Name & Objects

 

1. The Club shall be called the “Southern Boston Terrier Club ” (herein after referred to as the ‘Club’) and its object shall be to promote the welfare of the breed by supporting responsible ownership and exhibition, and the training and promotion of breed standard specialist judges.

Management of the Club: appointment of a General Committee and other roles

 

2. The management of the Club shall be conducted by 12 elected Members who will form the General Committee (herein after referred to as the ‘Committee’). The Committee shall appoint a Chairman, a Secretary and a Treasurer from its serving members and these roles shall be referred to as an ‘Officer’ of the Club.  Most Committee Members and all Officers must reside in the Southern Counties of the UK.  All Committee Members shall have full voting rights at General Meetings. No person holding a position on the Committee of another registered UK KC Boston Terrier Breed Club shall be entitled to nominate, propose or hold a position on the Committee of this Club.

3. A Committee Member shall serve in their elected role for the duration of it’s term and this shall be for a maximum of three years unless they have been elected to a role part-way through a term when it shall be for the remaining term of that role. Committee positions shall be held in four groups of three-yearly cycles.  Each year up to four Committee positions shall be elected by the Membership at the AGM and the position of the retiring Officer will be appointed by the Committee and presented to the AGM.

4. The Membership shall be given at least 28 days’ notice of Committee positions arising for election at the AGM. Any Member of the Club wishing to stand for election to the Committee must send their nomination to the Secretary in writing at least 14 days before the date of the AGM.  Any such nomination must be proposed and seconded by two existing members.  A nominee, proposer and seconder must have been a member of the Club for two years. In the event that there is more than one eligible nominee for a single vacancy, a poll will be organised for those in attendance at the meeting and the results announced at that time by the Chairman.

5. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt Members onto the Committee in the event of a position becoming vacant between General Meetings. Co-opted Committee Members shall not have voting rights at Committee Meetings and shall only hold office until the next General Meeting of the Club when they must stand for election into the vacant role by the Membership.

6. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt a person who is not a member of the Club to the Committee to serve a particular purpose and in support of the Club’s objectives, but any person so appointed shall not have voting rights at Committee or General Meetings and shall remain part of the Committee only for so long as the purpose for which they were co-opted remains relevant.

7. The Officers and Committee members shall each act in an honorary capacity, but this shall not prevent any Officer or Committee member being reimbursed for expenses incurred in the course of Club business.

8. The Committee may appoint a Patron, a President and a Vice President to represent the Club. Persons elected to these positions are not part of the Committee and may therefore hold other positions. Any person so appointed shall become an Honorary Member of the Club and elected by the Committee for a period of three years.  They shall have the voting rights as an appointed Member.  There shall be no limit to the number of times the Committee can re-elect a person into one of these positions.

9. A meeting of the Committee shall be held as often as deemed necessary but at least once in each quarter of a calendar year.

10. A quorum for committee meetings at which decisions must be made shall be four, of which two must be Officers.

Membership

 

11. The Club shall be established with ‘Founding Members’ and they shall be identified as such in the Club’s records and shall be deemed Members of the Club on condition that they comply with the same eligibility criteria for their membership to be valid as other members and have paid an amount equal to or greater than the annual subscription proposed to general members at the inaugural general meeting of the Club.

12. The Club shall have an unlimited number of members whose membership shall be defined into the following categories and which shall have the following rights and entitlements:

1. Honorary Life Member: awarded by the Committee for outstanding service to the Breed or the Club; confers automatic and perpetual membership of the Club. Such a person shall be entitled to a vote at general meetings of the Club.
2. Founding Member: a title conferred to those members that helped establish the Club by offering their expertise, donating their time and/or money. Such a person shall be recognised in the records of the Club and may title themselves as holding this position.  For all other purposes, they shall have the same rights and entitlements within the Club’s Constitution as a member.
3. Member: this being the main category of membership for the Club to operate. Such a person shall be entitled to one vote at general meetings and, after 24 months as a member, be entitled to serve on the committee of the Club.
4. Junior Members: a person under the age of 18yrs may become a Junior Member of the Club if they have parental/guardian consent and are sponsored by an existing Member. They shall be required to comply with the constitution and rules of the Club but shall not be entitled to vote at general meetings.

13. The Club shall not offer joint membership. It follows therefore, that every registered owner of a dog at the UK Kennel Club must be a member of the Club in order to qualify for entry at the Club’s Limit Show.

14. Membership shall be granted to a person upon completion of the details contained in the Membership Application Form. This form must receive the sponsorship from one existing Member who shall vouch for the character and suitability of the nominee to become a member and be approved by the majority at a Committee meeting .  Membership is not granted until the aforementioned steps have been completed and the subscription fee has been paid and accepted into the Club’s bank account.

15. The Committee reserve the right to withhold membership from any person who, in their rightful opinion does not meet the objects of the Club or has breached its Code of Ethics and/or whose conduct does not meet that which is expected from it’s members. Any person who is rejected for membership shall have the right of appeal to the Committee.  Any person wanting to make an appeal must acknowledge receipt of the communication of their rejection and submit a written appeal to the Secretary regarding the Committee’s decision within 30 days of the date of the Rejection Letter.

16. Any appeal against the Committee’s decision for rejection of a member, shall be presented to the members for their decision at the next general meeting of the Club. The decision reached by a majority of members attending the meeting and eligible to vote shall be final. Any person rejected for membership shall not be entitled to reapply for membership for a further 12 months from the date of the rejection letter of the final decision at a General Meeting.

 

17. An up-to-date list of Members and their addresses and those of Branch Members where appropriate, must be maintained and, if so requested, the list of names made available for inspection by the Kennel Club and Members of the Society. A declaration of the number of members of the Society must be made with Annual Returns

 

Expulsion of Members

 

18. Any member who shall be disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A11.j(5) and/or Kennel Club Rule A11.j.(9) shall cease to be a Member of the Club.

 

19. 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 conduct 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.

 

20. Notice of the Special General Meeting 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 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 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 condition as the Kennel Club may impose.

 

21. If the Club expels any Member for discreditable conduct in connection with dogs, dog shows, trials or competitions, the Club must report the matter in writing to the Kennel Club within seven days and supply any particulars required.

Subscriptions

22. The amount and terms of subscription to the Club shall be proposed by the Committee and agreed by the Members at a General Meeting and notified to the Kennel Club.

23. Any person who fails to pay the subscription by the due date or at the latest the 31 January of the subscription year will be deemed to have lapsed their membership and shall not be entitled to the rights and information access of a Member. They will need to reapply for membership.  However, the Committee shall provide a reminder to the member and reserves the right to reinstate the person as a Member of the Club if they believe the circumstances surrounding the non-payment were a genuine error and the period of time elapsed is not significant.

 

Club Property

 

24. Management of property belonging to the Club shall be vested in the Committee. In the event the Club ceases to exist, a final General Meeting shall be called to decide how to dispose of the Club’s assets and the outcome of the meeting notified to the Kennel Club.

25. In the event the Club ceases to be a registered by the Kennel Club, a final statement of accounts, with a record of disposal of the Club’s property shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club within six months, and the persons named as Officers and Committee members will be held responsible by the Kennel Club for the proper winding-up of the Club.

26. Any donations or gifts to the Club will be deemed the property of the Club for management by the Committee and will form part of the final statement of account notified to the Kennel Club. This does not prevent the Committee deciding that it may return any donation or gift received by it, if it remains identifiable as such, in whole or in part, at the point the Club ceases to operate.

 

Club Accounts

 

27. A banking account will be held in the name of the Club at Lloyds Bank Plc into which all revenue and expenses of the Club shall be paid to and from, and which withdrawal shall only be made on the authorisation of any two Officers of the Club who are unrelated and independent from one another.

28. The accounts will be prepared by person(s) independent from any individual(s) certifying them and certified by a qualified accountant or two unqualified individuals with accounting experience, unconnected to the committee, annually and presented to the Members at an AGM

29. A copy of the annual statement of accounts shall be made available to members electronically 14 days before the date of the AGM and made available at that meeting.

 

Financial Year

 

30. The Club’s financial year shall be in from the 1 January to the 31 December each year.

 

Annual General Meeting

 

31. The Club shall hold an Annual General Meeting of its members every year at which the certified financial statements of the Club shall be presented to the membership for their approval and the election of Officers and Committee members shall be made.

32. Notice of the AGM shall be sent to members via email to the address held on record as provided to it on the member’s application to the Club or as updated by the member and advised to the Club, with no less than 28 days’ notice. Notice of the AGM will also be posted on the Club’s website.

33. Notice of an AGM along with the proposed agenda shall be given to members 28 days before the date of the meeting. Members wishing to speak on a resolution or place a motion at the AGM must send their request in writing to the Chairman 14 days before the date of the AGM.

34. Any proposals for discussion at the AGM must be proposed and seconded by separate members of the Club. The Chairman shall decide on the suitability of matters to be placed on the agenda of the AGM but shall not withhold any reasonable request properly made by a member in relation to the objects of the Club.

35. A record of the AGM and all matters decided shall be recorded published on the member’s section of the Club’s website.

 

 

 

Special General Meeting

 

36. If, in the opinion of the Chairman, a matter requiring member approval has not been agreed at an AGM, the Chairman may request members to agree a SGM be called in accordance with Rule 37. The same rules that govern the announcement of an AGM shall apply to these meetings.

37. Members shall be entitled to require the Committee to call a SGM for a specific purpose and have a properly proposed and seconded motion to pass if they have more than 15 members in agreement to such a meeting being called. Any such meeting shall be governed under the same rules and voting rights, as an AGM.

 

38. A record of the SGM and all matters decided shall be published on the member’s section of the Club’s website.

 

Voting rights at General Meetings

39. General Meetings of the Club shall usually be conducted virtually, using a widely recognised electronic medium designed for the purpose. It is expected that members of this Club will ensure they are enabled to attend virtual meetings and reasonable efforts shall be made to facilitate attendance.

40. Each member shall be entitled to one vote immediately upon acceptance of membership. An Honorary Member, Founding Member and Member shall each be entitled to an equal vote at general meetings.  A Junior Member shall not have any voting rights.

41. Postal votes shall not be allowed. Proxy voting will not generally be allowed, however provision for this arrangement may be made by the Chair of the Committee if, in their opinion, the matter to be decided warrants representation from a broader community of the membership.

42. Voting shall be by a positive affirmation as indicated by the medium used for the meeting or by an indication of the proportion of negative/against a motion; whichever the Chair decides is more accurate, and decided by the majority at the meeting, including any applicable proxy votes duly received by the Secretary and held by the Chair. In the event of an equal number of votes, the Chairman shall hold a casting vote.

 

Amendments to Rules

 

43. Any change to the Club’s Rules, Constitution or Code of Ethics shall be presented to the members at a general meeting for their approval and noticed to the Kennel Club in accordance with their requirements.

 

Annual Returns to the Kennel Club

 

44. The Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year the Maintenance of Title fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Secretary for continuance of Registration and that by 31^st July each year, other returns, as stipulated in Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies and Breed Council and the Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal Authorities shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club.

 

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

46. A declaration of the number of Members of the Club must be made with Annual Returns.

 

Kennel Club’s Final Authority

 

47. No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the Committee of or hold any other office or appointment within a Kennel Club Registered Society.

 

Club’s Judging Lists & the Judges Sub-Committee

 

48. The Club shall maintain and keep up to date a list of Judges that shall be submitted to the Kennel Club as part of its Annual Return. The purpose of a Breed Society Judges Lists is to indicate to interested parties those persons the Club would support at differing levels of judging.  Membership of the Club is not be a prerequisite for inclusion in the Judges Lists

49. The Club’s Judges Lists shall be updated as often as required to ensure accuracy, but this shall be at least annually. The JSC shall be responsible for maintaining and publicising the names and date of its most up-to-date list.  Lists properly compiled by the JSC in accordance with the Club’s judging criteria are not subject to ratification by the Committee or membership of the Club.  Such a list will be divided into five parts:

1. A1 List – Judges who have previously been approved to award CCs in a given breed and have carried out the appointment.
2. A2 List – Judges who, if invited to judge by a Club, would in principle be approved by the Kennel Club to award CCs in a given breed for that occasion.
3. A3 List – Judges who are recommended by the Club as being suitable to award CCs in the Breed, but not yet approved by the Kennel Club for inclusion on an A2 list.
4. B List – Judges who have been approved by Breed Societies to judge at shows without CCs in the Breed, but not yet approved by the Kennel Club for inclusion on an A2 list.
5. C List – Any list drawn up by the Committee of the Club that comprises aspiring Judges who do not qualify for inclusion in any of the other Judges Lists.

 

50. The List will consist of applicants that meet the criteria set down by the Club and published from time to time and approved by the JSC. The criteria for inclusion into any part of the Club’s Judging List and the List itself shall be recorded and maintained by the Judges Sub-Committee (JSC) which shall be appointed by the Committee and consist of at least 75% CC Judges for the Breed. The Chairman of the JSC shall be a member of the Committee.  The JSC shall be constituted each time the List is updated, or a selection of judges is considered necessary by the Committee for nominations to judge either a Club show or another show that is scheduling the Breed.

 

51. The JSC shall propose to the Committee for approval the appointment of Judges for its own shows and is authorised by the Committee to make recommendation to other Societies or Clubs from its list, if the preference for these appointments has already been established at a JSC. The preference for these appointments or recommendations shall be obtained in conjunction with the use of the JSC Selection Criteria and, if necessary, a ballot at a JSC shall be held.

 

52. JSC Members need not be Members of the Committee and can be invited by the Chair of the JSC from any qualified person, as appropriate, and in order to create a well-informed Sub-Committee of experienced breed specialist Judges and on which the Committee can rely.

Version 2.0 dated August 2023