Northern Newfoundland Club Rules

You can download a copy of the club rules (Word) Here
You can download a copy of the club rules (PDF)  Here

Index

1. Composition

1.2   The area the Club shall primarily serve shall be North of a line from Great Yarmouth to Caernarfon .

1.3   The Club shall consist of a Patron, President, Secretary, Treasurer, Committee, and an unlimited number of members ( honorary, individual, joint, or junior [ who shall be under the age of 18 years on 1 January ] ) In addition Vice Presidents may be appointed. All Officers and Committee are honorary.

1.4   The Management of the Club shall be in the hands of a Committee consisting of twelve members in addition to the President, Secretary, and Treasurer, who shall be ex-officio members of the Committee.

1.5   Candidates for membership of the Club shall be proposed and seconded by existing members and approved by a majority of the Committee.

1.6   Peoplewho have rendered conspicuous or continuous service to the Newfoundland breed or to the Club, or are likely to confer honour on the Club, may be elected Honorary Members at a General Meeting, due notice of the intention to propose them having previously been given to the Secretary. Such Honorary Members shall be accorded all the privileges of fully paid up members.

1.7   Any member may withdraw from the Club on giving notice in writing to the Secretary,but shall not be entitled to a refund of any subscription paid to the Club.

2.  Management

2.2   The President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall each be elected for a period of three years with their retirement being in rotation. They shall be eligible for re-election.

2.3   The Committee at its first meeting following the Annual General Meeting in each year shall elect from its members a Chairperson to take the Chair at all meetings of the Committee and shall elect a Vice - Chairperson to take the Chair in the absence of the Chairperson. The Chairperson of a meeting shall have a casting vote ( i.e. an additional vote ) at that meeting.

2.4   The following officers may be appointed from members of the Club:- Membership Secretary, Trophy Steward, Show Manager, Newfletter Editor, Welfare Co-ordinator and Novelties Manager.

2.5   The Officers of the Club shall be the President, Secretary, and Treasurer, all of whom shall have full voting rights.

2.6   No two members of any family, partnership, or household, shall be Officers or Committee Members of the Club at the same time. For the purpose of these rules "family" refers to spouse, sibling, parent or child living in the same dwelling. "Partnership" refers to persons with a joint affix or engaged in a regular canine business relationship. All other relationships are excluded from these definitions.

2.8   The Committee is empowered to form Regional Groups, Special Groups for specific purposes, sectional and sub and steering groups with separate committees as laid down in clause 2.7 to deal with specific interests within the Club and subject to Kennel Club rules and regulations.

2.9   The Committee or any sub-committee may at any time invite persons to advise on particular topics and attend meetings or parts of meetings. Such persons need not be members of the Club and, unless they are Club members, will have no voting rights at Committee, sub-committee, or General meetings.

2.10 Meetings of the Committee shall be held at least four times a year, in addition to any meeting held on the day of the Annual General Meeting.

2.11   A quorum for Club Committee meetings shall be eight members.

2.12   The Committee shall have the power to co-opt members on to the Committee in the event of positions becoming vacant between Annual General Meetings. Such co-opted members shall have full voting rights of Committee membership, but they shall hold office only until the next Annual General Meeting.  They may then be proposed for election in the normal way.

2.13  A casual vacancy ( i.e. a vacancy created by a Committee member ceasing to serve before the expiry of his/her term of office ) on the Committee shall be filled by election in the usual way, except that the person elected shall hold the seat on the Committee for the unexpired portion of the predecessor's term of office.  Those persons gaining the highest number of votes at such election shall be elected for the longer term of office and the runner(s) up to the shorter term(s).
2.14   In the event of a vacancy arising between the date of issue of election papers and the Annual General Meeting, the place may be filled by co-option until the next Annual General Meeting. Thereafter the remaining period of office will be treated as a casual vacancy under rule 2.12.

2.15 Any member of the Committee or sub-committee who is absent from three consecutive meetings of the Committee or sub-committee without a valid reason will be deemed to have resigned from the Committee or sub-committee.

2.16 The Secretary will keep a copy of Minutes of all meetings, which shall be available for inspection by all fully paid up members in normal working hours by appointment at the residence of the Secretary.

2.17 The Secretary will keep a register of all fully paid up members and their addresses, which shall be available for inspection by the Kennel Club and also by members in normal working hours by appointment at the residence of the Secretary.

2.18 No individual may be elected to the Committee or be an Officer until they have been a member of the Club for two years.

2.19 The Committee shall make such appointments as may be necessary from time to time for representation of the Club on any legally and correctly convened body

2.20 An Executive Committee of at least three (3) persons will be made up from the Secretary and Committee Chairman and the President and/or the Treasurer.

2.21 An Executive Committee shall only assume its powers where it is necessary for urgent decisions and/or actions to be taken on behalf of the Club, that, in their collective judgement, cannot be delayed until the next scheduled Committee Meeting. An Executive Committee need not meet in person but can consult using the telephone or other electronic means. Any actions taken on behalf of the Club will be notified immediately to all other Committee Members and subsequently reviewed and recorded at the next Committee Meeting.

3.  Finance

3.2   Separate transit accounts may be opened for any sub-group but only moneys related to such business may be passed through such accounts. Withdrawals from any such transit account shall only be made on the signature of two of the Officers of the Club, or at the discretion of the Committee, of one Officer and one other member involved in the administration of the particular business and account. Statements of account must be submitted to the Treasurer by the 31st July each year for inclusion in the audited Club accounts .3.3   The Treasurer shall maintain the accounts and an auditor shall be appointed at each Annual General Meeting for the purpose of auditing the Club's accounts for the ensuring year. The auditor shall be a qualified accountant with full professional indemnity.

3.4   The annual subscription shall be the amount as is agreed by Members at an Annual General Meeting. No member whose subscription is unpaid by 31st January is entitled to any privileges of membership, and if the member shall fail to pay the outstanding subscription by 1st March, the member’s name shall be erased from the register. However a re-joining fee of £5.00p accompanied by the current annual subscription may be paid from the 2nd March to 30th June, to restore the member’s name to the list. Any Member not taking advantage of this concession will have to complete a new application for membership, which will be subject as usual to Committee approval.

3.5   The subscription of any person who is elected to membership of the Club after 30 September in any year, shall cover membership to the end of the following year.

3.6   The Club's financial year shall be from 1st August to the 31st July.  The financial year for sub-groups shall be from 1st July to the 30th June.

3.7   The assets of the Club shall be vested in the Club Trustees, who shall be the President, Secretary, and Treasurer, to be held in trust for the members.  The Trustees shall have the power to make bye-laws and to arbitrate disputed matters in respect of such assets. Such bye-laws etc., will be binding upon all members unless they are set aside in a General Meeting.

3.8   Trophies may only be donated to the Club in perpetuity whether the donor is a member of the Club or not. Acceptance of any gift and the basis of its award shall rest with the Committee.

3.9   If the Club is wound up or ceases to be a registered Club under these regulations, a General Meeting shall be called if possible to decide upon the disposal of the Club's assets and the outcome of the meeting passed, together with a final statement of audited accounts and a record of the property of the Club shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club within 6 months. 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. In the absence of other instructions all assets will be given to other Newfoundland Clubs at the discretion of the said Committee.
3.10 The Committee shall arrange to produce and maintain a list of Club property above £50.00p in value together with details of where and when it can be used, seen or borrowed. A copy of this list be included in the annual membership list, and published in Newfletter.

3.11 All expenses properly incurred by the Officers and Committee on behalf of the Club shall be defrayed out of the funds of the Club alone, and no individual member shall be deemed to incur any responsibility in respect of the same. 
3.12 Where Committee members are required to travel in excess of one hundred miles on the round trip between their home and the Committee venue, the Club may meet 50% of their fuel or public transport cost, subject to the Treasurer’s discretion.

3.13 The Club shall be responsible for costs incurred in legal proceedings brought against the Club, its Officers, Committee, or sub-committees in the course of their lawful duties.

4. Meetings

4.2  The Annual General Meeting will be held for the following purposes:-
Receive the report of the Chairperson for the previous year
Receive the statement of accounts from the Treasurer
The Treasurer shall submit for approval, the nomination of a professionally qualified accountant with full professional indemnity, who shall audit the Club's accounts for the ensuing year, before the next Annual General Meeting.
Elect the Officer and Committee
Discuss any resolution duly placed on the agenda of which prior notice has been given to the Secretary.
Any other business of an urgent and non-controversial nature by permission of the Chairperson of the Meeting.

4.3   Sixty day's notice shall be given to all members at their last known address in writing of an Annual General Meeting or any General Meeting. Items for addition to the agenda, properly proposed and seconded, must be lodged in writing with the Secretary at least 30 working days before the meeting.  It is the responsibility of members to ensure that such items have been received in writing by the required date. Either the proposer or seconder, who must be Club members, must be present at the meeting for the item to be discussed. In an emergency only, the Secretary may give notice of such meetings by advertisement at least two calendar months before the meeting in 'Our Dogs' and 'Dog World'. All such notices must give the proposed agenda for the meeting.

4.5   A Special General Meeting shall be summoned by the Secretary if thirty-one or more fully paid up members send a signed request in writing, stating the subject(s) to be discussed. A Special General Meeting may also be called at the discretion of the Committee. No business other than the matter on the agenda can be discussed at a Special General Meeting.
4.6   The preliminary notice of the Annual General Meeting shall specify the number of vacant positions to be filled with Officers and Committee.

4.7   A quorum for General Meetings and affairs shall be thirty one members.

4.8   Joint members shall each have full voting rights. Junior members shall have no voting rights.

4.9   Each member shall be entitled to a vote immediately upon approval of membership. The election of Officers and Members of the Committee shall be by postal ballot. Other matters shall normally be decided by a vote at the Annual General Meeting.

4.10 The ballot papers for postal votes shall be despatched each year with the agenda for the Annual General Meeting, and returned to the Club Auditor, who will forward the results to the Secretary prior to the Annual General Meeting.  In the event of a tie in the number of votes cast for two or more candidates for election to the Committee, or to the position of Club Officer, a ballot of members present at the Annual General Meeting shall decide who is elected to the particular vacancy.

4.11 When the Club holds a ballot at any meeting of the membership including Annual and Special Meetings, two non-voting scrutineers shall be appointed by the meeting to collect, count and declare the outcome of the vote, and they shall seal the ballot papers in an envelope which they shall forward to the Club Auditor to retain for one year, who shall deal on behalf of the Committee with any queries that may arise out of such a vote.

4.12 The Rules of the Club can only be altered at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting. Any rule change must be sanctioned by at least two-thirds of those present at the meeting.  Any proposed alterations to the rules approved by the members in such a meeting may not be brought into effect until the Kennel Club has given its approval of the alteration(s).

4.13 A précis of the minutes of the Committee and sub-committee meetings will be published in the Club's Newfletter after ratification.

4.14 Approval of new members will take place at Committee meetings, or at the discretion of the Secretary by postal ballot of the Committee between meetings, and the result of any such ballot shall be noted in the minutes of the next available Committee meeting.

5.  Code of Ethics

6.  Discipline

6.1   Any member who shall be suspended under Kennel Club Rule A42j(4) and/or any member whose dog(s) is/are disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A42j(8) 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 Member shall, in the opinion of the Committee of the Club, be injurious or likely to be injurious to the character and 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 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 in order 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 be forthwith 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 the meeting appeal to the Kennel Club upon and subject to such conditions as the Kennel Club may impose.

6.2   If the Club expels any member for discreditable conduct in connection with dogs, dog shows, or trials, the Club must report the matter in writing to the Kennel Club within seven days and supply particulars required.

6.3   Members are forbidden to make the Club a means of private speculation or trade and from using the Club's membership list as a basis for touting for business or trade, other than by legitimate advertising in the Club's publications.

7. Judges

7.1   The Committee shall be solely responsible for the nomination of judges for all events of whatsoever nature, organised in the name of the Club.

8.  Relationship with the Kennel Club

8.1   The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year the Maintenance of Title fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Secretary for continuance of registration and that by the 31st July each year, other returns, as stipulated in the Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies, will be forwarded to the Kennel Club.

8.2   The Kennel Club is the final authority for interpreting the Rules and Regulations of the Club in all cases relative to Canine or Club matters.

8.3   The Officers 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.

8.4   The Club may not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs.

8.5   The Kennel Club shall be the final Court of Appeal in all matters of dispute.

8.6   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.

You can download a copy of the club rules (Word) Here
You can download a copy of the club rules (PDF)  Here