2005 CONSTITUTION

1 NAME AND OBJECTIVES The society shall be called the Sheffield

German Shepherd Dog Society and its objects shall be to encourage

and improve the breed in general by holding shows and training

classes in ring craft and obedience etc.to the betterment of the breed.

2 OFFICERS AND MEMBERS The Society shall consist of:

a. Patron - the club may have a patron.

b. President - who shall be elected by members at an Annual General

Meeting (AGM) and who shall remain in office during pleasure.

c. Vice Presidents - who shall be elected by members at an AGM and

who shall remain in office during pleasure.

All of the above on acceptance of office will automatically become

Honorary Life Members of the club.

Also a maximum of 12 (twelve) committee members to include a

Chairman, a Treasurer, a Secretary and an unlimited number of

Members members all of whom shall reside in Great Britain.

3 THE COMMITTEE The management of the society shall be in the

hands of the Committee, of whom three (3) shall retire annually, but

shall be eligible for re-selection. - The officers of the committee i.e

Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer shall be nominated and seconded

before the meeting and voted into office by the members at the AGM

The President shall be an ex-officio member of the committee. Members

at the AGM shall elect a Chairman, a Secretary and a Treasurer from

amongst its numbers.

Meetings of the committee shall be held as often as may be necessary

and 50% of the Committee, a minimum of 4, will be deemed necessary

to form a quorum for the transaction of business. The committee shall

have the power to co-opt members in order to attain a full committee.

a  Any person co-opted onto the committee by the committee members

shall retire and be eligible for re-selection by members at the first AGM

following their co-option.

b  That any member co-opted onto the committee or voted onto the

committee must have been a member of the society for a minimum of

six months and if any member of the committee fails to attend three

consecutive committee meetings without acceptable reason they shall

be asked to resign

4 MEMBERSHIP Candidates for membership of the Society shall apply on

the appropriate form and be voted upon by the committee at its next

meeting. A majority for or against a candidate shall be decisive. In the

case of joint membership, two (2) of the same household or partnership,

they shall be entitled to one vote per member upon acceptance to the

society.

5 ALL REGISTERED SOCIETIES A list of all members and their addresses

must be sent to the Kennel Club (K.C.) with their Annual Returns and if so

requested, an up to date list of members must be made available for

inspection by the members of the Society or by the K.C.

6 VOTING The voting at any meeting shall be by show of hands or paper

ballot by full members only who are present and eligible to vote.

No proxy or postal voting shall be accepted. The Chairman shall have

the casting vote.

7 SOCIETY PROPERTY The property of the Society shall be vested in the

committee. In the event of the Society ceasing to exist, a Final General

Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of the Society's assets and the

outcome of the meeting, including a final statement of audited accounts and

records showing disposal of property, shall be notified to the K.C.

within 6 months.

8 SOCIETY ACCOUNTS A banking account shall be held in the name of the

Society into which all revenue of the Society shall be paid and from which

withdrawal shall only be made on the signatures of two officers of the

Society selected from amongst the Chairman, the Treasurer and the

Secretary. The Treasurer shall maintain the accounts of the ensuing year.

The accounts and balance sheet must be certified annually and presented to

the members at the AGM. Certification of the accounts must be carried out

by one qualified accountant or two unqualified individuals with

accountancy experience.

9 SUBSCRIPTIONS The annual subscriptions for full membership shall be     

          payable to the Treasurer between the 15th January and the 28th day before the

          date of the AGM. Any member wishing to propose or second a nomination

          or notion or attend the AGM must have renewed his/her subscription as above Candidates for membership accepted by the committee after the 15th November

                      may be deemed to have paid their subscriptions for the following year. Joint

membership shall be limited to two members of the same household or

partnership. A training fee per session shall be payable.

No member whose subscriptions is unpaid shall be entitled to any of the

privileges of membership and if any member fails to pay the annual

subscription by the 28th day before the AGM the committee shall have the

power to erase his/her name from the list of members but if the committee

shall receive satisfactory explanation subsequently the member may at the

discretion of the committee be re-admitted to membership.

The annual subscription shall be such amount as agreed by members in

General Meeting and notified to the K.C.

9a     For the serving officers and committee of the Sheffield GSD Society the membership
                     fee is to be nil. All other persons, excepting life members to pay £.... annually.
                     The amount to be decided at the Society's AGM

10 EXPULSION OF MEMBERS Any member who shall be suspended

under K.C. rule A42j (4) and/or any member whose dog(s) is/are

disqualified under K.C. Rule A42j (8) shall ipso facto cease to be a Member

of the Society for the duration of the suspension and/or disqualification.

If the conduct of any member shall, in the opinion of the Committee of the

Society be injurious or likely to be injurious to the character or interests of

the Society, the Committee of the Society 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 (SGM) of the Society

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 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 Society except

that he/she may, within two calendar months from the date of such meeting,

appeal to the K.C. upon and subject to such condition as the K.C. may

impose. If the Society expels any member for discreditable conduct in

connection with dogs,

Dog Shows, Trials or Competitions, the Society must report the matter in

writing to the Kennel Club within seven days and provide any particulars

required.

11 FINANCIAL YEAR The financial year of the Society shall be from 1st

January to the end of December. The AGM shall be held in April.

12 Annual General Meeting

The AGM shall be held in April each year for the following purpose:

A To receive the report of the Chairman and balance sheet, to elect a

Patron, President, Vice Presidents when required, and committee

members. To discuss any resolution duly placed on the agenda of

which fourteen (14) days prior notice in writing with the names of the

proposer and seconder have been given to the Secretary

B The Secretary and Treasurer to receive Honorariums paid retrospectively

C Notice of the Sheffield AGM shall be posted in the dog press not less than

           32 days before the date of the AGM and proposals and suggestions should

           be with the secretary 14 days before the AGM date.

D The election of the President, Vice Presidents and committee at the AGM

shall be either by vote or ballot by a majority of those present and voting at

the AGM. Any person nominated for the committee must be present at the

AGM or he/she forfeits the right to stand for election.

E A SGM shall be summoned by the Secretary if two-thirds of the members

send a signed requisition stating the subject to be discussed and requesting a

SGM to do so. No other business other than the matter on the agenda can be

discussed at the SGM.

Members will be given 21 days prior written notice.

The rules of the Society shall not be altered except at an AGM or SGM.

Any alterations to rules passed at such meeting shall not be brought into

force until the KC has been advised and given its approval to the

alterations. Members shall be informed of the date that any alterations are

to be brought into effect having been approved by the KC. All members

shall receive an amended copy of the constitution when any alterations to

the rules are approved by the KC.

13 ANNUAL RETURNS TO THE KENNEL CLUB the officers of the

Society acknowledge that during the month of January each year,

Maintenance of the Title Fee shall be forwarded to the KC for continuance

of registration and that annual returns shall be submitted to the KC as

stipulated.

By the 31st July each year, other returns as stipulated in KC 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 KC. The officers also acknowledge their duty to

inform the KC of any change of secretary of the Society, which may

Occur during the course of the year.'

14 HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS Patron, President, Vice Presidents, or

any person who has been a member of the Society for a minimum of 25

years and has paid his/her subscriptions continuously may be proposed as

an Honorary Life Member. Notice to elect an Honorary Life Member must

appear on the agenda for the AGM. Honorary Life Members shall have all

the rights of ordinary members but shall not be liable to pay subscriptions.

15 The Society shall not become a member nor become registered with any

canine federations that has not been approved and registered with the KC

subsequent to 15/11/50.

16 Members of the Society and officials of the Society shall be indemnified

by the Society against all legal claim made against them in connection

with any oral or written statement made by them in good faith in the

course of or in the furtherance of their duties and responsibility.

17 The KC shall be the final court of appeal in all matters of dispute.

18 Breed Society Judges List

Registered Breed Societies and Breed Councils must produce a list

of Judges each year, which must be submitted to the K.C. as part of the

Society's Annual Returns. The purpose of Breed Society Judges Lists is to

indicate to interested parties those persons a Breed Society would support

at differing levels of judging. Membership of the Society must not be a

prerequisite for inclusion in the lists. Judges lists should be divided into

three parts namely A1, A2 and B and must indicate the date on which the

list will expire. On expiry a new list must be completed.

A1 List - must indicate persons whom the Society would support and who

have previously been approved by the K.C. to award challenge

Certificates in the breed. (It should be noted that this list does not

apply to breed societies where the breed does not currently have

Challenge Certificates).

A2 List - must indicate all persons the Society would support to award

Challenge Certificates, but who as yet, have not been approved by

the K.C.

B List - must indicate any persons the Society would support to judge the

breed without Challenge Certificate.