Northern Borzoi Association Rules

 General

1. The Association shall be called The NORTHERN BORZOI ASSOCIATION

2. The aim and objectives of the Association shall be to promote the breeding of pure Borzoi as defined by The Kennel Club Limited (hereinafter call “The Kennel Club”), as the only recognised standard by which Borzoi are to be judged and so maintaining the perpetuation of the qualities of the breed.

3. To promote education, study and the welfare of the breed.

4. The Association shall not join any Federation of Societies or clubs.

5. The Kennel Club is the final authority for interpreting the Rules of the Association in all cases relative to canine or Association matters.

Kennel Club Rules

6. The officers acknowledge that in the month of January each year, Maintenance of Title (MoT) fee will be forwarded annually to the Kennel Club by the Secretary,  for the continuance of Registration and that by 31st July each year, other returns, as stipulated in Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of the title of Societies and Breed Councils and the affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal Authorities.

The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform The Kennel Club of any changes of Secretary or other officers and committee members of the Association which may occur during the course of the year.

7. The rules of the Association may not be altered except at a General Meeting, the notice for which should contain any specific proposals to amend the rule.

Any proposed alteration to the Rules may not be brought into force until The Kennel Club has been advised and approved the alteration.

New Rules or amendments introduced specifically to meet Kennel Club requirements shall be adopted immediately.

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

Membership

9. No Officer or member of the Northern Borzoi Association Committee shall be eligible for election to the Borzoi Club Committee.

10. The Association shall consist of an unlimited number of Members whose names and addresses shall be detailed in a book kept for that purpose by the Secretary. Such book shall be made available for inspection by (a) The Kennel Club and or (b) a Member of the Association subject to receiving adequate notification of such a request. A declaration of the number of Members of the Society must be made with the Annual Returns.

An up to date list of Members and their addresses, and those of branch Members, where  appropriate, must be maintained and, if so requested, made available for inspection by the  Kennel Club and Members of the Association.

11. The election of Members shall be entrusted to the Committee, each Applicant shall be proposed and seconded by another fully paid up Member. A vote on Membership being taken by a show of hands. A majority vote against shall exclude the Applicant from Membership.

12. An annual subscription shall be paid which entitles the subscriber to full Membership, plus an optional donation per to the Northern Borzoi Association’s Rescue Scheme during its lifetime. Senior Membership with full voting rights is available for members over 65 at a reduced rate. Junior Membership for ages eight to sixteen (without voting rights) shall be available for the same reduced rate. The annual subscription shall be as proposed by the Committee and agreed by the Members at Annual General Meeting. The annual shall be payable to the Treasurer on the 1st January each year. No Member whose subscription is unpaid shall be entitled to ant privileges of Membership. If any Member shall fail to pay the annual subscription by 1stFebruary, his/her name shall be automatically erased from the Register. Acceptance back on the Register will be dependent upon a new application and payment of arrears. The Committee shall have the power to erase their name from the List of Members, but if the Committee shall subsequently receive a satisfactory explanation, the Member may, at the discretion of the Committee, and on payment of any arrears, be re-admitted to Membership.

13. The payment of the subscription entitles the Member to enjoy the benefits and privilege of the Association; such payment is a pledge to abide by the Rules and Code of Ethics of the Association.

14. The Committee shall have the power to recommend to an Annual General Meeting the Election of Honorary Life Members, subject to obtaining a majority vote.

15. The Officers and Committee of the Association will not tolerate Members bulling, abusing or making inappropriate statements on Social Media/Internet sites.

Any member found to be making derogatory remarks or defamatory or inflammatory statements about any persons, show or canine entrant and a complaint is received, it will be reported to the Kennel Club.

16. Any Member who shall be disqualified under Kennel Club rule A11.j.(5) and/or Kennel Club rule A11.j.(9) shall ipso facto cease to be a Member of the Association.

If the conduct of any Member shall, in the opinion of the Committee of the Association be  injurious or likely to be injurious to the character or interests of the Association, the Committee  of the Association 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 Society shall be called for the purpose of passing a resolution to expel him/her.

Notice of the Special General Meeting shall be sent to the accused Member, giving particulars or 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 Association 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.

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

Committee

17. The affairs of the Association shall be conducted by a President, two Vice Presidents, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Chairman, (who shall have served on the Committee Member for at least three years) a Vice Chairman and a Committee of eight. The President shall be invited to take the Chair at the Annual General Meeting. The Chairman or Vice Chairman will take the chair at all Committee Meetings. A cup steward will be elected from the Committee,

by the Committee.

Voting for the Officers and Committee shall take place at the Annual General Meeting. Each fully paid up member shall be entitled to one vote, but members who have not paid their current subscription by 31st January will not be entitled to vote. Each member of a partnership shall be entitled to one vote. 

18. A maximum of two members of any family or partnership can serve on the Committee at the same time and, of those two, only one can be an Officer.

19. The Association may have a Patron, elected at the Annual General Meeting at which time the term of office may be determined.

20. The Management of the Association shall be in the hands of Officers and Committee of eight, who will serve a two-year term. Four members of the Committee will retire in one year and, being eligible, offer themselves for re-election. The remaining four retiring in the alternate year and, being eligible, offer themselves for re-election. Where there are more than four Committee places available for re-election, the four members serving two years consist of those with the highest number of votes at the Annual General Meeting at which they were elected.

21. The President shall be elected for a period of three years; the Vice Presidents shall be elected annually.

22. A person may be co-opted to the Committee to fill any casual vacancy and will only serve for the remainder of the remainder of the one-year term of the person he/she replaces, but he/she shall be eligible for re-election.

23. The Officers shall be ex-officio members of the Committee.

24. The Officers and Committee shall have the power to deal with any question relating to the management of the Association not provided for in the Rules, and for all financial matters, including the guaranteeing of classes, offering specials and voting of the use of any Association funds towards any matter connected with dog shows and/or welfare issues.

25. Members of the Committee and any Member of the Association who may be called upon to undertake any special services on behalf of the Association shall be entitled to receive all reasonable outlays incurred in carrying out such services.

26. A Member of the Committee shall vacate office if absent from any meetings/events or any Sub-Committee on four consecutive occasions without just cause intimated to the Secretary.

27. No person shall be deemed a Member of the Association or be entitled to the privileges of Membership until subscriptions have been paid. Members whose subscriptions for the current year have not been paid by 1st February shall not be eligible to vote at the Annual General Meeting on any matter whatsoever.

Finances

28. The Financial Year of the Association shall be from 1st January to 31stDecember.

29. A banking account shall be opened in the name of the Association into which all revenue of the Association shall be paid and from which withdrawals shall only be made on the signature of two out of three of the President, Secretary, and Treasurer. These shall act as the Association Trustees. The duties of the Secretary and Treasurer shall be those as laid done by The Kennel Club.

30. An Auditor or Auditors shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting but any casual vacancy in the office of Auditor shall be filled by the Committee appointing another Auditor, who, however, shall hold office only until the next Annual General Meeting. The Auditor(s) must be one qualified Accountant or two unqualified individuals with accountancy experience. Those undertaking the certification must be independent from those who prepared the Accounts.

A copy of the Annual Statement of Accounts for the last year, certified in accordance with the rules of the Association to be sent to all Members of the Association. However, a copy of the Annual Statement of Accounts will be made available on request to Members 14 days prior to the AGM. Additionally, the Annual Statement of Accounts will be available for inspection by members at the Annual General Meeting.

31. The members of the Committee and the Sub-Committee, the Secretary, Treasurer, auditor(s) and other Officers for the time being of the Association, shall be indemnified out of the funds of the Association against loss, costs and charges which they may respectively incur or be put to on account of any contact, deed, act, matter or thing done, entered into, executed or permitted by them respectively on behalf of the Association and each of them shall be chargeable only for so much money as he/she may actually receive and they shall not be answerable for the acts, receipts, neglects of defaults only.

Cups and Trophies

32. Cups and Trophies will be held from Association Show to Association Show. Any points cups and trophies to be awarded on the year from 1st January to 31stDecember. A non-refundable fee will be required which will be donated to the Northern Borzoi Association’s Rescue Scheme. The Committee to decide on the amount of such deposit. Exhibitors be liable for loss or damage to the cups and trophies whilst in their possession. The amount of deposit will be determined by the Committee from time to time. A donor of any cup or trophy will state in writing that the cup or trophy is an outright gift and the property of the Association.

Property

33. The property of the Association shall be vested in the Committee. In the event of the Association ceasing to exist, a final General Meeting shall be called to decide the Association assets and the outcome of the meeting notified to the Kennel Club.

34. Upon dissolution or winding up of the Association, a final statement of audited accounts with a record of the disposal of the property of the Association shall be forwarded to The Kennel Club within six months and the persons named as Officers and Committee of the Association on the last return furnished to The Kennel Club, will be responsible by The Kennel Club for the proper winding up of the Association.

35. The Association may be dissolved or would up only by the following procedure:

A Resolution to be put forward by the Committee or one third of the Membership, this must then be:

(a) Followed by a Special General Meeting where three-quarters of the Membership present and voting shall confirm the Resolution

(b)  Voting on the Resolution shall be by postal ballot of all Members and a three-quarter majority shall decide. The postal ballot shall be undertaken not less than fourteen days after the date of the Special General Meeting. Voting papers to be returned to the Kennel Club by the specified date on the voting paper.

Meetings of the Association

36. There shall be an Annual General Meeting to receive the report of the report of the Committee and the Balance Sheet, to elect Officers and Committee and to discuss any Resolution duly placed on the Agenda, prior notice of which has been given to the Hon Secretary by a specific date. No business shall be transacted at an Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof appears on the Agenda, with the exception of routine matters or those which in the opinion of the Chairman of the Meeting are urgent. Any Resolution for inclusion on the AGM or GM Agenda must be forwarded with signatures of the proposer and seconder.

37. Nomination forms are to be sent out prior to the Annual General Meeting, accompanied by a record of attendance at Meetings and Association events by the retiring Committee. Nominations must be proposed and seconded, and signed, by fully paid up members, and must be signed by the member signifying their willingness to stand. In the event of an equality of votes being recorded, a re-vote shall be taken.

Royal Kennel Club Code of Ethics

Points 1-14 form The Royal Kennel Club’s General Code of Ethics; these fourteen points are mandatory. All members of the Northern Borzoi Association undertake to abide by the General Code of Ethics.

NBA members:

1. Will properly house, feed, water and exercise all dogs under their care and arrange for appropriate veterinary attention if and when required.

2. Will agree without reservation that any veterinary surgeon performing an operation on any of their dogs which alters the natural conformation of the animal, or who carries out a caesarean on a bitch, may report such an operation to The Royal Kennel Club.

3. Will agree that no healthy puppy will be culled. Puppies which may not conform to the Breed standard should be placed in suitable homes.

4. Will abide by all aspects of the Animal Welfare Act.

5. Will not create demand for, nor supply, puppies which have been docked illegally.

6. Will agree not to breed from a dog or bitch which could in any way be harmful to the dog or to the breed.

7. Will not allow any of their dogs to roam at large or to cause a nuisance to neighbours or those carrying out official duties.

8. Will ensure that their dogs wear properly tagged collars and will be kept leashed or under effective control when away from home.

9. Will clean up after their dogs in public places or anywhere their dogs are being exhibited.

10. 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.

11. Will supply written details of all dietary requirements and give guidance concerning responsible ownership when placing dogs in a new home.

12. Will ensure that all relevant Royal 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.

13. 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 Royal Kennel Club registration certificates as standalone items not accompanying a dog.

14. 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. 

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