Rules of the Schipperke Club

1    NAME & OBJECT

1.1            The Club shall be called THE SCHIPPERKE CLUB, and its object shall be to promote the general interests of the Schipperke by encouraging breeding to the Kennel Club Breed Standard, by advocating testing for hereditary conditions and working actively to eradicate them, by securing the classification of the breed at shows, by offering cups and trophies for competition, by issuing an annually revised list of approved judges, and by publishing a Code of Ethics for the guidance of breeders and exhibitors.

2    CONSTITUTION

2.1            The Club shall consist of a President, up to four Vice Presidents, a Committee of twelve and an unlimited number of Members and Junior Members.

2.2            Candidates for all forms of Membership must be proposed and seconded by fully paid-up Members on official Membership forms. Applications for Membership will be considered at the first Committee Meeting following receipt of the application. A majority against the application shall be sufficient to exclude.

2.3            Full Club Membership is open to anyone of 15 years and over. A Junior Membership facility, however, at a reduced Membership fee but with no voting rights, is available to anyone under 17 years of age who wishes to take advantage of it.

2.4            Membership subscriptions shall fall due on January 1st each year. No Member whose subscription remains unpaid shall be entitled to any of the privileges of Membership. If any Member fails to pay the annual subscription by the time of the Annual General Meeting his/her name shall be erased from the list of Members. On subsequent payment of the arrears, however, and on receipt of a satisfactory explanation the Member may, at the discretion of the Committee, be re-admitted to Membership.

2.5            Any Member who has not renewed his membership by 31st January, shall not be eligible to vote at that year’s Annual General Meeting.

2.6            The Secretary shall prepare a list of Members and their addresses which shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club with the Annual Returns, and if so requested make an up to date list available for inspection at a mutually convenient time if so requested by Members or by the Kennel Club.

3    COMMITTEE

3.1            The Committee shall consist of a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and nine Members. A Vice Chairman and an Assistant Secretary shall be elected from the Committee at the first Meeting after the Annual General Meeting.

3.2            No person who has not been a Club Member for at least the two years preceding the AGM at which he/she  seeks to stand shall be eligible to become an Officer or Committee Member.

3.3            No two members of the same family or partnership shall be eligible to serve as Officers at any one time.

3.4            The President, Vice Presidents, Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected on an annual basis. Remaining Committee Members shall be elected for a two year term, with the appropriate number retiring in rotation. Retiring Members shall be eligible to stand for re-election without having to be renominated but must inform the Secretary of their intention to stand by the Committee Meeting preceding the closing date for nominations.

3.5            If a Committee Member retires or resigns for any reason his/her position shall be filled at the following AGM, but the person elected to fill that position shall only be elected for the remainder of the original Member’s term before having to seek re-election.

3.6            The Committee shall have the power to co-opt should it be deemed necessary, but any Members so co-opted shall only serve until the following AGM when they will be eligible to stand for Committee only if proposed and seconded in the normal manner.

3.7            Committee Meetings shall normally be called by the Chairman in consultation with the Secretary, but may be called by any Officer or Acting Officer should it prove necessary.

3.8            With the exception of the Chairman each Officer and Committee Member shall have one vote. The Chairman shall only have a casting vote to be used as required. The President and Vice Presidents may attend Meetings ex officio but shall not be entitled to vote.

3.9            The officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year Maintenance of Title fee will be forwarded by the Secretary to the Kennel club for continuance of the Registration, and that by 31st July each year other returns as stipulated in Kennel Club Regulations for Registration and Maintenance of Titles of Societies, Breed Councils, and the Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal Authorities, will be forwarded to the Kennel Club. The Officers acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any change of Secretary which may occur during the course of the year.

3.10          A quorum for a Committee Meeting shall be six, of whom at least one must be an Officer. Any Committee Member who fails to attend three or more Committee Meetings in any twelve months without reasonable excuse shall, at the discretion of the Committee, cease to be a Member of the Committee.

3.11          No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the Committee of or hold any office or appointment within a Kennel Club Registered Society.

4    FINANCES

4.1            The Financial Year of the Club shall be from 1st January to 31st December.

4.2            A bank account shall be held in the name of THE SCHIPPERKE CLUB into which all revenues of the Club shall be paid. Three Officers shall be authorized to make withdrawals, and such withdrawals shall only be made on the signature of two of those Officers, one of whom shall customarily be the Treasurer.

4.3            The Annual Subscription shall be such amount as is agreed annually at the AGM and which has been notified to the Kennel club.

4.4            A Profit and Loss Account with a duly audited Balance Sheet and a Financial Report shall be compiled annually and presented to Members at the AGM.

4.5            One qualified or two unqualified auditors shall be elected annually at the AGM to serve for the ensuing twelve months.

5    GENERAL MEETINGS

5.1            The Annual General Meeting shall be held before April 30th each year to receive the Annual Report and the Balance Sheet, to elect the Committee and to discuss any matters which appear on the Agenda. No business shall be conducted at the AGM unless notice of it appears on the Agenda, except routine matters, or those which in the opinion of the Chairman are urgent.

5.2           No less than 42 days prior to the AGM, the Secretary shall send a notice convening the meeting to all paid-up members of the Club. This notice shall state the date, time and venue of the Meeting and shall contain the closing date for nominations for Committee, for proposals for judges at Club shows, and for the submission for items for discussion. This date shall not be less than 28 days before the AGM.

5.3           Nominations for Committee, duly proposed and seconded and with the written agreement of the proposed Member, must be with the Secretary not less than 28 days before the date of the AGM, as must items for the Agenda also duly proposed and seconded.

5.4            Printed Agendas, Minutes of the previous AGM, Profit and Loss Accounts and Balance Sheets shall be posted to all Members not less than 14 days before the AGM, together with details of those standing for election, their proposers and seconders, and proposed judges for Club shows, their proposers and seconders and brief details of their judging experience in the breed.

5.5           The election of Officers and Committee shall be by paper ballot of those Members present at the AGM. Election of Officers and Committee Members for unopposed positions shall be by show of hands, but such candidates must receive a majority vote of those present in order to be elected.

5.6           Two scrutineers who are neither Officers nor Committee Members shall be appointed at the AGM for the purpose of counting the ballot.

5.7           Fifteen Members and one Officer shall form a quorum for any General Meeting and any Special General Meeting.

5.8           The Rules of the Club shall not be altered except at the AGM or at a Special General Meeting called expressly for the purpose of altering the Rules. Such alteration shall not be brought into force until the Kennel Club has given its approval of the alterations. New rules or amendments introduced specifically to meet Kennel Club requirements shall be adopted immediately and be included in the Club’s constitution with effect from the Annual general meeting.

5.9           The Committee shall have powers to make decisions consistent with these Rules, and to deal with any circumstances not provided for therein.

5.10         A Special General Meeting may be called at any time provided that the petition demanding the Meeting is signed by twenty-five paid-up Members, and provided that at least thirty-five days notice is given in writing to the Secretary. Notice stating date, time, venue and proposed business must be received by Members not less than 14 days prior to the date of the Meeting. No business other than that stated in the notice may be discussed at the Meeting.

6    CLUB PROPERTY

6.1           Trophies offered at Club shows are only available to be won by Members. Such trophies may not be won outright but remain the property of the Club and must be returned on or before the date of the next show at which they are on offer.

6.2           Donors of Challenge Cups and trophies must sign an acknowledgement that all such gifts are made outright to the Club.

6.3           The property of the Club shall be vested in the Committee. In the event of the Club ceasing to exist a General meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of the Club’s assets, and the outcome of the Meeting notified to the Kennel club.

6.4           If the Club is wound up or ceases to be a Registered Society under Kennel Club Regulations, a final Statement of Accounts with a record of the disposal of the property of the Club shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club within six months, and those persons named as Officers and Committee of the Club will be held responsible by the Kennel Club for the proper winding up of the Club.

7    LEGAL LIABILITY

7.1           The Committee shall insure the Club against any such legal liability as is deemed necessary.

8    DISPUTES PROCEDURE

8.1           Any complaint against a Club Member must be made in writing to the Secretary if Committee action is required. Subject to appeal to the Kennel Club, the Committee shall have the power to settle all disputes that may arise in connection with the Club, insofar as that is consistent with Rule 8, paragraph 2.

8.2           Any Member who shall be suspended under Kennel Club Rule A 42.j.(4) and/or any Member whose dog(s) is/are disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A 42.j.(8) shall ipso facto cease to be a Member of THE SCHIPPERKE 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 to the character or interests of the Club, the Committee of the Club may, at a Meeting the notice convening which included as an object the consideration of the conduct of the Member, determine that a Special General Meeting be called for the purpose of passing a resolution to expel the said Member. 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 so that he may attend and offer an explanation. If at the Special General Meeting a resolution to expel is passed by a two-thirds vote of the Members present and voting, his name shall forthwith be erased form the list of Members, and he shall thereupon cease for all purpose to be a Member of the Club, except that he may within two calendar months from the date of the Special General Meeting, appeal to the Kennel club upon and subject to such conditions as the Kennel Club shall impose.

8.3           If the Club expels any member for discredible conduct in connection with dogs, Dog Shows, Trials or Competitions, the matter must be reported to the Kennel club in writing within seven days and any relevant particulars supplied.

8.4 The Kennel club is the final court of appeal, and the final authority for interpretation of the Rules of the Club, and in all cases relating to Club and canine matters.

9    ASSOCIATION OF CLUBS

9.1           THE SCHIPPERKE CLUB shall not join any federation of Clubs or Societies.

10  JUDGING LISTS

10.1          The Club will produce a list of judges so as to indicate to interested parties those people the Club would support to judge the Schipperke at different levels. This list which will expire on 31st December each year will be reviewed annually and submitted to the Kennel Club as part of the Annual Returns. Copies of the list will be made available to Members by publication in the Newsletter.

10.2          Those wishing to be included in the Club’s judging list must complete a written questionnaire for consideration by the Judges sub-committee setting out their experience in Schipperkes and in dogs generally. Membership of the Schipperke Club is not a prerequisite for inclusion on the Club’s lists.

10.3          The Judges sub-committee shall vote as to which list, if any, the candidate shall be included on.

10.4          The list will be divided into parts A(1); A(2) if required; A(3); B; C. List A(1) will include all such persons passed to award Challenge Certificates in the breed and whom the Club supports to do so. List A(2) if required, will indicate those person who satisfy both the Kennel Club and the Schipperke Club’s criteria for awarding Challenge Certificates but who have not yet been invited to do so by a Championship show committee. List a(3) will indicate those individuals who satisfy the Club’s criteria for awarding Challenge Certificates but who have not yet been passed to do so by the Kennel Club. List B will include those persons who the Club supports to judge at Championship Shows without CC’s and at Open Shows with more than four classes.  List C will consist of those whom the Club will support to judge the breed for up to 3 classes at Open Shows.

10.5          Judges for all SCHIPPERKE CLUB shows, whether Championship, Open or Limited shows, will be elected by ballot of Members present at the AGM. All candidates must be proposed and seconded by paid-up Members, and nomination form including brief details of judging experience in the breed, must be with the Secretary not less than 28 days before the date of the AGM. All judges for the Open and Limited shows will be asked to judge in an honorary capacity

10.6          If for any reason an elected judge is unable to fulfil the appointment, the remaining candidates will be invited in order of success in the ballot. If none of the candidates is available, the Committee shall be empowered to select a judge for that particular show.

10.7          Proposed judges for the Club Championship Show must have awarded CC’s or their equivalent in the breed on at least three occasions prior to the AGM at which the election occurs, and must not have judged the Schipperke Club Championship Show for at least 10 years prior to the date of that AGM.

11 RESCUE

11.1            A Rescue Co-Ordinator and Assistant Rescue Co-Ordinator shall be elected from the membership at the AGM and shall stand for re-election every 3 years. In order to achieve continuity post holders should stand for re-election in different years. 50% of the votes is necessary for election. Nominations for these offices shall be submitted to the Hon. Secretary not less than 28 days before the AGM.

11.2           Nominees for the position of Rescue Co-Ordinator and Assistant Rescue Co-Ordinator must have been members of the Club for not less than two calendar years prior to the AGM at which they seek election.

11.3          The Rescue Co-Ordinator will be responsible for all aspects of Schipperke Rescue and will on a day to day basis operate independently from the Committee but will submit a Rescue report to each Committee Meeting and to the AGM.

11.4           The rescue Co-Ordinator will ex officio be entitled to attend any part of Committee Meetings that deals with rescue.

11.5             A separate bank account in the name of Schipperke Club Rescue will be kept, with a current cheque account and a deposit account. Any cheque signed for Schipperke Rescue must have two signatories, one of whom shall customarily be the Club Treasurer. Bank statements will be sent to the Club Treasurer.

11.6            An annual report shall be given to the Hon. Treasurer for incorporation in the Club’s Balance sheet.

11.7            The Club Committee will be empowered to take control of Rescue in an emergency situation.

Schipperke Club Rules & Regulations .pdf