RULES & REGULATIONS OF THE BRITISH SAMOYED CLUB
1. NAME & OBJECTS OF THE CLUB The name of the Club shall be ‘The British Samoyed Club’. The object of the club shall be to promote the breed of Samoyeds, and do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of the breed. Members are expected to abide by the Samoyed Breed Council Code of Ethics. If there is a breach of the Code Of Ethics by a member, then disciplinary action could follow.
2. MEMBERS OF THE CLUB The Club shall consist of an unlimited number of members. Every candidate for membership shall be proposed by one member and seconded by another and elected by the committee. The election shall depend upon a majority being in favour and shall take effect from the date of his/her proposal. Each member shall be entitled to one vote immediately upon acceptance of membership. Joint members are allowed one vote each. The Club must send a list of members and their addresses to the Kennel Club with the Annual Returns and, if so requested, make an up to date list of members available for inspection by the Kennel Club and Members of the Club.
3. SUBSCRIPTIONS Annual subscription will be reviewed at the Annual General Meeting of each year. The Annual subscription shall be paid on election to Membership and thereafter becomes due for payment on the first day of January each year except that new members elected after 31st October in any year will be deemed to have paid their subscription for the following year. Any member who fails to pay their subscription for the following year by 21 days before the date of the Annual General Meeting, in any year will be deemed to have withdrawn from membership of the club and will not be entitled to the privileges of members.
4. EXPULSION OF MEMBERS Any members who shall be suspended under Kennel Club Rule A42j(5) and/or any members who dog(s) are disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A42j(9) shall ipso facto cease to be a member of the club for the duration of the suspension and/or disqualification.
If the conduct of any members shall, in the opinion of the committee of the club be injurious or likely to be injurious to the character or interest 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 condition as the Kennel Club may impose. If the Club expels any member for discreditable conduct in connection with dogs, dog shows, trials or competitions the Club must report the matter in writing to the Kennel Club within seven days and supply any particulars required.
5. NO PERSON WHO SHALL HAVE BEEN EXPELLED from the Club shall be entitled to recover any portion of his or her subscription or have any claim against the Club, its Officers or Committee.
6. OFFICERS OF THE CLUB The Officers of the club shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Secretary and Treasurer must be members of the Club. If the Secretary and Treasurer are paid officials, the appointments shall rest with the Committee.
No person who is a member of the Club shall use his/her status as a member of the Club for the advertisement of his/her business or any other undertaking.
7. MANAGEMENT OF THE CLUB The Club shall be managed by a committee of sixteen, excluding the President, Secretary and Treasurer (each of whom shall be ex-officio members of the Committee). The Committee shall elect its own Chairman and Vice Chairman at the first meeting of each year, in the event of the Chairman and Vice Chairman both being absent, the members of the Committee shall elect a Chairman for that meeting from those present.
Seven members of the Committee including ex-officio members shall form a quorum. In case of any equality of votes, the Chairman of the meeting shall have the casting vote. Any casual vacancy in the Officers or Committee may be filled by a member of the Club approved by a majority of the Committee Members until the next Annual General Meeting.
A Committee member of THE BRITISH SAMOYED CLUB may NOT serve as a committee member of any other specialized club of the same breed.
N.B. Vice presidents are not included in the ex-officio members of the Committee owing to the practice of electing complementary Vice Presidents.
Fourteen days notice to be given of Committee Meeting but the Chairman may authorize a meeting to be called for emergency business at three days’ notice. There shall be a meeting of the Committee as often as may be deemed necessary and in any case not less than four times a year.
Should any Committee member fail to attend three consecutive meetings without any acceptable reason, the Committee has the power to replace them.
8 THE PROPERTY OF THE CLUB The property of the Club shall be controlled by the Committee who shall have the power to make all the necessary by-laws dealing with any matter not provided for by the rules.
9. THE BOOKS OF THE CLUB A report of the business transacted at all meetings shall be entered in a minute book for that purpose by the Secretary. The Secretary and Treasurer shall keep proper books of accounts showing all receipts and expenditure. All money received shall be paid into the Bank Account which shall be in the name of the club and operated by any two of the following officers: President, Treasurer, Secretary or Chairman of the Committee.The Club Account shall be operated via Branch, Electronic and Internet banking.
10 FINANCIAL YEAR/ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The financial year of the club shall be from 1st January to 31st December. The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in APRIL of every year at a time and place to be decided upon by the Committee for the following purposes:- to receive the Chairman’s report and the balance sheet duly certified, to elect the Officers, Auditors and Committee for the ensuing year and to transact any other business that may be put forward. At least twenty-eight days notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be given to each member. All matters for the agenda of the Annual General Meeting must reach the Secretary twenty one days before the date of such meeting and such agenda shall be sent to members at least seven days before the meeting. The Chairman of the Annual General Meeting shall be elected at the meeting. TWELVE (12) members present shall form a quorum at any General Meeting. No business shall be transacted at an Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof appears of the agenda, with the exception of routine matters or those which in the opinion of the chairman at the meeting are urgent.
11. ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE At each Annual General Meeting the Committee members shall retire from office but shall be eligible for re-election. Members shall be invited to send in nominations for Committee by the 14th March.
Where necessary, election of Committee members shall be by postal ballot. Members shall receive voting papers which must be returned to the Secretary by 6th April. Only sealed envelopes marked ‘ballot’ will be accepted. The voting papers shall be opened and counted by the scrutineers appointed by the Committee and the results announced by the Chairman at the Annual General Meeting. The President, Secretary, Treasurer shall hold office for three years and be elected by secret ballot of those members present at the Annual General Meeting. All members shall be fully paid up members for at least 13 months before being elected as an Officer or Committee member.
12. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS The Committee may at any time, and they shall, if so required by requisition signed by at least twenty one members of the Club, stating in express terms the nature of the business to be transacted, call a Special General Meeting of the Club at such time and place as they shall determine. The Notice convening the meeting shall be sent to all members at least twenty-eight days before the meeting and shall specify the business to be transacted. No business other than that named in the notice shall be brought before a Special General Meeting.
13. CHALLENGE CUPS All Challenge Cups not won outright shall be controlled by the Committee who may make such rules with regard to them, as they think fit. (subject to specific instructions from the donor). Any member who has won a challenge cup or trophy and wishes to take possession of it must guarantee that the same shall be returned to the custody of the Club not less than 10 days prior to the next show at which such cup or trophy is advertised for competition, at the winners expense either by registered post or insured mail and in clean condition. Should it be decided by the donor of the cups that the record of wins be engraved on the cup or trophies, such engraving shall be carried out in replica by a silversmith AT THE EXPENSE OF THE WINNER who shall also defray the cost of the comprehensive policy taken out by the Club. Cups and trophies CAN ONLY be awarded to fully paid up members. Where a cup or trophy is to be awarded for a dog which is jointly owned, all partners must be fully paid up members.
14. DISPOSAL OF ASSETS If, for any reason, the Club shall cease to exist as a Club registered at the Kennel Club, all cups and trophies shall be returned to the donors, their heirs or executors or, should this prove impossible, they shall be disposed of with any other assets of the Club in such a manner as the Committee shall deem fit.
A final statement of audited accounts with a record of the disposal of the property of the club shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club within six months and the persons named as Officers and Committee of the Club on the last return furnished to the Kennel Club will be held responsible by the Kennel Club for the proper winding up of the Club.
15. THE CLUB shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs
16. JUDGING LISTS Judging lists of the Club are updated in November each year by a judges sub-committee. Persons wishing to be nominated for inclusion on the Club’s lists must forward details of their judging experience to date, including the number of dogs present and judged, and the number of classes judged, to the Secretary before the meeting. Membership of the Club is not a prerequisite for inclusion on the lists.
17. ANNUAL RETURNS 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 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. The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any change of Secretary of the Society, which may occur during the course of the year.
18. 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.
19. THE RULES OF THE CLUB MAY NOT BE ALTERED OR ADDED TO except at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting, notice of which includes details of the proposals to alter the Rules. Such alterations shall not be brought into force until the Kennel Club has been advised and has given approval of the alterations.
20. THE KENNEL CLUB shall be the final authority for interpreting the Rules and Regulations of the Club in all cases relative to Canine or Club matters