Constitution of The Dallas Shetland Sheepdog Club

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I

Name and Objectives

SECTION 1. The name of the Club shall be Dallas Shetland Sheepdog Club, Inc.

SECTION 2. The objectives of the Club shall be:

(a) to encourage and promote the interest of pure-bred 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 are to be judged.

(c) to do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of the breed by encouraging sportsmanlike competition at dog shows and obedience trials.

(d) to conduct sanctioned and licensed specialty 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 or individual.

SECTION 4. The members of the Club shall adopt and may from time to time revise such by-laws as may be required to call out these objectives.

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I

Membership

SECTION 1. ELIGIBILITY. There shall be three (3) types of membership open to all persons 18 years of age and older who are in good standing with The American Kennel Club and who subscribe to the purposes of this Club.

(a) REGULAR MEMBERSHIP - enjoys all the privileges of the Club including voting and holding offices.

(b) FAMILY MEMBERSHIP -open to married couples or two related family members residing in the same household. Each person is entitled to a vote.

(c) ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP - open to anyone who wants to join without voting and office-holding privileges. Sponsors and the approval process applicable to prospective regular applicants are not required. After one year, regular membership may be sought in accordance with the procedure in the by-laws.

(d) JUNIOR MEMBERSHIP - open to persons 10-17 years of age. They enjoy all privileges of the Club except voting and holding office. No sponsors are required if a parent is a club member. They shall be able to convert to regular membership upon reaching their 18th birthday as set forth in Article I - Section 3.

SECTION 2. DUES. Regular member dues shall be $20.00 per year. However, two family members of the same household may elect to pay joint dues of $30.00. Junior membership dues shall be $10.00 per year. Associate membership dues shall be $15.00 per single or $17.50 per year for a married couple or any two related family members residing in the same household. No member may vote whose dues are not paid for the current year. During the month of November, the treasurer shall publish a notice in the newsletter that dues for the ensuing year are being collected. Anyone being voted into the membership after August 31st shall be payable on or before the first day of January of each year.

No refunds of dues will be issued.

SECTION 3. ELECTION TO MEMBERSHIP. Any eligible individual or couple may apply for Club membership following the attendance of two Club meetings. Club meetings for these purposes shall be defined as the monthly gathering of the members to conduct Club business.

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 these Constitution, By-laws and 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 unrelated sponsors who have been DSSC members a minimum of three years and who are in good standing with the Club (dues paid). Accompanying the application, the prospective member shall submit dues payment for the current year.

All applications are to be filed with the Club secretary, and if this application is turned in prior to the third meeting attended by the applicant, it will be read at that meeting, and the applicant's name will be published in the next newsletter. At the Club meeting when the application is read for the second time and is to be voted on, applicant should not be in attendance. One sponsor must attend this meeting in order to make a statement to the Club regarding the applicant's ethics, goals, kennel facilities, involvement with Shelties. If neither of the sponsoring members are present at this meeting, the application will be held until such time as the above requirements are met. Also, if a member has knowledge of any reason why this application should not be accepted, this information should be relayed to the Club Secretary after the first reading or brought to the Club's attention prior to voting. Voting will be postponed until the applicant is given the opportunity to answer any negative statements.

Affirmative votes of three-fourths (3/4) of the membership present and voting at that meeting shall be required to elect the applicant. Applicants will be notified in writing by the Club Secretary as to the results of the voting. Voting will be done by written ballot.

SECTION 4. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP. Membership 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 member will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such member's dues remain unpaid ninety (90) days after the first day of the fiscal year; however, the Board may grant an additional ninety (90) days grace to such delinquent members in meritorious cases. 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.

(c) by expulsion. A membership may be terminated by expulsion as provided in Article VI of these By-laws.

ARTICLE II

Meetings and Voting

SECTION 1. CLUB MEETINGS. Meetings of the Club shall be held in the greater Dallas area on the second Monday of each month, at such hour and place as may be designated by the Board of Directors. The Board, for good cause, may change the meeting day for any given month. Written notice of each such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least ten (10) days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such meeting shall be twenty (20) percent of the members 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 or special meeting of the Board, and shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by five (5) members of the Club who are in good standing. Such special meetings shall be held in the greater Dallas area at such place, date, and hour as may be designated by the person or persons authorized herein to call such meetings. Written notice of such a meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least five (5) days and not more than fifteen (15) days prior to the date of the meeting. Said notice shall state the purpose of the meeting, and no other Club business may be transacted thereat. The quorum for such a meeting shall be twenty (20) percent of the members in good standing.

SECTION 3. BOARD MEETING. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held in the greater Dallas area in the months of May and November in each year at such time and place as may be designated by the Board. Written notice of each such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least five (5) days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for such a meeting shall be a majority of the Board.

SECTION 4. SPECIAL BOARD MEETINGS. Special meetings of the board may be called by the President and shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a written request signed by at least three members of the Board. Such special meetings shall be held in the greater Dallas area at such place, date and hour as may be designated by the person authorized herein to call such a meeting. Written notice of such meeting shall be mailed by the Secretary at least five (5) days and not more than ten (10) days prior to the date of the meeting or telegraphic notice shall be filed at least three (3) days and not more than five (5) days prior to 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 of the Board.

SECTION 5. VOTING. Each member in good standing shall be entitled to one (1) vote at any meeting of the Club at which he is present. Proxy voting will not be permitted at any Club meeting.

ARTICLE III

Directors and Officers

SECTION 1. BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The Board shall be comprised of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and three (3) other persons all of whom shall be members in good standing and all of whom shall be elected for one year terms at the Club's annual meeting as provided in Article IV and shall serve until their successors are elected. General management of the Club's affairs shall be entrusted to the Board of Directors.

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 the President in addition to those particularly specified in these By-laws.

THE VICE-PRESIDENT shall have the duties and exercise the powers of the President in case of the President's death, absence or incapacity and shall be in charge of programs.

THE SECRETARY shall keep a record of all meetings of the Club and of all matters of which record shall be ordered by the Club. He shall have charge of the correspondence, notify 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 these By-laws.

THE TREASURER shall collect and receive all money due or belonging to the Club. He shall deposit the same in a bank designated by 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 render an account of all monies received and expended during the previous fiscal year. The Treasurer shall be bonded in such amount as the Board of Directors shall determine.

(E) No two (2) members of the same family shall serve on the Board of Directors at the same time.

(f) No person may hold the same elected office for more than two (2) consecutive years.

SECTION 3. VACANCIES. Any vacancies occurring on the Board or among the officers during the year shall be filled until the next annual election by a majority vote of all the then members of the Board at its first regular board meeting following the creation of such vacancy, or at a Special Board Meeting called for that purpose; except that a vacancy in the office of Prsident shall be filled automatically by the Vice-President and the resulting vacancy in the office of Vice-President shall be filled by an election by the Board.

ARTICLE IV

The Club, Annual Meeting, Elections

SECTION 1. CLUB YEAR. The Club's fiscal year shall begin on the first day of January and end on the thirty-first day of December. 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 April at which time Officers and Directors for the ensuing year shall be elected by secret, written ballot 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 thirty (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 three (3) nominated candidates for the 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 the Club election who has not been nominated. During the month of December, the Board shall select a Nominating Committee consisting of three (3) members and two (2) alternates, not more than one (1) of whom shall be a member of the Board. The the Secretary shall immediately notify the committeemen and alternates of their selection. 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 February first.

(a) The Committee shall nominate one (1) candidate for each office and one (1) candidate for each of the three (3) 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 before February Fifteenth notify each member of the candidates so nominated.

(c) Additional nominations may be made at the March 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 (1) position, and the additional nominations which are provided for herein may be made only from among those members who have not accepted a nomination of 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 specialty shows, 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 on particular projects.

SECTION 2. Any Committee appointmemt may be terminated by a majority vote of the full membership of the Board upon written notice to the appointee; and the Board may appoint successors to those persons whose services have 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 this Club for a like period.

SECTION 2. CHARGES. Any member may prefer charges against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interest of the Club or the breed. Written charges with specifications must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary together with a deposit of ten (10) dollars which shall be forfeited if such charges are not sustained by the Board following a hearing. The Secretary shall promptly send a copy of the charges to each member of the Board or present them at a Board meeting, and the Board shall first consider whether the actions alleged in the charges, if proven, might constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the Club or the breed. If the Board considers that the charges do not allege conduct which would be prejudicial to the best interest of the Club or the breed, it may refuse to entertain jurisdiction. If the Board entertains jurisdiction of the charges, it shall fix a date of hearing by the Board not less than three (3) weeks nor more than six (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 majority vote of those present suspend the defendant from all privileges of the Club for not more than six (6) months from the date of the hearing. And, if it deems that punishment insufficient, it may also recommend to the membership that the penalty be expulsion. In such 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, its findings 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 sixty (60) days but not earlier than thirty (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 (2/3) vote of those present and voting at the meeting shall be necessary for expulsion. If expulsion is not so voted, the Board's suspension shall stand.

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 (20) percent of the membership in good standing. Amendments proposed by such 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 (3) 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 (2/3) vote of the members present and voting 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 (2) 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 (2/3) of the members. In the event of the dissolution of the Club other than for purposes of reorganization, whether voluntary or involuntary or by operation of law, none of the property of the Club nor 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 the President

Report of the Secretary

Report of the 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: