The Great Dane Association of Ireland: Rules and Regulations

1. NAME. The name of the Association shall be The Great Dane Association of Ireland. The Association is a breed specialist organisation. The purpose of the association shall primarily be to promote and improve the health, welfare and general well being of the Great Dane breed through education, health testing, improved breeding and socialisation within the Great Dane community and the general public at large .

The objectives of the association are:

• to unite all persons who share the common goal to promote the Great Dane in Ireland, preserve and improve its health, physical and mental fitness and athleticism, character and longevity, aiding the development of the breed’s unique qualities to perfection;
• to protect the breed’s welfare (to include rescue) and general well being through rigorous and continuous education of breeders, judges, exhibitors and owners in all aspects of breed history and purpose, anatomy, morphology, physical efficiency in action and correct breed type according to the Breed Standard;
• to encourage health testing, study and research, in order to achieve improved breeding, applying scientifically sound genetic methods and ethical practices;
• to welcome all newcomers to the breed; fully and energetically offer support and assistance to all members sharing their lives with Great Danes; and provide advice, guidance and practical help to anyone facing challenges and seeking assistance to overcome problems with their Great Danes and any Great Dane in need (including Rescue);
• and to provide opportunities for learning, socialisation, breed-appropriate competitions and aptitude tests, facilitating the evaluation of breeding stock both physically and mentally, hosting conformation shows and a variety of educational events and activities within the Great Dane community and the general public at large, under the auspices of the Irish Kennel Club and in accordance with the International Breeding Rules & Strategies of the FCI.

 

2. MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS. Application for membership shall be made in writing on the Association’s official form which shall include a signed declaration / agreement to abide by the rules, policies and (where applicable) the Code of Ethics and guidelines of the Association and of the Irish Kennel Club and shall be accompanied by the appropriate subscription. Candidates for membership must be proposed and seconded by fully paid up members of the club.  Each member can only propose two (tick) three (tick) new members per calendar year. Such application shall be considered by the committee at least 30 days before the date of the Annual General Meeting. The founder members of the Association (meaning: all the members that joined and paid prior to the Inaugural General Meeting) have voting rights and be able to stand for election.  All other new members that join after the Association is officially formed at the Inaugural General Meeting, are divided in two categories:Full members that get voting rights after a full calendar year of paid membership from the date they joined (and can stand for Election after 3 full years of membership).
   New Members with progressive  voting rights.  After the initial year if they wish to remain and pay their dues they are added to the Full Members list (with full voting rights) from the 2nd year, and can stand for Election after three years from their initial joining date. It is suggested that this can serve as a filtering process.

The committee shall have the power to accept or reject an application and a period of one year shall elapse before an applicant, so rejected, shall be eligible again for election. Upon the election of a candidate, the Hon secretary shall notify him/her and furnish him/her with a copy of the rules.

3. SUBSCRIPTIONS. All Annual subscriptions for the following year shall be due at the conclusion of each Annual General Meeting. The amount of the Annual Subscription will be agreed from time to time by the club at annual general meetings.

The Financial year of the club shall be from  01/07/ to 31/06 yearly. Subscription is payable up to the 31st of August and anyone that has not paid by that date will not be eligible to vote at the AGM of that year. If not paid by the 31st of August, the following year including arrears, membership is deemed lapsed

4. MEMBERSHIP. The Association shall consist of an unlimited number of members whose names and addresses shall be recorded and kept by the Hon Secretary. This register of members shall be open for inspection at the AGM. The membership list shall also be made available online and in the Association Annuals.
5. EXPULSION OF MEMBERS. Any member who may be suspended or banned by the Irish Kennel Club, or other governing body with a reciprocal agreement with the FCI, or persons convicted by court of law for cruelty to animals, shall automatically and, for the period, be regarded as suspended from membership of the Association (subject to investigation and confirmation).  No member so expelled shall have any claim against the club, or be entitled to any repayment of any part of his/her subscription and shall forthwith return to the club any cups or trophies that, being part of the club, are in his /her possession at the time of expulsion.
6.  CONDUCT. No member is empowered to pledge the credit of the Association without obtaining the authority of the committee, and all items of expenditure shall come before the committee for approval.
7. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. The AGM shall be held each year before the end of October on a date agreed by the committee. The Hon Secretary shall notify each member of the venue and date of the AGM a minimum of 14 (fourteen) days before the meeting. Extraordinary General Meetings can be called, if an extraordinarily urgent matter arises, by the Committee, or by 50%+1 of the members that have paid their annual subscription for the year.
8. ELECTIONS. All officers and committee shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting, and shall assume office on the completion of the said AGM. Any candidate for election as an officer or committee member shall have been proposed and seconded by members of the society. If a person is nominated and is not present at the meeting, such nominations shall not be accepted unless the written consent of the nominee to accept the position shall have been deposited with the secretary prior to the commencement of the meeting. Only those who have been fully paid up members of the club for the previous three years may stand for election.
9. OFFICERS.   a) The officers of the Society shall consist of a president, chairman, secretary, treasurer, and other officers deemed advisable by the club. The Officers shall retire annually, but shall be eligible for re-election. Should acceptance and future affiliation to the Irish Kennel Club become a possibility, An Ard Chomhairle representative shall be elected annually and must be a member of the club and automatically sit on the committee.
10. b) Officers may not serve more than Three consecutive years in office in any single or combined position.
11. c) Committee members that have served a maximum three consecutive terms should stand down for one (tick) two (tick) three (tick) years before they are eligible to stand for election again.

 

10. COMMITTEE
11. a) The Committee shall consist of no more than five (5) members, who shall retire annually, but shall be eligible for re-election.
12. b) The committee shall have the power to delegate authority to sub-committees, working parties or coordinators, consisting of one or more committee or Association members.
13. c) If any member of the committee shall fail to attend two consecutive Committee meetings without furnishing satisfactory reason, he/she shall be deemed to have resigned from the committee.
14. d) The quorum for any General Meeting shall be six (6) plus one Officer (1)
15. e) Committee Meetings can/ shall be open to Full Members of the Association.

 

11. CHAIRMAN. The chairman or the temporary chairman of any meeting shall have an ordinary vote and a casting vote in the event of a tie. Questions arising at committee meetings shall be decided by a majority of those present and voting.
12. SECRETARY. The Secretary shall record the business discussed at each meeting and keep a record of decisions taken in the Minutes. At the beginning of each meeting the Secretary shall read the minutes of the previous meeting and any other business arising from correspondence. The Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Association as authorised by the committee and keep all incoming and outgoing correspondence on file, including e-mails & messages. The Association’s electronic correspondence shall be conducted exclusively using dedicated e-mail addresses set up for this purpose (for example: [email protected] etc). The secretary’s records and minutes of meetings shall be available for inspection at the AGM. The Secretary shall submit an annual report at each AGM.
13. TREASURER. The treasurer shall receive all monies; keep a proper record of receipts and payments and give the financial status of the society to each meeting of the committee. The treasurer shall maintain a banking account at a specified bank, in the name of the society and any withdrawals from this account shall be over the signatures of two persons nominated by the committee. The treasurer shall also submit an audited income and expenditure account to the members at the AGM.
14. 1 VACANCIES. In the case of an office becoming vacant the committee have the power to co-opt one of their members to fill the vacancy on the committee or for any other sub-committee vacancy. The first person in line for co-option should, at every case, be the next person(s) in number of votes to the vacating officer at the previous AGM. If that person declines and there are no persons that previously stood for Election left, the Committee can co-opt any member of the Association that has earned full voting and election rights. If none such persons are available the Committee can co-opt any Member of the Association.
15. CHANGES.  Any proposed changes in the rules must be notified to the members by the secretary and included in the agenda of the next AGM.  If passed [by increased majority of 60%+1 (tick)  75% (tick) of the votes],  changes must be submitted to the Irish Kennel Club for their approval
16. SUBSCRIPTIONS. The present membership subscriptions are Joint €20: Single €12: Junior €6. The society accepts any number of new members.  Junior members should be under the age of 18 years and should not have voting rights.
17. RESIGNATIONS. The Officers and Committee shall have the power to require the resignation of any member whose conduct is deemed to be prejudicial to the best interests of the association. If requested by the member in question the committee shall call a Special General Meeting at which the member shall be ratified or rescinded by a majority of the members present and voting at that Special Meeting, Twenty-one days’ notice in writing must be given for any Special Meeting, and only items on the Agenda may be discussed.
18. DISSOLUTION. In the event of the association being dissolved, all cups and trophies are to be returned to donors, heirs and money given to charity. The Irish Kennel Club shall be the final court of appeal in all matters of dispute.
19. NOTIFICATIONS. All members shall receive notifications via text, email, private messages unless specifically requested by member. The Association shall make use of the Social media and electronic means to advise of the forthcoming events.
20. EXPULSIONS. Any Member who brings the club, officers or its members into disrepute on social media and the social network sites shall be considered in breach of rule no Six (6) and become subject to the application same rule Sixteen (16).
21. 21. INCLUSION. The Association shall be inclusive and open for membership application to all regardless of religion, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity. The association shall promote democratic governance and equality for all members and respect and tolerance for all.
22. ANNUAL REPORTS. The President, Chairman and other officers appointed by the Committee shall submit an annual report at the AGM if they so wish or if they are requested by the committee.
23. OFFICIAL LOGOTYPE. The Official Logotype of the Association is the intellectual property of  the Association and may not be used without the Committee’s approval and consent.
24. AUTHORITY. Any other matter not specifically included in the statutes of the Association shall be managed by the Committee and the Committee’s annual reports and proposals shall be submitted to the members’ approval at the AGM. The Annual General Meeting of the Members shall have the highest democratic authority within the Association.  The AGM shall have the power to approve actions, policies and Codes of Conduct or Ethics submitted by the Committee. If the Association becomes accepted for affiliation by the Irish Kennel Club the Association accepts the Irish Kennel Club’s authority in all general matters arising by the IKC’s Rules and Regulations.