Notts & Derby District Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club
Please read the NDDSBTC Code of Ethics before making a membership application
agree to abide by the following ‘Code of Ethics’:-
1 To properly house, feed, water and exercise all dogs under their care, and arrange for appropriate veterinary attention if and when required.
2 Not allow any of their dogs to roam at large, or to cause nuisance to neighbours or those carrying out official duties.
3 To ensure that their dogs will wear properly tagged collars and shall be kept fully leashed or under effective control when away from home.
4 To clean up after their dogs in public places, or anywhere where their dogs are being exhibited.
5 To agree without reservation that any Veterinary Surgeon performing an operation on any of their dogs which alters the natural conformation of the animal, may report such operation to the Kennel Club.
6 Agree not to breed from a bitch in any way which is deleterious to the bitch or breed, and to abide by the Kennel Club’s ruling concerning time lapse between litters (recommended minimum 12 months) and upper and lower age limits
for a bitch to be bred from (18 months minimum recommended;
8 years maximum).
7 Agree only to sell dogs where there is a reasonable expectation of a happy and healthy life, and to help with the re-homing of the dog if the initial circumstances change.
8 To supply written details of all dietary requirements and give guidance concerning responsible ownership when placing dogs in a new home.
9 Not to sell any dog to commercial dog wholesalers, retail pet dealers or directly or indirectly allow dogs to be given as a prize or donation in a competition of any kind.
10 Not knowingly misrepresent the characteristics of the breed, nor falsely advertise dogs, nor mislead any person regarding the quality of the dog.
11 To ensure that all relevant Kennel Club documents are provided to the new owner when selling or transferring a dog.
12 To consider this Club’s recommendation to have breeding bitches and stud dogs eye tested for PHPV/HC and DNA tested for L2-HGA and Hereditary Cataract. For further information and/or DNA testing application forms please refer to http://www.staffords.co.uk or contact The Animal Health Trust on
http://www.aht.org.uk
13 To demonstrate responsible ownership at all times and be sensitive to the public image of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, not only in the home environment but also in public places and at shows.
NOTTS & DERBY STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER CLUB RULES & REGULATIONS |
1 NAME & OBJECTS
The Club shall be called the Notts & Derby District Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club and its object shall be the progress of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
2 OFFICERS & COMMITTEE
The Club shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Show Secretary, a Committee of 15 and an unlimited number of Members.
3 COMMITTEE
The management of the Club shall be in the hands of a Committee consisting of 15 Members, of whom 5 shall retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election. The President, Vice-President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Show Secretary shall be ex-officio members of the Committee and shall retire annually, but shall be eligible for re-election.
Members of the Committee shall be eligible for re-election every 3 years.
Meetings of the Committee shall be held as often as deemed necessary.
A quorum for Committee meetings shall be 6.
The Committee shall have the power to co-opt members on to the Committee in the event of positions becoming vacant between General Meetings.
Those co-opted shall only hold office until the next General Meeting of the Society at which an election of Officers and Committee takes place. Co-opted Committee members shall have voting rights at Committee meetings.
Any member of the Committee absent from 3 consecutive meetings without reasonable grounds or apology may be deemed by the Committee to have resigned, and his/her place may be filled by co-option.
When voting for new Committee members the vote cast by each Club member should be for the number of vacancies, not the number of nominees, i.e. 4 vacancies, 6 nominees = 4 votes, and that any ballot paper showing more nominees than there are vacancies shall be declared null and void.
4 ELECTION OF MEMBERS
No individual who has been a member for less than 2 consecutive years may be elected on to the Committee. Membership must be current, i.e. 24 months from date of joining.
5 The Secretary will provide the Kennel Club with a statement of the number of members as at the end of the Club’s financial year, as part of the Annual Returns. In addition, an up-to-date list of members to be available for inspection by the members of the Club or by the Kennel Club if requested.
6 VOTING RIGHTS
Each member shall be entitled to one vote immediately upon acceptance of membership.
Postal votes/proxy votes are not allowed.
Voting shall be by secret ballot/show of hands, as decided at the meeting.
In the case of Joint Membership (i.e. 2 persons), then each member of the partnership is allowed one vote.
No member under 16 years of age shall be eligible to serve on the Committee or vote.
7 CLUB PROPERTY
The property of the Club shall be vested in the Committee. Donors of cups and trophies do so on the understanding that once accepted, they become the outright property of the Club. In the event of the Club ceasing to exist, a final 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.
(If the Club is wound up or ceases to be a Registered Society under KC Regulations, a final statement of accounts with a record of the disposal of the property of the Society shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club within six months, and the 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).
8 CLUB ACCOUNTS
(a) A Banking Account shall be held in the name of the Club into which all revenue of the Club shall be paid, and from which withdrawal shall only be made on the signatures of any two from: Hon. Treasurer/Chairman/Hon. Secretary. The account shall be kept by the Hon. Treasurer.
(b) An Auditor shall be appointed at each Annual General Meeting, and accounts will be certified annually and presented to the members for approval at the Annual General Meeting.
9 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Annual Subscriptions shall be £3 single or £4 joint (NB: joint membership to comprise two persons only), payable to the Hon. Secretary on the 1st day of January each year. The Committee may change the annual subscription rates as and when it is deemed necessary, without recourse to the AGM for future sub-amendments. No member whose subscription is unpaid shall be entitled to any of the privileges of membership, and if any member fails to pay the Annual Subscription by 31 March, the Committee shall have power to erase his/her name from the list of members. However, if the Committee shall subsequently receive a satisfactory explanation, the member may, at the discretion of the Committee and on payment of arrears, be re-admitted to membership.
10 EXPULSION OF MEMBERS
Any Member who shall be suspended under Kennel Club Rule A42j(5) and/or any member whose dog(s) is/are disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A42j(9) shall ipso facto cease to be a Member of the Club.
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 or interests of the Society, 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 purposed 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.
11 FINANCIALYEAR/ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The financial year of the Club shall be from 1 January to 31 December. The Annual General Meeting shall be held before 25 March each year.
12 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
(i) To receive the report of the Committee and Balance Sheet, to elect Officers and Committee members and to discuss any resolution duly placed on the Agenda, of which prior notice has been given to the Hon. Secretary. The election of Officers and Committee at the Annual General Meeting shall be either by vote or ballot of those present at the said meeting. No business shall be transacted at an Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof appears on the Agenda, with the exception of routine matters or those which in the opinion of Chairman of the Meeting are urgent.
(ii) Members will be notified of the date of Annual General Meetings by a notice placed in the Canine Press (i.e. both Dog World and Our Dogs).
(iii) Members will be given 28 clear days notice of Annual General Meetings.
(iv) Items for the Agenda should be submitted in writing to the Hon. Secretary to be received not less than 14 clear days prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting.
(v) The Agenda will be circulated at the Annual General Meeting.
12a SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
A Special General Meeting shall be summoned by the Hon. Secretary if 10 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 shall be discussed at a Special General Meeting.
Members will be given 14 clear days notification of the date of a Special General Meeting by a notice placed in the Canine Press (i.e. both Dog World and Our Dogs).
13 AMENDMENTS TO RULES
The Rules of the Club may not be altered except at a General Meeting, the notice for which contains specific proposals to amend the Rules. Any proposed alteration to the Rules may not be bought 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.
14 ANNUAL RETURNS TO THE KENNEL CLUB
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 31 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, be forwarded to the Kennel Club.
The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any changes of Secretary of the Club which may occur during the course of the year.
15 KENNEL CLUB FINAL AUTHORITY
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. Members must abide by Kennel Club rules.
16 The Club shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs.
17 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.
18 BREED CLUB JUDGES’ LISTS
The Club shall annually appoint a Judges’ Sub-Committee, consisting of at least 75% CC Judges for the breed, to compile the Club’s Judges’ Lists. The purpose of the Club’s Judging Lists is to indicate to interested parties those persons the Club would support at differing levels of judging. The completed lists are to be submitted to the Kennel Club by the Hon. Secretary as part of the Club’s Annual Returns. The lists expire annually on 30 April, and are divided into 5 parts as follows:-
A1 List – Judges who have previously been approved by The Kennel Club to award CCs in the breed, who have completed their first appointment, and who have the support of the N&DDSBT Club.
A2 List – Judges who fulfil all the requirements for the A3 list, who have been assessed in accordance with the Kennel Club requirements and accepted by The Kennel Club for inclusion on an A2 list (or who have been approved, but have not yet completed their first appointment), and who have the support of the N&DDSBT Club.
A3 List – Judges who are recommended by a Breed Council or Breed Club/Society as being suitable to award CCs in the breed, but not yet approved by The Kennel Club for inclusion on an A2 list, and who have the support of the N&DDSBT Club. Criteria to be the same as to approve a Championship Show Judge.
B List – Judges who have the support of the N&DDSBT Club to judge the breed where CC’s are not on offer, and at Breed Club Open and Limited Shows, and who meet the Club’s criteria.
C List – For aspirant judges who have shown an interest in the breed and who have the support of the N&DDSBT Club.
18a No person shall be accepted to judge any show within the control of the Club, if he or she has a Staffordshire Bull Terrier appointment judging the same sex in the 12 months prior to the appointment, at a venue less than 100 miles apart. This decision to be finalised by the Committee of the Club.
18b If a judge has judged the breed at a General Championship Show, it is to count as a Breed Club show in our criteria.
18c That the nominee gaining most votes has the choice of either sex, second choice offered to the nominee with the second highest vote, and that the top three in that order be considered in that order, providing each receive not less than 51% support of those members present.
18d No person shall judge any of the Club’s shows twice within a five year period; any such nominations to be declared null and void.
18e All persons selected to judge the Club’s shows must meet the appropriate criteria.
Jenny Smith – Hon. Secretary (N&DDSBT Club)
March 2007
