The West Highland White Terrier Club

The West Highland White Terrier Club
Rules and Regulations

Name and Objects of the Club

1. This Club shall be called “The West Highland White Terrier Club”. Its objects shall be: (1) To promote the breeding and judging of West Highland White Terriers to the breed standard published by The Kennel Club and as is consistent with the health and welfare of each and every dog; and (2) To do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of the breed by offering prizes, supporting certain shows, and taking any other steps that might be considered advisable towards this end.

Establishment and Constitution

2. This Club shall consist of one or more Patrons, one or more Honorary Presidents, a Committee of up to sixteen and an unlimited number of members. The Club shall maintain an up to date list of members and their addresses, and if so requested, make the list available for inspection by the Kennel Club and members of the Club.

Membership

3. Adult memberships with voting rights may be single, joint or single life. Joint membership is open to two persons residing at the same address. Life membership is open to those who have been adult members for a full three (3) years or more. Junior membership, with no voting rights, is open to those under eighteen (18) years of age.

Adult members shall pay a joining fee and an annual subscription, junior members shall pay an annual subscription only. The fees and subscriptions payable shall be determined at the Annual General Meeting in the year preceding the membership year, which runs from 1st January to 31st December.

A person may be offered Honorary Life Membership on the recommendation of the committee and approval of an Annual General Meeting. Honorary Life Members shall have no voting rights and cannot serve on the committee.

4. New members, on being proposed and seconded formally by two of the existing members, may be admitted, subject to confirmation by the Committee. As payment of the Subscription will entitle the Member to enjoy every benefit and privilege of the Club, such payment shall be his/her distinct acknowledgement of, and acquiescence to, the Rules of the Club. Each adult member and each partner of a joint membership shall be entitled to vote at General Meetings and in postal ballots. No proxy votes will be allowed. No member shall be entitled to be present, or take part in any proceedings, or vote at a General Meeting, whether on a show of hands or by ballot; if or while he/she:-

a) is due any Subscription to the Club
b) is due to the Club any other debt which has remained due for a period or more than three months after the same became due and payable

Members wishing to withdraw from the Club shall express their wish in writing to the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer prior to the 1st January for the year in which they wish their membership to cease, otherwise they may be held to continue their membership and shall be held liable for their Subscription for the year. Members one year in arrears with their Subscription shall be struck off the Roll of Members and shall than cease to have any claim on, or be entitled to participate in, any of the effects or property belonging to the Club. Members shall be held liable for all arrears of subscriptions up to the time of expulsion or withdrawal as provided by this Rule.

Management

5. The affairs and management of the Club shall be conducted by the Committee consisting of up to sixteen members, all with full voting rights, who shall elect annually from their number a President who shall be Chairman until the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting, two Vice Presidents, one of whom shall act as Chairman in the event of the absence of the President, and an honorary Secretary and Treasurer. In the absence of the President and Vice Presidents at any meeting, a Chairman shall be elected by vote of the majority present. In the event of an equality of votes, the Chairman of any meeting shall have a casting vote, to be used at their discretion, as well as a deliberative vote. A quorum at any Committee Meeting, of which due notice has been given by the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, shall be six, two of which must be office bearers.

Election of the Committee

6. Election of the Committee shall be by postal ballot, with the three longest serving members retiring annually in rotation. The retiring members shall be eligible for re-election. Nominations for, seconding thereof and willingness to stand for committee must be intimated in writing to the Honorary Secretary. Those nominated for the Committee must have been Members for at least two years. The voting papers shall be returned to the Club’s auditor who shall pass the result the to the Honorary Secretary in a sealed envelope for opening at the Club’s Annual General Meeting.

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

Function of the Committee

7. The property of the Club shall be vested in the Committee, who shall have power to make the necessary bye-laws, arbitrate in disputed matters, and proceed against any member to recover arrears of subscriptions or any other monies or properties belonging to the Club. The Committee shall have the power to deal with any question not provided for by the Rules, and to fill any vacancy in their number, if thought necessary, by co-opting a member or members, such co-opted member or members holding office only until the next Election, being eligible for re-election as provided above.

A Banking Account shall be opened in the name of the Club into which all revenues of the Club shall be paid and from which withdrawals shall only be made on the signature of the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer and the President. No expense shall be incurred by any member of the committee beyond the funds of the Club.

Committee Meetings

8. It shall be competent for the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer to call a Committee Meeting whenever the business on hand warrants, but at least four such meetings per year shall be held. It shall also be competent for the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer to transact such business by letter or by telephone to the President and Committee and the replies of one half of the Committee must be obtained before such business shall be considered as having been sanctioned, provided that any business so transacted, shall be tabled at the next meeting of the Committee. Any Committee Member who, in any year of service, is absent from three Committee Meetings without good cause (e.g. illness, bereavement, etc) shall cease to be a member of the Committee and shall not be eligible to stand for election to membership of the Committee in the year following.

Annual General Meeting

9. The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in March each year. Notice of which shall be made in writing by 19th January each year. The Agenda and the Annual Abstract of Accounts, duly audited, shall be circulated at least fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting. The purpose of the meeting is:

a) to receive the Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting
b) to receive the report of the President
c) to receive the report of the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer and to approve the accounts
d) to receive the result of any postal ballots
e) to select a judge for the Club’s Open Show(s)
f) to set the Honorary Secretary and Treasurers expenses
g) to appoint the Auditor(s) and agree a fee
h) to discuss any resolution or other item duly placed on the Agenda, prior notice of which has been given to the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer at least twenty-eight (28) days before the date of the meeting
i) to set fees and subscriptions

No business shall be transacted at the Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof appears on the Agenda with the exception of routine matters or those that, in the opinion of the Chairman of the Meeting, are urgent.

Alterations to the Rules of the Club

10. The Rules of the Club may not be altered except at an Annual General Meeting 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 given its approval to such alterations excepting that 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 Club’s Annual General Meeting/Special General Meeting.

Notice of proposed alterations to Rules – Notice of any proposed alterations to the Rules or the Constitution of the Club must be lodged, in writing, with the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer prior to 15th December of any year. Such notice of motion must clearly define the proposed alteration or addition and must bear the signatures of the proposer and seconder.

11. The Kennel Club shall be the final authority for interpreting the Rules and Regulations of the Club in all cases relative to Canine or Club matters.

Special General Meetings

12. The Committee shall have the power to call additional General Meetings at any time deemed necessary in the interests of the Club, and the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, on a requisition signed by ten members and endorsed by the President, shall call Special General Meetings. At least fourteen (14) days notice of all Special General Meetings shall be given and these shall be called by intimation from the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer. The Notices calling any Special General Meeting shall specify the business thereof, to which alone discussion shall be confined.

Suspension/Expulsion

13a. Any member who shall be suspended under Kennel Club Rule A42.j.(5) and/or any member whose dog(s) is/are disqualified under Kennel Club Rules A42.j.(9) shall ipso facto cease to be a Member of the Club.

13b. 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 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 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 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 (7) days and supply particulars required.

Judges

14. The Club will produce, in accordance with Kennel Club “Best Practice”, a list of judges each year which will be submitted to The Kennel Club as part of the Club’s Annual Returns. The purpose of the Club’s Judges’ List is to indicate to interested parties those persons the Club would support at differing levels of judging. Membership of the Club is not a prerequisite for inclusion in the Lists. The current Judges’ Lists, the criteria applied in drawing up the lists and application forms for inclusion on said lists will be made available to any person upon request.

The election of the Judge for the Club’s own Annual Championship Show shall follow the procedure for the election of the committee as laid down in Rule 6., with the exception that candidates are not required to be a member of the club. Candidates must be listed on the club’s own A1, A2 or A3 lists and be a breed specialist.

Judges of the Club’s Championship Show(s) must not judge the breed at championship level in Scotland in the preceding 3 years and in the rest of the UK in the preceding 18 months.

Judges for the Club’s own Annual Open Show shall be selected by ballot at an Annual General Meeting and candidates must be listed on the clubs own B List or above.

Special Prizes

15. In the event of Cups, Trophies or other prizes, which are only to be held by the winner for a given time, being voted to any show, the Committee may demand solvent security from the winner of such prize before delivery, and that they will undertake to forward it, without damage, to the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer of the Club, or to the Secretary of any Show where it is to be competed for, one week prior to the said Show, on receiving notice from the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer to that effect.

General

16. The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year, Maintenance of Title Fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club whether by the Secretary or by Direct Debit, for continuance of registration and that by 31st July each year, other returns, as stipulated in the Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies and Breed 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 any change of Secretary of the Club which may occur during the course of the year.

17. The Club shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs.

Dissolution of the Club

18. Should the Club for any reason cease to exist, a Special General Meeting shall be called to decide on the disposal of the assets and the outcome of the meeting notified to the Kennel Club. A final statement of 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 by the Kennel Club for the proper winding up of the Club.