The Bouvier des Flandres Club of Great Britain

Constitution and Rules.

(last revision: April 2015)

  1. Names and Objects

The objects of the ‘Bouvier des Flandres Club of GB’ (the Club) shall be:

a) To promote responsible ownership and assist all owners of the Bouvier des Flandres in every possible way.
b) To organize meetings and discussions on topics of interest and value to breeders and owners.
c) To encourage the breeding and showing of the Bouvier des Flandres so that the qualities enumerated in the standard approved by the Kennel Club (KC) shall be maintained.

  1. The Committee

The management of the Club shall be vested in the committee, which shall consist of Patron, President, Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and a committee of not more than nine members.  The committee shall have the power to deal with matters not provided for in these rules.

a) Meetings of the committee shall be held when the Secretary deems necessary. The venue of meetings is to be agreed by two thirds of all elected committee members but shall normally be held in the Midlands area of the UK.  At least 14 days notice of the time and place of any meetings must be given in writing.  There shall be no more than four month intervals in between committee meetings
b) A quorum shall be half of the number of all elected committee members with a minimum of four
c) If a committee member is absent from three consecutive meetings they shall be deemed to have resigned
d) The Patron and President shall offer themselves for re-election every three years. All nominations for these positions shall have a proposed and four seconders
e) All elected officers and committee members shall stand for a three year term with one officer and one third of the committee offering themselves for re-election every year. All nominations for committee shall have a proposer and a seconder
f) All members of the committee, with the exception of the Patron and the President, shall have full voting rights. In the event of equality of voting, the Chairperson of the meeting shall have a casting vote
g) The committee has the power to fill casual vacancies. Co-opted members shall have full voting rights although they are not counted when considering if a quorum is present at any committee meeting.  A co-opted member shall stand down at the next AGM and the position shall be available for election, the tenure to run to the completion of the three year period for that position
h) The committee shall also have the power to co-opt members for specific positions, such as Newsletter editor. These co-opted members may only vote on subjects for which they were co-opted
i) The committee shall try to ensure that at least three magazines per year are circulated to members
j) No individual who has been a member for less than one year prior to the date of the AGM shall be eligible for election on to the committee
k) No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the committee of or hold any office or appointment within a KC Registered Society

  1. Election of Members

a) The election of members shall be vested in the committee. A candidate for membership shall have a proposer and seconder who are fully paid up members.  In applying for membership a candidate shall automatically agree to abide by the Club rules.  Membership shall be deemed effective from the date of ratification by the committee.  The committee reserves the right to refuse membership
b) Two members domiciled at the same residence may take out joint membership but will only be sent one copy of the club magazine
c) The Club will accept junior members who have not attained their 17th birthday
d) All applications for membership must be presented by post or by hand to the Treasurer who shall present them to the committee. All candidates shall be notified of the outcome of their application within one month and all successful candidates provided with the date their membership was ratified, a copy of the Club Rules and Code of Ethics, the latest Newsletter and details of forthcoming events
e) All new members’ names will be published in the first magazine following ratification of their membership

  1. Membership List

The Club must make a list of members and their addresses available for inspection if so requested by the members of the Club or by the Kennel Club.

  1. Voting Rights

a) All members (with the exception of junior members) whose subscriptions have been paid are entitled to vote at any General Meeting of the Club
b) Joint full members shall each have a single separate vote

  1. Club Property

Any person ceasing to be a member, or whose application for membership is rejected, shall return forthwith any property of the Club.

In the event of the Bouvier des Flandres Club of GB being disbanded the persons named as Officers and Committee will be held responsible to the Kennel Club for the proper winding up of the Club.

A person shall be appointed by the Committee to distribute the money for the good of Bouvier Rescue.  Any cups, trophies etc. shall be returned to the donors where possible.  Where this is not possible the cup or trophy shall be sold.  Within six months of the Club being disbanded a final statement of accounts, together with a record of disposal of the property of the Club, shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club.

  1. Club Accounts

The financial year of the Club shall be from 1st January to 31st December.

a) A bank account shall be in the name of the Club into which all revenue shall be paid and from which withdrawal shall only be made on the signature of two officers, one of which shall usually be the Treasurer
b) The Treasurer shall present a duly audited (or certified, according to the Kennel Club requirements) statement of accounts to the AGM. A copy of this statement will be published in the next Newsletter following the AGM
c) Auditors or Certificators shall be appointed at the AGM

  1. Subscriptions

The membership subscription shall be reviewed annually by the Committee and approved by the members at the AGM.  All subscriptions shall become due on 1st January.  All members will be sent a reminder of the date that their subscriptions are due and the amount payable.  Any person whose subscription has not been received by 31st January will be sent a final reminder that if they have not paid their subscription within a period of 28 days of the date of the reminder they will cease to be a member.  If they wish to continue to be a member they must then re-apply.  No member whose subscription is unpaid is entitled to any of the privileges of membership.

  1. Expulsion of Members

Any member who shall be suspended under Kennel Club Rule A42J(5) and/or member whose dog(s) is/are disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A42J(9) shall ipso facto cease to be a member of the Club for the duration of the suspension and/or disqualification.

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 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 SGM 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 explanation.  If at that meeting a resolution to expel is passed by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting, his/her name shall be forthwith erased from the list of members.  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 conditions as the Kennel Club may impose.

  1. General Meetings (AGM)

a) General meetings shall be held in the Midlands area of England and will not be convened during any General Championship Show. The AGM will be held in the months of March or April and only paid up members may attend and vote
b) Notice of the AGM shall be given in writing to every member, or, by arrangement, issued electronically, by 31st January of such meeting. The notification shall include:

  • Date, time and place of meeting
  • A list of outgoing Committee indicating those members prepared to stand for re-election
  • The attendance record of all Committee members during the year
  • Forms for the nomination of judges for voting by the members for the Club Championship/Open shows
  • A return form requesting a copy of the accounts, agenda and a list of committee nominations with C.V.s if required, and to be returned to them not later than 14 days prior to the AGM, to be sent to the member with their AGM notification. (See also Rule 7b)
  • Members shall be asked to choose a preferred method of how they receive this paperwork

c) Notice of items which members may wish to have included on the Agenda shall be presented in writing to the Secretary not less than 28 days prior to the meeting and may only be discussed if the proposer or seconder attends the meeting. All proposals for agenda items shall be in the form of proper proposal and have a proposer and seconder. No business shall be transacted at an AGM unless notice thereof appears on the agenda with the exception of routine matters, or those which, in the opinion of the Chairperson of the meeting, are urgent
d) Nominations for officers and Committee of the Bouvier des Flandres Club of GB shall be submitted to the Secretary not less than 28 days prior to the meeting on the form provided with notice of the meeting. Nominations shall have a proposer and seconder and shall be accompanied by a signed acceptance of agreement by the nominee. The nominee, proposer and seconder shall have been full members for at least 12 months
e) In any dispute over late arrival of Club correspondence the postmark date will be used (this will also apply to all other date sensitive Club correspondence)
f) Method of election to all Committee positions shall be by a secret ballot of all members attending and entitled to vote at an AGM. No member accepting nomination for any position on the Committee of the Club shall serve as an officer or Committee member of any other Bouvier des Flandres Club
g) A quorum for the AGM shall not be less than 15 members

  1. Special General Meetings (SGM)

The Secretary shall call a Special General Meeting if not less than 20 full members send in a signed request stating the subject to be discussed.  The Committee of the Club is also empowered to call a SGM.  The calling of a SGM by the Committee shall only be undertaken if two-thirds of the elected Committee is in approval.  SGM’s shall be held in the Midlands area of England and will not be convened during ay General Championship Show.  No other business other than that named in the notice shall be brought before the SGM.  Members will be given 14 days clear notice in writing of the date, time and place of the SGM.

  1. Amendment to Rules

Rules of the Club may not be altered except at the AGM or SGM, the agenda for which contains specific proposals to amend such rules.  Such alterations shall not be brought into force until the Kennel Club has been advised and given approval to the alterations.  The revised rules shall be sent to all members.

  1. Annual Returns to the Kennel Club

The officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year, Maintenance of Title Fees will be paid forward to the Kennel Club whether by the Secretary or Direct Debit for the continuance of registration, and that by the 31st July each year other returns, as stipulated in Kennel Club regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies and Breed Councils, and the Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal Authorities, be forwarded to the Kennel Club.

The officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any changes of Secretary which may occur during the course of the year.

  1. Kennel Club Court of Final Appeal

The Bouvier des Flandres Club of GB shall acknowledge the KC as the Final Court of Appeal in all canine matters.

  1. Other Clubs

The Club shall not join any Federation of societies or clubs.

  1. Breed Society Judges List

On behalf of the Club the Judges Sub-Committee will produce each year, in accordance with the requirements of the KC, as part of the Club’s Annual Returns for the said Club, judges’ lists to the following criteria:

A1 List – Must indicate all persons whom the Club would support and who have previously been approved by the KC to award Challenge Certificates.

A2 List – Must indicate all persons whom the Club would support and who, if invited to judge by a Society, would in principle be approved by the KC.

A3 List – Must indicate all persons whom the Club would support to award Challenge Certificates but who, as yet, have not been approved by the KC.

B List – Must indicate all persons whom the Club would support to judge the breed without Challenge Certificates.

C List – Aspirant judges who have shown an interest in the breed and who do not fit into any of the above categories.

The purpose of the Judges List is to indicate to interested parties those persons the Club would support at different levels of judging.  New Judges Lists will be compiled annually and include their expiry date.  Membership of the Club shall not be a prerequisite for inclusion in the lists.

Names of judges for Club Open and Championship shows will be requested from the members by way of a nomination form included with the AGM paperwork (see rule 10b).  These nominations will be voted on by secret ballot at the AGM.  Judges invitations to be sent by Royal Mail ‘Signed for’ wherever practical.

16a. From the result of the vote for judges for the Club Championship Show only the top three named judges are accepted.  If these three are unable to accept the appointment then it will go back to the AGM for a further nomination and vote.

16b. An Overseas judge be elected to judge our Club Championship Show once every five years with effect from 2018.

  1. Code of Ethics

All members of the Bouvier des Flandres Club of GB undertake to abide by its General Code of Ethics.  Club Members:

  • Will properly house, feed, water and exercise all dogs under their care and arrange for appropriate veterinary attention if and when required
  • Will agree without reservation that any veterinary surgeon, who performs an operation on any of their dogs which alters the natural conformation of the animal, or who carries out a caesarean section on a bitch, may report such operations to the Kennel Club
  • Will agree that no healthy puppy will be culled. Puppies which may not conform to the Breed Standard should be placed in suitable homes
  • Will abide by all aspects of the Animal Welfare Act
  • Will not create demand for, nor supply, puppies that have been docked illegally
  • Will agree not to breed from a dog or bitch which could be in any way harmful to the dog or to the breed
  • Will not allow any of their dogs to roam at large or to cause a nuisance to neighbours or those carrying out official duties
  • Will ensure that their dogs wear properly tagged collars and will be kept leashed or under effective control when away from home.
  • Will clean up after their dogs in public places or anywhere their dogs are being exhibited
  • Will only sell dogs where there is a reasonable expectation of a happy and healthy life and will help with the re-homing of a dog if the initial circumstances change
  • Will supply written details of all dietary requirements and give guidance concerning responsible ownership when placing dogs in a new home
  • Will ensure that all relevant Kennel Club documents are provided to the new owner when selling or transferring a dog, and will agree, in writing, to forward any relevant documents at the earliest opportunity, if not immediately available
  • Will not sell any dog to commercial dog wholesalers, retail pet dealers or directly or indirectly allow dogs to be given as a prize or donation in a competition of any kind.  Will not sell by sale or auction Kennel Club registration certificates as standalone items (not accompanying a dog)
  • Will not knowingly misrepresent the characteristics of the breed nor falsely advertise dogs nor mislead any person regarding the health or quality of a dog
  • The Club strongly recommends that breeding stock be health tested

Breach of these provisions may result in expulsion from Club membership, and/or disciplinary action by the Kennel Club and/or reporting to the relevant authorities for legal action, as appropriate.