Article I            NAME AND OBJECTS

Section 1.        The name of the club shall be the Grand River Kennel Club.

Section 2.        The objects of the club shall be:

a. To encourage and promote the breeding of pure-bred dogs and to do all possible to bring their natural qualities to perfection;

b. To urge members and breeders to accept the standards of the various breeds as approved by the American Kennel Club as the only standards of excellence by which these breeds shall be judged;

c. To do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of these breeds by encouraging sportsmanlike competition at dog shows and obedience trials;

d. To conduct sanctioned matches, dog shows and obedience trials under the rules of the American Kennel Club.

 

BY-LAWS

 

Article I            MEMBERSHIP

Section 1      There shall be three types of membership open to all persons who are in good standing with the American Kennel Club and who subscribe to the purposes of this club.                

Single Membership

Open to all persons eighteen years and older. This membership category enjoys all the privileges of the club including the right to vote and hold office.

Junior Membership

Open to all persons 10-17 years of age. Junior members cannot vote or hold office but may automatically convert to single membership upon reaching their 18th birthday.

Section 2.        Dues – Membership shall be set by the Board of Directors at the annual meeting, not to exceed $20 (Twenty) dollars per year for a single membership. During the month of November, the Treasurer shall send to each member a statement of his/her dues for the ensuing year which shall be due and payable on or before the first day of December. Persons having their membership approved in the months of September, October, or November are considered fully paid members for the following year. No member may vote whose dues are not paid for the current year.

Section 3.        Election to Membership – A prospective applicant must attend not less than three (3) regular meetings within (5) months as a guest. All applicants accompanied by one (1) year dues are to be filed with the secretary at the third meeting on a form approved by the Board of Directors. Each applicant must agree to abide by this constitution and by-laws and the rules of the American Kennel Club. The application must be endorsed by at least one club member in good standing.

Each application is to be read at the first meeting of the club following its receipt and then submitted to the membership committee for review. At the next regular club meeting, the application shall be voted upon by secret ballot and affirmative votes of ¾ of the members present and voting at that meeting shall be required for acceptance. Each applicant after being voted on by secret ballot will be notified by the corresponding secretary within one week as to whether or not they have been accepted.

Applicants for membership who have been rejected by the club may not reapply within six (6) months after such rejection. Any person under suspension from the American Kennel Club privileges will not be considered until that suspension is rescinded or has expired.

Section 4.        Termination of Membership – Memberships may be terminated:

a. by resignation – any member in good standing may resign from the club by 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 – Special club meetings shall be called by the president, or by a majority vote by the members of the Board incurred on the first day of December each year.

b. by lapsing – a membership shall be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such member’s dues remain unpaid ninety days (90) 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.

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 Painesville area on the fourth Tuesday of each month, at such hour and place as may be designated by the Board of Directors. Should the meeting date conflict with a legal holiday the Board shall have the power to specify a change of date for that meeting. Written notice for each such meeting shall be mailed by the corresponding secretary at least ten (10) days prior to the date of the meeting. Quorum for such meetings shall be twenty percent (20%) of the members in good standing.

Section 2.         Special Club Meetings – Special club meetings shall be called by the president, or by a majority vote by 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 Painesville Area in 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 corresponding secretary at least five (5) days and not more than (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 percent (20%) of the members in good standing.

Section 3.         Board Meetings – The Board of Directors shall have, as a minimum, quarterly meetings in each year to be held in the Greater Painesville Area, at such hour and place as may be designated by the Board. Written notice of each meeting shall be mailed by the corresponding secretary at least five (5) days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum of such a meeting shall be the 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 Painesville Area at such place, date and hour as may be designated by the person authorized herein to call such meeting. Written notice of such a meeting shall be mailed by the corresponding secretary at least five (5) days and not more than fifteen (15) days prior to the date 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 of 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/she is present. Proxy voting will not be permitted at any club meeting or election.

 

 

Article III.        DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

Section 1.        Board of Directors – The Board shall be comprised of the President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary and the Treasurer, all of whom shall be elected for one year terms; and four (4) persons all of whom shall be members in good standing.

Of the four other directors, two are elected to a two (2) year term on the even numbered years and two (2) year term on the odd number years.

General management of the club’s affairs shall be entrusted to the Board of Directors.

Should any officers or directors fail to attend three (3) monthly club meetings without just cause during the fiscal year, they may be removed from office by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board and the same procedure for a vacant office shall follow.

Section 2.        Officers – The club officers 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 these by-laws. 

b. The Vice-President shall have the duties and shall exercise and shall exercise the powers of the President in case of the President’s death, absence or incapacity.

c. The Recording 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.

d. The corresponding Secretary 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. 

e. The Treasurer shall collect and receive moneys due or belonging to the club. He/She shall deposit the same in a bank designated by the Board, in the name of the club. His/Her books shall at all times be open to the inspection of the Board and 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/she shall render an account of all moneys received and expended during the previous fiscal year. The Treasurer shall be bonded in such an amount as the Board of Directors shall determine.

Section 3.        Vacancies – Any vacancies appearing on the Board or any other elected office during the year shall be filled until the next annual election by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Board at its first regular meeting following creation of such vacancy, or at a special Board meeting called for that purpose, except that a vacancy in the office of President shall be filled automatically by the Vice-President and the resulting vacancy in the office of Vice-President shall be filled by the Board.

Section 4.       Delegate to the American Kennel Club – The delegate to the American Kennel Club shall be elected at the Annual Meeting by secret ballot for a two (2) year term and shall report to the club membership. A newly elected delegate’s term shall run at such time as the delegate has been voted upon and approved by the American Kennel Club membership until the next elected delegate is voted upon and approved by the American Kennel Club membership.

The club shall pay for round trip economy class air fare from Cleveland to New York, plus substantiated out of pocket expenses incurred by the delegate to be approved by the Board of Directors.

 

Article IV.        CLUB YEAR, ANNUAL MEETING, ELECTIONS

Section 1.        Club Year – The club’s fiscal year shall begin on the first day of December and end on the 30thday of November of the following year.

                        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 November at which officers, directors and delegate to the American Kennel Club shall be elected for the ensuing year by secret written ballot from among those nominated in accordance with sections four and five of this article. They shall take office immediately upon the conclusion of the election and each retiring officer shall turn over to his/her successor in office all properties and records relating to that office within thirty (30) days after the election.

Section 3.         Elections – The nominations from the floor and the elections of officers and Board members shall be in the following order:

                        President

                        Vice-President

                        Recording Secretary

                        Treasurer

                        Additional Board Members

This is in accordance with sections four and five of this article. The nominated candidate receiving the majority of the votes cast for each office shall be declared elected.

Section 4.        Qualifications for Office – To be eligible for office, a candidate must have been in good standing for no les than twelve (12) months, and have attended at least six (6) of the regular meetings during the past year.

To remain in office during any given term, an officer or director must attend at least a majority of the quarterly Board meetings and attend at least a majority of the regular monthly meetings. The Board shall meet with any offending officer or director and if no acceptable reason id given for his/her absence, a resignation from that office will be requested by the membership at the next regular meeting upon such recommendation of the Board. Any member who is on official club business will not be declared absent from a conflicting club meeting.

Section 5.        Nomination – The Corresponding Secretary shall include in the October meeting notice notification that the nominations for office and Board positions will take place at that meeting. Nominations for each office may be made from the floor at the October meeting by any member in attendance provided that the person so nominated does not decline when their name is proposed. If the proposed candidate is not in attendance at this meeting, the proposer shall present to the Recording Secretary a written statement from the proposed candidate signifying a willingness to be a candidate, after which said nominations shall be closed. The Corresponding Secretary shall, at least two weeks before the November meeting notify each member in writing of the candidates so nominated. Nominations cannot be made at the Annual Meeting or in any other manner other than so 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 dog shows, obedience trials, trophies, annual prizes, membership and other fields which will be served as committees. Such committees will 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 appointed 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 bring charges against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of the club. Written charges with specifications must be filed in duplicate with the secretary together with a deposit of ten dollars ($10.00). which shall be forfeited if such charges are not sustained by the Board following a hearing. The secretary shall promptly send one copy of the charges to each member of the Board or present them at a Board meeting, and the Board shall first consider whether thew action alleged in the charges, if proven, might constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the club. If the Board considers that the charges do not allege conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the club, 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 charge to the accused member by registered mail together with a notice of hearing and an assurance that the defendant may personally appear in his/her defense and bring witnesses if he/she wishes.

Section 3.       Board Hearing – The Board shall have the complete authority to decide whether  counsel may attend the hearing, but both complainant and defendant shall be treated uniformly in that regard. Should the charge 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 from not more than six (6) months from the date of the hearing. If it deems that punishment is insufficient, it may also recommend to the membership the penalty of expulsion. In such case, the suspension shall not restrict the defendant’s right to appeal 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, in turn, shall notify each of the Board’s decision and penalty, if any. 

Section 4.       Expulsion – Expulsion of a member of 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/her 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/her behalf if he/she wishes. A 1/3 vote (one third) 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 accomplished by the Board of Directors or by written petition addressed to the Secretary signed by twenty percent (20%) 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 recommendation 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 the By-Laws may be amended by a 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 been mailed to each member at least two (2) weeks prior to the date of the meeting.

Section 3.        No amendment to the Constitution and By-Laws that is adopted by the club shall become effective until it has been approved by the Board of Dirctors of the American Kennel Club.

 

 

Article VIII.      DISSOLUTION

Article 1.         The club may be dissolved at any time by written consent of not less that 2/3 of the members. In the event of dissolution of the club for other than purpose of reorganization, whether voluntary or involuntary, or by operation of law, none of the property of the club shall be distributed to any members of the club. Its property and assets shall be given to a charitable organization for the benefit of dogs selected by the membership.

 

 

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 the Last Meeting

                        Minutes of the Last Board Meeting – If Applicable

                        Report of the President

                        Report of the Recording Secretary

                        Report of the Corresponding Secretary

                        Report of the Treasurer

                        Report of the Delegate

                        Report of the Committees

                        Election of Officers and Board Members

                        Election of New Members

                        Unfinished Business

                        New Business

                        Adjournment

 

Section 2.        At the 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 the Secretary

                        Report of Treasurer

                        Report of Committees

                        Unfinished Business

                        New Business

                        Adjournment

 

 

Article X.         PROCEDURES

Section 1.        Governing Rules – On all questions and points not covered by this Constitution and By-Laws, Robert’s Rules of Order shall determine the procedure and be the governing law.