In the case of insufficient nominations for the Committee prior to the A.G.M., nominations shall not be accepted from the floor of the Meeting.

g) No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the Committee of or hold any other Office or appointment within a Kennel Club Registered Society.

RULE 10. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.

a) The Annual General Meeting shall be held before the 31st. March each year, if possible, at a time and place determined by the Committee.

b) Notice of the meeting including the agenda and all relevant information shall be given in writing to every member not less than twenty-eight days prior to the meeting. Any Officer and ten (10) other Members shall form a quorum.

c) Notice of items which members may wish to have included on the agenda and which must have a member as a Proposer and Seconder shall be in the hands of the Secretary not later than the thirty first day of December preceding the A.G.M.

d) No business shall be transacted at an Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof appears on the agenda, except that the Chairman may, at his / her discretion, entertain an emergency motion that he / she decides is of sufficient importance.

RULE 11. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS.

a) The Secretary shall convene a Special General Meeting when directed to do so by the Committee or when requested so to do, in writing, by not less than twenty-five current members.

b) Notice of the meeting shall be given in writing to every member not less than fourteen days prior to the meeting.

c) The S.G.M. must take place within sixty days of the proposal being received by the Secretary. Any fifteen members shall form a quorum.

d) No business other than that named in the notice shall be brought before a Special General Meeting.

e) All expenses incurred in arranging a S.G.M. shall be borne by the Club (not individual members expense).

f) Any person calling such a meeting for what the majority of those present at that meeting consider to be a trifling matter may be subject to disciplinary action under rule 6e.

g) Only fully paid-up members at the time of the meeting may attend and vote at the Annual General or Special General meeting, except that the Committee may invite persons of a specialist nature to attend in an advisory capacity, without voting rights.

RULE 12. GENERAL MEETINGS RECORD.

a) The Club undertakes to keep a Minute Book, which shall contain a full record of all business transacted at General and Committee meetings, including a record of all guarantees offered by the Club.

b) No Officer, Committee member or ordinary member shall take it upon themselves to publish or cause to be published any detail or account, in part or in whole, of proceedings at any of the Clubs meetings. Reports shall only be made public by the Chairman or Secretary following authorisation from the Committee

RULE 13. ALTERATION OF CLUB RULES.

The Rules of the Club may not be altered except at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting, notice of which includes details of the proposal to alter the Rules. Such alterations shall not be brought into force until the Kennel Club has been advised and has given approval to the alterations. New Rules or amendments introduced specifically to meet K. C. requirements shall be adopted immediately and be included in the Society’s Constitution with effect from the Society’s Annual General Meeting

RULE 14. REFUND OF ENTRY FEE.

In the event of the death of an exhibit, which has been entered for any of the Club Shows, the entry fees shall be returned on production of a veterinarian’s certificate to that effect.

RULE 15. FEDERATIONS.

The Club shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs, which would be unacceptable to the Kennel Club.

Rules amended and ratified at A.G.M. 1^st. April 2007.