CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE
MIAMI VALLEY SHETLAND SHEEPDOG CLUB
With the CODE OF ETHICS
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I: Name and Objects
Section 1 The name of the Club shall be the Miami Valley Shetland Sheepdog Club.
Section 2 The objects of the Club shall be:
(a) To encourage and promote the breeding of purebred Shetland Sheepdogs
and to do all possible
to bring their natural qualities to perfection.
(b) To urge members and breeders to accept the standard of the breed as approved by the American Kennel Club as the only standard of excellence by which Shetland Sheepdogs shall be judged.
(c) To do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of the breed by encouraging sportsmanshiplike competition at dog shows and obedience trials.
(d) To conduct sanctioned and licensed speciality shows and obedience trials under the rules of the American Kennel Club.
Section 3 The club shall not be conducted or operated for profit and no part of any profits or remainder or residue from dues or donations to the club shall inure to the benefit of any member of individual.
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I: Membership
Section 1 Eligibility. There shall be one type of voting membership open to all persons eighteen years of age and older who are in good standing with the American Kennel Club and who subscribe to the purposes of this Club.
While membership is to be unrestricted as to residence, the Club’s primary purpose is to be representative of the breeders and exhibitors in the greater Dayton area.
Section 2 Dues. There shall be an initiation fee of fifteen dollars ($15.00) per person. (The initiation fee includes $5.00 for a Club name badge.) Membership dues shall be ten dollars ($10.00) per single membership and fifteen dollars ($15.00) per couple per year, payable on or before the September meeting of each year. Jr. membership (under 18 years) shall be a non-voting and non-office holding membership. There shall be an initiation fee of five dollars ($5.00) to cover the cost of a Club name badge. Dues shall be one dollar ($1.00) per year. No member may vote whose dues are not paid for the current year. During the month of August the Secretary shall send to each member a statement of his dues for the ensuing year.
Section 3 Election to Membership. Each person desiring membership shall attend two regular meetings prior to applying for membership. Each applicant for membership shall apply on a form as approved by the Board of Directors and which shall provide that the applicant agrees to abide by the Constitution and By-Laws, Code of Ethics and the rules of the American Kennel Club. The application shall state the name, address and occupation of the applicant and it shall carry the endorsement of two members. Club members may sponsor only two applications per fiscal year and with only one family member as a sponsor. Accompanying the application, the prospective member shall submit the initiation fee and dues for the current year.
All applications are to be filed with the Secretary and each application is to be read and reviewed by the Board of Directors prior to the first meeting of the Club following its’ receipt. The membership shall be notified by mail of the Board’s recommendation. At the next meeting of the Club the application will be voted upon and affirmative votes of three-fourths of the members present and voting at that meeting shall be required to elect the applicant.
Applicants for membership who have been rejected by the Club may not re-apply within six months after such rejection.
Section 4 Termination of Membership. Memberships may be terminated:
(a) by resignation. Any member in good standing may resign from the club
upon written notice to the Secretary; but no member may resign when in debt to the Club. Dues obligations are considered a debt to the Club and they become incurred on the first day of each fiscal year.
(b) by lapsing. A membership will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such member’s dues remain unpaid 90 days after the first day of the fiscal year. In no case may a person be entitled to vote at any club meeting whose dues are unpaid as of the date of that meeting. Any person whose membership has lapsed, must reapply under rules applying to membership.
(c) by expulsion. A membership may be terminated by expulsion provided in Article VI of the constitution and by-laws.
ARTICLE II: Meetings and Voting
Section 1 Club Meetings. Meetings of the Club shall be held on the second Friday of each month of the year, at such hour and place as may be designated by the President. Written notice of each such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 10 days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such meetings shall be 20% of the membership in good standing.
Section 2 Special Club Meetings. Special Club meetings may be called by the President, or by a majority vote of the members of the Board who are present and voting at any regular of special meeting of the Board, or by the Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by five members of the Club who are in good standing. Such special meetings shall be held at such an hour and place as may be designated by the person or persons authorized herein to call such meeting.
Written notice of such a meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least five days and not more than 15 days prior to the date of the meeting; and said notice shall state the purpose of the meeting and no other Club business may be transacted. The quorum for such a meeting shall be 20% of the membership in good standing.
Section 3 Board Meetings. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at a time and place to be designated by the President. Written notice of each such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 5 days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority.
Section 4 Special Board Meetings. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President or by the Secretary upon receipt of a written request signed by at least two
(2) members of the Board. Such special meetings shall be held at such hour and place as may be designated by the person authorized herein to call such meeting. Written notice of such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least 5 days and not more than 10 days prior to the date of the meeting, or telegraphic notice shall be filed at least 3 days and not more than 5 days prior to the date of the meeting. Any such notice shall state the purpose of the meeting and no other business shall be transacted thereat. A quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority.
Section 5 Voting. Each member in good standing whose dues are paid for the current year shall be entitled to one vote at any meeting of the Club at which he is present. Proxy voting will not be permitted at any Club meeting or election. Voting or motion privileges shall not be extended to Jr. members.
ARTICLE III: Directors and Officers
Section 1 Board of Directors. The Board shall be comprised of the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, all of who will be elected each year. The remainder of the Board will consist of the immediate past president and four other members, two of which shall be elected for two-year terms each year. General management of the Club’s affairs shall be entrusted to the Board of Directors. The Board shall yearly review and revise, if necessary, the constitution and by-laws between the September and October meeting.
Section 2 Officers. The Club’s officers, consisting of the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall serve in their respective capacities both with regard to the Club and its meetings and the Board and its meetings.
(a) The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and of the Board, and shall have the duties and powers normally appurtenant to the office of President in addition to those particularly specified in the constitution and by-laws.
(b) The Vice-President shall have the powers and exercise the duties of the President in case of the President’s death, absence or incapacity.
(c) The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Club and of the
Board and of all matters of which a record shall be ordered by the Club. He shall have charge of the correspondence and notifying members of meetings, notify new members of their election to membership, notify officers and directors of their election to office, keep a roll of the members of the Club with their addresses and carry out such other duties as are prescribed in the constitution and by-laws.
(d) The Treasurer shall collect and receive all money due or belonging to the Club and receipt therefore, He shall deposit the same in a bank satisfactory to the Board, in the name of the Club. His books shall at all times be open to inspection of the Board and he shall report to them at every meeting the condition of the Club’s finances and every item of receipt or payment not before reported; and at the annual meeting he shall rend an account of all monies received and expended during that previous fiscal year.
Section 3 Vacancies. Any vacancies occurring on the Board during the year shall be filled for the unexpired term of office by a majority vote of all the members of the board at its first regular meeting following the creation of such vacancy.
ARTICLE VI: The Club Year, Annual Meeting and Elections
Section 1 Club Year. The Club’s fiscal year shall begin on the first day of September and ends on the thirty-first day of August.
The Club’s official year shall begin immediately at the conclusion of the election at the annual meeting and shall continue through the election at the next annual meeting.
Section 2 Annual Meeting. The annual meeting shall be held in the month of June At which directors and officers for the ensuing year shall be elected by secret, written ballot either mailed or hand-carried, from among those nominated in accordance with Section 4 of this article. They shall take office immediately upon the conclusion of the election and each retiring officer shall turn over to his successor in office all properties and records relating to that office within 30 days after the election.
Section 3 Elections. The nominated candidate receiving the greatest number of votes for each office shall be declared elected. The two nominated candidates for other positions on the Board who receive the greatest number of votes for such positions shall be declared elected.
Section 4 Nominations. No person may be a candidate in a Club election who has not been nominated. During the month of March, the Board shall select a nominating committee consisting of three members and two alternates, not more than one of whom shall be a member of the Board. The Secretary shall immediately notify the committeemen and alternates of their election. The Board shall name a Chairman for the Committee and it shall be his duty to call a committee meeting which shall be held on or before April 15th.
(a) The Committee shall nominate a minimum of two candidates for each office and four candidates for the two other positions on the Board, and after securing the consent of each person so nominated, shall immediately report their nominations to the Secretary in writing.
(b) Upon receipt of the Nominating Committee’s report, the Secretary shall on or before May 1st notify each member in writing of the candidates so nominated.
(c) Additional nominations may be made at the May meeting by any member in attendance provided that the person so nominated does not decline when his name is proposed, and provided further that if the proposed candidate is not in attendance at this meeting, his proposer shall present to the Secretary a written statement from the proposed candidate signifying his willingness to be a candidate. No person may be a candidate for more than one office, and the additional nominations which are provided for herein may be made only from among those members who are not nominated by the Nominating Committee.
(d) Nominations cannot be made at the annual meeting or in any manner other than as provided in this Section.
ARTICLE V: Committees
Section 1 The Board may each year appoint standing committees to advance the work of the Club in such matters as shows and obedience trials, trophies, annual prizes, membership and other fields which may well be served by committees. Such committees shall always be subject to the final authority of the Board. Special committees may also be appointed by the Board to aid it on particular projects.
Section 2 Any committee appointment may be terminated by a majority vote of full membership of the Board upon written notice to the appointee; and the Board may appoint successors to those persons whose service has been terminated.
ARTICLE VI: Discipline
Section 1 American Kennel Club Suspension. Any member who is suspended from the privileges of the American Kennel Club automatically shall be suspended from the privileges of the Club for a like period.
Section 2 Charges. Any member may prefer charges against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Club or the breed. Written charges with specifications must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary together with a deposit of fifty dollars ($50.00) which shall be forfeited if such charges are not sustained. The Secretary shall promptly notify the Board which shall meet and fix a date of a Board hearing not less than 3 weeks nor more than 6 weeks thereafter. The Secretary shall promptly send one copy of the charges to the accused member by registered mail together with a notice of the hearing and an assurance that the defendant may personally appear in his own defense and bring witnesses if he wishes.
Section 3 Board Hearing. The Board shall have complete authority to decide whether counsel may attend the hearing, but both complainant and defendant shall be treated uniformly in that regard. Should the charges be sustained after hearing all the evidence and testimony presented by complainant and defendant, the Board may by a majority vote of those present suspend the defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more than six months from the date of the hearing. And, if it deems that punishment insufficient, it may also be recommended to the membership that the penalty be expulsion. In such a case, the suspension shall not restrict the defendant’s right to appear before his fellow-members at the ensuing Club meeting which considers the Board’s recommendation. Immediately after the Board has reached a decision, it’s finding shall be put in written form and filed with the Secretary. The Secretary, in turn, shall notify each of the parties of the Board’s decision and penalty, if any.
Section 4. Expulsion. Expulsion of a member from the Club may be accomplished only at a meeting of the Club following a Board hearing and upon the Board’s recommendation as provided in Section 3 of this Article. Such proceedings may occur at a regular or special meeting of the Club to be held within 60 days but not earlier than 30 days after the date of the Board’s recommendation of expulsion. The defendant shall have the privilege of appearing in his own behalf, though no evidence shall be taken at this meeting. The President shall read the charges and the Board’s findings and recommendations, and shall invite the defendant, if present to speak in his own behalf if he wishes. The meeting shall then vote by secret written ballot on the proposed expulsion. A two-thirds vote of those eligible voting embers present at the meeting shall be necessary for expulsion. If expulsion is not so voted, the Board’s suspension shall stand.
Any member so expelled may re-apply for membership after six months. Expelled members application shall be treated in the same manner as a new member’s application.
ARTICLE VII: Amendments
Section 1 Amendments to the constitution and by-laws may be proposed by the Board of Directors or by written petition addressed to the Secretary signed by twenty percent of the membership in good standing.
Amendments proposed by such a petition shall be promptly considered by the Board of Directors and must be submitted to the members with recommendations of the Board by the Secretary for a vote within three months of the date when the petition was received by the Secretary.
Section 2 The Constitution and by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any regular or special meeting called for the purpose provided the proposed amendments have been included in the notice of the meeting and mailed to each member at least two weeks prior to the date of the meeting.
ARTICLE VIII: Dissolution
Section 1 Dissolution. The Club may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not less than two-thirds of the members. In the event of the dissolution of the Club whether voluntary or involuntary or by operation of law, none of the property of the Club or any proceeds thereof nor any assets of the Club shall be distributed to any
members of the Club but after payment of the debts of the Club, its property and assets shall be given to a charitable organization for the benefit of dogs selected by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IX: Order of Business
Section 1 At meetings of the Club, the order of business, so far as the character and nature of the meeting may permit, shall be as follows:
Roll Call
Minutes of last meeting
Report of Board
Report of President
Report of Secretary
Report of Treasurer
Report of Committees
Election of Officers and Board (at annual meeting)
Election of new members
Unfinished business
New business
Adjournment
Section 2 At meetings of the Board, the order of business, unless otherwise directed by majority vote of those present, shall be as follows:
Reading of minutes of last meeting
Report of Secretary
Report of Treasurer
Report of Committees
Unfinished business
New business
Adjournment