RULES OF THE BINCKNOLL DOG TRAINING CLUB

1. NAME & OBJECTS

The Club shall be called the Bincknoll Dog Training Club and its objects shall be:

a. To provide help and training facilities for dogs and owners.

b. To promote responsible dog ownership.

c. To provide regular training classes where dogs and owners can learn:

I Dog Socialisation and behaviour

ii Obedience

iii Agility

d. To hold social events.

2. OFFICERS & COMMITTEE

The Club shall consist of a Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon Treasurer and an unlimited number of Members.

3. COMMITTEE

The management of the Club shall be in the hands of the Committee. The Committee shall consist of the club Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon Treasurer and any extra Committee members required. The size of the committee shall be based on 10% of total club membership, with a minimum committee size of no less than seven.

All members of the committee including Club officers shall have full voting rights.

Meetings of the Committee shall be held as often as deemed necessary but at least every two months.

A total of no less than 2/3rds of the total Committee members shall form a quorum for Committee meetings.

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 Annual General Meeting of the Club at which an election of Officers and Committee takes place. Co-opted committee members shall have voting rights at committee meetings.

If a member of the Committee is absent from 3 Committee Meetings during the year without satisfactory excuse, they shall forfeit their seat and shall be ineligible for re-election for 12 months.

All members of the Committee must maintain their Club subscriptions.

The committee reserve the right to refuse membership and/or entries to the Club Shows.

4. ELECTION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS

All Officers and Committee members shall retire bi annually.

Existing Members of the Committee shall be eligible for re-election at the Annual General meeting they retire on, if they wish to continue their duties.

Candidates for Committee membership shall be proposed by one existing fully paid up member, seconded by another.

Election of committee members can only take place at an Annual General Meeting, or at a Special General meeting where a vote of no confidence is passed against the existing Committee.

5. VOTING RIGHTS

Each Single Member shall be entitled to one vote upon acceptance of membership.

Postal votes are not allowed.

Written proxy votes are allowed, but only on notified agenda items.

Voting on all matters except for Committee membership shall be by show of hands plus any proxy votes and follow the wishes of the majority.

Voting of Committee membership will only occur where the number proposed candidates for election are greater than the number of places available on the Committee, and in such an occurrence, will be made by secret ballot of members attending a General Meeting.

6. CLUB PROPERTY

The property of the Club shall be vested in the Committee. 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.

7. CLUB ACCOUNTS

A Banking Account shall be held in the name of the Club at any bank with which the Committee may from time to time decide upon, into which all revenue of the Club shall be paid and from which withdrawal shall only be made on the signatures of two of the three committee members granted signatory rights. Where two or more parties of a joint/family membership form part of the committee, only one of them shall hold signatory rights within the Club.

The accounts of the Club shall be kept by the Hon. Treasurer and duly audited by one qualified or two unqualified auditors with accountancy experience before the AGM.

The Hon. Treasurer shall also produce the most up to date Bank Statement(s) available at every Committee Meeting.

8. MEMBERSHIP AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

First year of membership, where accepted, will be as �Associate Member� with renewal/replacement granted on the condition that there has been a minimum attendance of 60% to be measured over training sessions/Club competitions/show/demo etc. An attendance record of less than 60% will act as a trigger for review by committee, at which the dog�s ability and members commitment to the Club will be considered. Depending on the committee�s decision the membership renewal will then be refused or accepted.

Club Subscriptions shall be due from the 1st January every year. The Annual Subscription shall be such amount as agreed by members in General Meeting.

The full annual subscription shall apply to all individual members irrespective of age.

New members starting within the Financial Year will pay a Subscription based on a pro rata proportion of the Annual Subscription rates.

Lapsed members requiring to re-join shall pay the full annual membership irrespective of rejoining date.

No member whose subscription is unpaid is entitled to any of the privileges of Membership and if the Member shall fail to pay outstanding subscriptions by 1st February , his/her name shall be automatically erased from the register. If the Committee shall subsequently receive a satisfactory explanation the member may at the discretion of the Committee, and on payments of arrears be re-registered with the Club.

Once members have been accepted for membership, providing they continue to pay their membership subscriptions at the correct time they cannot be refused renewal of membership. With the exception of default on subscriptions, the only way to remove a member from the Club' is by following the procedure defined in section 9 of the Club Rules.

If with the agreement of a simple majority of all members by canvass it is deemed necessary to increase the training fees, then the committee is authorised to do so.

9. EXPULSION OF MEMBERS

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 convening a meeting which includes as an object the consideration of the conduct of the Member, determine that an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club shall be called for the purpose of passing a resolution to expel him/her.

Notice of the Extraordinary 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 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 Club.

10. FINANCIAL YEAR/ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The financial year of the Club shall be from 1st January to 31st December. The Annual General Meeting shall be held as early in the New Year as possible, but shall occur no later than the end of March.

11. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Nature of Business to be conducted at the Club�s Annual General Meeting:

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.

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.

Notice of such meetings will be given to members in writing. Not less than 21 clear days notice must be given to members of the Annual General Meeting.

A notice period of not less than 8 days prior to the date of the Annual General meeting is required by the Secretary for inclusion of any resolution on the agenda.

The Agenda will be circulated at the Club training session prior to date of the Annual General Meeting. Any member unable to attend these training session can request Agenda details from the Hon. Secretary

11a EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be summoned by the Hon. Secretary if requested by the Committee or if 10 or more members send a signed requisition stating the subject to be discussed and requesting a Extraordinary General Meeting to do so.

Notice of such meetings will be given to members in writing. Not less than 21 clear days notice must be given to members of the Extraordinary General Meeting.

The Committee does however have the power to call a Extraordinary General Meeting with of notice period of less than 21 days should circumstances occur which require an earlier decision to be made.

No business other than that detailed on the agenda can be discussed at an Extraordinary General Meeting.

12. AMENDMENTS TO RULES

The Rules of the Club may not be altered except at a General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting, the notice for which contains proposals to amend the Rules.

13. INSURANCE

Third Party Insurance and Member to Member Liability cover is provided by the Club for all training nights and Club Events. The Club recommends that all members have third party insurance cover for other occasions.

14. RULES FOR TRAINING CLASSES

T1. It is advisable that members maintain their dogs yearly vaccinations (against Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospiros, Parvovirus and Parainfluenza) or alternative homeopathic treatments

T2. No dogs under the age of 3 months are allowed to train.

T3. Before the owner of a dog enters Training Classes he/she must be a member of the Club.

T4. Dogs attending Agility training should wear flat collars only.

T5. Any dog that seems ,unwell, in the opinion of the Trainer will be refused training.

T6. Any dog which shows repetitively aggressive or untrustworthy behaviour in the opinion of the Trainer or Committee will be refused training. Re-admission to training

T7. sessions will only be acceptable if appropriate measures, as agreed by the Trainer and Club Committee, are undertaken by the member responsible for the dog e.g. muzzling

T8. No dog or handler may participate of training if the Trainer considers the physical condition or behaviour of the dog or handler be unsuitable. Should a conflict arise the matter shall be brought to the immediate attention of the Membership Secretary who will mediate. Should mediation fail the matter will be put to the full Committee whose decision will be final.

T9. No bitches in season are allowed attend Training Classes.

T10. Any dog known to have been in recent contact with any contagious disease is not to attend classes. If in doubt refer to your Veterinary Surgeon and inform a Committee Member

T11. Owners are responsible for cleaning and the appropriate disposal of any fouling, inside or outside the Arena, by their own dogs.

T12. No dogs off the lead except when instructed by the Trainer.

T13. Owners must keep their dogs under control at all times

T14. This Club will not tolerate cruelty to animals. Any member who, in the opinion of the Committee, is guilty of excessive corrective treatment, malnutrition, etc. will be advised, warned and/or subjected to rule 9 of General Rules of the Club.

T15. Children under the age of sixteen are allowed to attend at the discretion of the Committee and handle dogs at the discretion of the Trainers. Parent or accompanying adults are responsible for the actions of the children and their dogs.

T16. No smoking except in a designated area.

T17. All dogs partaking of Agility Classes do so entirely at the owner's risk

T18. All dogs partaking of Agility Classes will have had to have demonstrated a satisfactory level of obedience prior to acceptance into the class.

T19. All members MUST assist in the putting up or the taking down of equipment used for training. All dogs should be kept in cars when this is going on.

T20. Contact numbers for Committee members and Trainers should be made available to members.

T21. The Committee is authorized to permit guest attendance by a handler on one off specific occasions for reasons that satisfy the Committee that such attendance is in the interest of the Club. (Rule change implemented by 2007 AGM item 7)