1. NAME
The club shall be called THE MIDLAND DOBERMANN CLUB (hereinafter called ‘The Club’).
1a. GENERAL CODE OF ETHICS/Conditions for membership – Annex 1.
2. OBJECTIVES
To promote and foster the interests of the Dobermann in Great Britain. To provide a source through which Members and other interested parties can exchange views and seek
information regarding the welfare or information about the breed.
3. MEMBERS
The Club shall consist of an unlimited number of Members and Honorary Life Members whose names and addresses shall be entered in a register kept by the Secretary.
Candidates for membership of The Club shall be proposed by one Member and seconded by another, and elected by or balloted by the Committee at one of their meetings. This list of names will be available for inspection if so requested by the members of The Club or the Kennel Club.
4. MEETINGS AND COMMITTEE
The Club elects annually a President, not more than two Vice Presidents, a Chairman, an Honorary Secretary, an Honorary Treasurer, an Honorary Publicity Officer and a Committee of up to ten members.
5. MANAGEMENT
The Management of The Club will be in the hands of the Officers and Committee, all of whom will retire annually but be eligible for re-election. All Officers will have voting rights and will be ex-officio members of the Committee.
The Committee shall each year at their first meeting after the Annual General Meeting elect from among them a Vice-Chairman.
Meetings of the Committee will be held as often as is deemed necessary by the Chairman or Secretary or a majority of the Committee. For the transaction of business at a Committee Meeting, a quorum shall be 50% plus 1 of the current Committee, of whom at least three shall be elected Officers of the Committee. Except in an emergency at least fourteen days notice of a Meeting shall be given to all Committee Members stating a time and place.
Any Officer or Member of the Committee who without reasonable cause fails to attend three consecutive meetings may be suspended but the vacancy shall not be filled until the next Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting is called.
‘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.’
6. VOTING
At all Committee and General Meetings each Officer and each Member of more than SIX months standing, except Junior members, shall have one vote on each motion, and in the event of a tie, the Chairman, at their discretion, shall have in addition a casting vote. No Member of less than six months standing will be eligible to any Club voting, nor during that period to stand for election to any Club office or to nominate or second another Member for office.
7. ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE
Officers and Committee members retiring as in Rule 5 shall, if they wish to stand for reelection, notify the Secretary in writing accordingly at least 28 days prior to the Annual General Meeting. New nominees, who must be fully paid up Members at the time of proposal, must be proposed and seconded by fully paid up Members in writing with the written agreement to stand of the person nominated at least 28 days before the Annual General Meeting. Anyone wishing to be proposed, as an Officer or Committee member of The Club should have been a Club member for a full 18 months immediately preceding the Annual General Meeting at which their nomination will be considered. A complete list of candidates, together with the names of their respective proposers and seconders shall be circulated to all Members with the agenda of the Annual General Meeting. In the event of insufficient nominations to the committee being received, all nominations received by the Secretary 28 days prior to the Annual General Meeting be automatically elected, and the balance required to be nominated from the floor of the Annual General Meeting and balloted on and elected by simple majority. Election shall be by secret ballot of those Members present at the Annual General Meeting.
7a. Officers, Committee Members and Sub-Committee Members of the MDC cannot serve on any other Dobermann Club Committee or Sub-Committee whilst in office.
7b. Officers and the Committee Members of the MDC cannot handle dogs in the beauty classes at Club shows.
7c. Whilst the MDC remain members of the Dobermann Breed Council its two representatives shall be elected annually at the Committee meeting following the Annual General Meeting.
8. POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE
The Committee shall have the power to call meetings, to make the necessary bye-laws and rescind the same, to arbitrate in matters of dispute within The Club, to deal at its absolute discretion with the funds and property of The Club and to settle any question or matter not at present provided for in these rules. Any decisions taken under this Rule shall remain operative until the following Annual General Meeting. The Committee shall have the power to appoint Sub-Committees to carry out specific activities composed of Committee Members and/or other members of The Club with suitable qualifications. For liaison purposes, the Chairman of such Sub-Committee shall be invited to attend all relevant meetings of the main Committee but, unless he is also a Member of that Committee he shall not have voting rights.
That the Committee be given powers to co-opt qualified Club Members on to the Committee as vacancies occur. These co-opted members will have voting rights at Committee meetings, and must offer themselves for re-election at the following Annual General Meeting.
9. EXPULSION OF MEMBERS
Any member who shall be disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A11.j.(5) and/or Kennel Club Rule A11.j.(9) shall ipso facto cease to be a Member of the Society.
If the conduct of any member shall, in the opinion of the committee of the society, be injurious or likely to be injurious to the character or interests of the society, the committee of the society 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 society 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 Member involved giving particulars of the complaint and advising him/her of the place, date and hour of the Meeting, that he/she may attend and offer an explanation. If at that Meeting a resolution is passed by secret ballot by two-thirds majority of the Members present and voting his/her name may be forthwith erased from the list of Members and he/she thereupon may 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 a Meeting, appeal to the Kennel Club upon and subject to such conditions as the Kennel Club may impose.
“If the society expels any member for discreditable conduct in connection with dogs, dog shows, trials or competitions, the society must report the
10. GENERAL MEETINGS
Special General Meetings may be called as often as the Committee shall decide. The Secretary shall convene a Special General Meeting if ten or more Members submit a signed application for such a meeting, stating the business to be dealt with, at which no other matters may be discussed.
All Members shall be given at least fourteen days notice of a Special General Meeting giving the time and place. In dealing with a case of expulsion the Secretary shall take any additional action as required by Rule 9.
An Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than 31st March in each year for the following purposes:
a) To receive and accept reports from the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer
b) To receive and accept the Annual Accounts
c) To elect Officers, Committee and Honorary Life Members
d) To appoint Auditors of whom there shall be two unless one is professionally qualified, when he/she alone will suffice
e) To discuss items previously submitted for the Agenda
At an Annual General Meeting only the business appearing on the published agenda may be dealt with, except matters of routine or those considered by the Chairman to be of sufficient urgency.
At least forty two days notice of the date, time and place of an Annual General Meeting shall be given, and all items for the Agenda must be received in writing by the Secretary at least twenty-one days before the meeting. Agendas must be sent to all Members at least fourteen days prior to such meeting.
General Meetings may only be attended by fully paid up Members and, for the transaction of business at such meetings, a minimum of 6 (six) paid up Members shall form a quorum.
11. MINUTES OF MEETING
The minutes of all Club Meetings shall be prepared by the Secretary for agreement by the Chairman. They shall be circulated as required before the next similar meeting at which they shall be confirmed by vote and signed by the Chairman.
12. SUBSCRIPTIONS
The Annual Subscription shall be:
Single: £8.00
Joint: £9.00*
Family £10.00
*Joint Members (recognised partnership at same address)
The Committee is empowered to vary this subscription charge as necessary. No Members whose subscription or other debts to The Club remain unpaid shall enjoy any privileges of membership, and if any Member fails to make such payments by 31st March of the current year his/her name shall be erased from the list of Members.
13. CLUB ACCOUNTS
The Club’s financial year shall run from January 1 to December 31. A bank account or accounts shall be opened in the name of The Club to which all income of The Club shall be credited. Withdrawals shall only be made by the Honorary Treasurer or Chairman, plus one other signing Officer.
All expenses incurred by the Secretary, Treasurer, Show Manager, Publicity Officer and any other member of The Club authorised by the Chairman shall be reimbursed from Club funds.
The books of accounts shall be kept by the Honorary Treasurer who shall prepare the annual Accounts for certification by one qualified accountant or two individuals with accountancy experience. Those undertaking the certification of the accounts must be independent from those who prepared the accounts.
A copy of the annual statement of accounts will be made available on request to members 14 days prior to the AGM. Additionally, the annual statement of accounts will be available for inspection by members at the Annual General meeting.
14. CUPS, TROPHIES AND SPECIAL AWARDS
A Cup Steward shall be appointed by the Committee from among its Members who shall be responsible for keeping records of awards and signatures of recipients. All Cups and Trophies donated to The Club shall be deemed the sole property of The Club and it is only under this condition that they shall be accepted. Each shall be awarded in accordance with the wishes of the donor and may not be re-allocated without his/her written approval. In the event of a donor proving untraceable the Committee may, after a lapse of six months, make any change deemed to be in the interests of The Club. Cups, Trophies and Special Awards, unless specifically stated otherwise, shall be available only to fully paid up Members. If the winner is a non-member no award shall be made.
15. JUDGES
Nominations for additions to The Club’s judging lists shall be submitted to the Secretary and balloted upon at the next Committee Meeting on the agenda of which any such nominations shall appear.
16. WINDING UP
In the event of The Club ceasing for any reason, the donors of the Cups or Trophies shall be consulted where possible and disposed of in accordance with the wishes of the donor. A meeting of the Committee shall be called to decide upon the disposal of any remaining assets after all outstanding liabilities have been discharged. The Kennel Club shall be notified as soon as a decision is made to wind up The Club, and, within six months of such date they shall be supplied with a final statement of the accounts and a record showing disposal of all Club property.
17. ALTERATIONS TO RULES
The Rules of The Club may not be altered except at an Annual General or Special General Meeting, notice of which includes details of the proposal to alter the Rules, and such alterations shall not be brought into force until the Kennel Club has been advised and has given its approval of the alterations.
18. KENNEL CLUB FINAL COURT OF APPEAL
The Kennel Club is the final authority for interpreting the rules of the society in all cases relative to canine or society matters.
9. FEDERATION OF CLUBS
The Club shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs.
20. ANNUAL RETURNS TO THE KENNEL CLUB
The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year, maintenance of the Title Fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Secretary for continuance of registration and that prior to 31st July each year, other returns, as stipulated in Kennel Club 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.
If returns cannot be forwarded prior to 31st July the Officers acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club accordingly.
The Officers also 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.