Constitution

DORSET WORKING SPANIEL CLUB KC ID NO. 350

CONSTITUTION AND RULES

  1. The name of the club shall be the Dorset Working Spaniel Club.
  2. The object of the Club shall be to promote and encourage the training of all breeds of Spaniel to work in the field and to organise Working Tests and Field Trials.
  3. The Club shall elect a President, limited to a term of 3 years duration, Honorary Chairman, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, and a committee of thirteen in total, with the option of co-opting three additional members for special purposes. Five to form a quorum. The management of the Club shall be in the hands of the Committee. The Committee to have the power to elect from within its own ranks an Officer to replace any Officer leaving between Annual General Meetings.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Officers and the Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. Half of the Committee shall retire annually, but on signifying their agreement, shall be eligible for re-election.
  4. Members: Candidates for membership shall be proposed and seconded by two fully paid-up members of the Club and shall be elected for or balloted by the Committee at one of its meetings, three negatives shall exclude. Both members of a Joint membership shall have voting rights in the Club’s activities.
  5. The committee has the right to award Hon Life Memberships at any committee meeting. 
  6. An initial joining fee of £5.00 is payable when a candidate applies for membership (to be refunded if the applicant is not accepted)

Member’s subscriptions are as follows: Full Members: Single     £10.00   per annum.                                                   Joint £15.00 per annum. Joint membership shall only qualify for one entry into Fields Trials or Working Tests. Subscriptions are due on the 1st March each year. Any candidate who is not accepted or any member who has not paid the annual subscription by the 1st July shall not receive members’ preference in the Field Trials.

  1. The Annual General Meeting shall be held as soon as possible after the end of the financial year, i.e., 1st March for the following purposes: to receive the Committee’s report and elect Officers and members of the Committee: to discuss resolutions placed on the agenda which must be submitted to the Hon. Secretary no less than fourteen days prior to the meeting; and to receive accounts. No other business to be discussed. Notice of convening the Annual General Meeting must be forwarded to every member not less than twenty-one days prior to the Meeting.  
  1. Club Accounts: A bank account shall be opened in the name of the Club. Withdrawals to be made by cheque bearing the signature of both the Chairman and the Treasurer if the committee sees fit. Further that in appropriate circumstances the treasurer may make money transfers to recognised accounts via the internet banking system.                                                                                                           
  1. Special General Meeting: Special General Meetings may be convened at any time for a specific purpose at the request of ten members. A written requisition, duly signed, must be handed to the Hon Secretary fourteen days prior to the Meeting and the Meeting shall be held within twenty-one days of the requisition. No other business to be discussed.
  1. No rule shall be altered other than at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting. Such alterations shall not be brought into force until the Kennel Club has given its approval. 
  1. Dissolution of the Club: In the event of the dissolution of the Club a Special General Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of the assets. A final statement of the 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 for the proper winding up of the Club.

Any member who shall be suspended under the 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.                            

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 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 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.

  1. 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.                                                                                                      
  1. The Kennel Club is the final authority for interpreting the Rules and Regulations of the Club and in all cases relative to Canine or Club matters.
  2. The Club shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs.
  3. The club shall not at any time, jointly with other clubs, or as a club on its own, hold any dog show.
  1. The Club will maintain an up-to-date list of members, their addresses telephone numbers and email addresses for inspection if requested by the members of the Club or the Kennel Club.
  1. 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 the 31st July each year, other returns, as stipulated by the Kennel Club regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies and Breeds 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 the change of Secretary of the Society, which may occur during the year.  
  1. No person whilst an un-discharged bankrupt may serve on the Committee of or hold any other Office or appointment within a Kennel Club Registered 
  1. Any committee member, who fails to attend at least two events on separate dates in any one year, will be asked to resign unless his/her reason for such non-attendance is agreed by majority vote in the committee as unavoidable.

Definition of ‘event’ is any gathering of DWSC. A ‘year’ starts 1sy March to end February.

Additional rule relating to Field Trials

If a trial is in danger of being cancelled, having offered runs to everyone who has entered, the FT Secretary may contact eligible dog owners to run.

If these owners are not club members they may join at this time.  [Wavering the requirement to be a member by July 1st – see section 6]

The FT Secretary must communicate the members’ details to the Membership Secretary within 7 working days of the trial date.